Picador

A picador (Spanish pronunciation: [pikaˈðor]; pl. picadores) is one of the pair of horsemen in a Spanish bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the tercio de varas which is the first of the three stages in a Spanish bullfight.

Function

The picador has three main functions:

If the public feels that a picador is overenthusiastic in his lancing they will whistle, boo or jeer as they see fit. This is because they do not want the bull to lose all its strength and energy as this can lead to a dull bullfight.

The picador is obliged to give the bull two lances in a first category bullring (Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Zaragoza etc.) but the matador may request that the second be waived in second and third category rings. The bull may receive three lances if it is particularly ferocious.

Picador (imprint)

Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.

Picador was launched in the UK in 1972 with the aim of publishing outstanding international writing in paperback. In 1990, Picador started publishing its own hardcovers.

Picador authors have included Jonathan Franzen, Michael Chabon, Angela Carter, Thomas Pynchon, Jon Ronson, Pankaj Mishra, Bret Easton Ellis and Salman Rushdie.

See also

References

External links

Picador (disambiguation)

A picador most commonly refers to one of the six members of the cuadrilla in a Spanish bullfight.

Picador may also mean:

See also