As always, I enjoyed the latest (Summer 1996) issue of Apuntes. Perhaps I have been in England too long (39) years, though a native New Yorker. I must confess that "he maxed out a wallet full of credit cards" was completely unknown to me in my so-called native English (American?).
And I was surprised that "homebound" was translated as "confinado al hogar". This may again be a difference between American and English English. In England, "confinado al hogar" would correspond to "housebound". However, "homebound" means "heading in the direction of home". Could you please clarify whether this distinction exists in America?
Dr. Alan Berson MITI MIL FRSH
London, England

Reply from Apuntes: We didn't expect that many of our readers would be familiar with "maxed out". Actually, we had never heard of it before, and that is why we challenged our readers asking them for a translation. This is another example of American English innovation.
Concerning the meanings of "homebound", the American Heritage Dictionary of the English language provides the following:
homebound adj. Heading homeward
homebound adj. Restricted or confined to home: homebound invalids.
housebound adj. confined to one's home, as by illness