/en'cheuh lah"deuh, -lad"euh/ , n. Mexican Cookery.
1. a tortilla rolled and filled with a seasoned mixture, usually containing meat, and covered with a sauce flavored with chili.
2. big or top enchilada , Slang. someone regarded as the most important, influential, or dominant person in an organization: The police are hoping to catch the syndicate's big enchilada in the next raid.
3. whole enchilada , Slang. the entirety of something, esp. something impressive or outstanding: She has a job with money, prestige, and satisfaction - the whole enchilada.
[ 1885-90; enchilado spiced with chili (ptp. of enchilar ), equiv. to en- EN- 1 + chil ( e ) CHILI + -ado -ATE 1 ]