What is "pilon"

Pilon \Pi*lon"\, n. [Sp., sugar loaf.] [Sp. Amer.]

1. A conical loaf of sugar.

2. A gratuity given by tradesmen to customers settling their accounts. [Southern U. S.]

1892, from Mexican Spanish, from Spanish pilón "sugar loaf."

n. 1 (cx Latin America English) A conical loaf of sugar. 2 (cx US southern US English) A gratuity given by tradesman to customers settle their accounts.

Pilón is a Cuban musical form and a popular dance created in the 1950s. Its creation is often attributed to bandleader and singer Pacho Alonso. The rhythms of Pilón are based on the motions of pounding sugarcane.

It was named for the town of Pilón, on the southern coast of Cuba.