OFFSHORE: A FLEETING NEWSPAPER WORD PUSHING ITS WAY INTO SPANISH

 Of late, Spanish politics has been topsy-turvy, with socialist politicians jailed, indicted, prosecuted, or accused of corruption and graft. The English adjective offshore is on everyone's lips, in the digital press, on radio programs, and in talk shows of all kinds. Commentators and know-alls use it in Spanish as a noun: "El político corrupto tiene un offshore en Singapur." The pronunciation varies from ofsor to obsor. They are referring to companies or individuals with operations, accounts, or assets in tax-haven jurisdictions.

The expression has become remarkably popular, and one now hears it in everyday conversation. I would be interested in tracing its trajectory as a linguistic stowaway. Time, and perhaps the law, will determine whether it becomes established currency in Spanish or is eventually consigned to oblivion.