Splitting Hairs!

Recently in the Dominican Republic, I drove by this word: pelotero.

I didn't immediately know what it meant, but assumed it had something to do with hair. As I contemplated the word, I thought to myself that it must be a person who has something to do with hair. I said to myself, "But a person who cuts hair is a peluquero."

Then I thought to myself that these two words might be two nuances of the same thing. I had almost convinced myself that pelotero was a barber whilst peluquero would be a hairdresser. I made a mental note to look it up when I got home.

As I typed 'pelotero' into the REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA online dictionary, I had a sneaking suspicion that I had got it wrong. I thought to myself, "pelota .... oh, no, I was way off."

And sure enough, I had.

Pelotero

1. m. y f. Persona que tiene por oficio hacer pelotas de jugar.

2. m. y f. Persona que las suministra en el juego.

3. m. Ant., Nic. y Ven. Jugador de béisbol.