check mark

check marks (plural)
checkmark (alternative)

Put a check mark in the box corresponding to the correct answer.

(Canada, US, Philippines) A mark (✓) made to indicate agreement, correctness or acknowledgement.


PSU

Pangasinan State University
w:Pangasinan State University

(Philippines) Initialism of Pangasinan State University.


pass by

en-verb

pass by (third-person singular simple present passes by, present participle passing by, simple past and past participle passed by)

passes by (present singular third-person)
passing by (participle present)
passed by (participle past)
passed by (past)


beauty parlor

beauty parlors (plural)
beauty parlour (alternative UK)

(US, Philippines) A salon where hairdressers, beauticians, and cosmeticians work.


mongo

Borrowed from Spanish mongo. Compare Tagalog munggo.


kababayan

The biggest and, I would say, most important of these businesses is the local branch of "Seafood City," a chain of Pinoy supermarkets, where all the kababayans go to get home-style patis, toyo, suka, […]

2010, Lorenzo Paran (III.), An Isteytsayd Life (page 125)

(Philippines) A compatriot; a fellow Filipino.


PDC

Practical Driving Course
Practical Driving Course#English

(Philippines) Initialism of Practical Driving Course.


trapo

Contraction of traditional politician; also influenced by Tagalog trapo (“rag”), from Spanish trapo.

(Philippines, slang, derogatory) corrupt politician


LQ

en-noun

LQ (countable and uncountable, plural LQs)

(Philippines, slang) Initialism of lovers' quarrel.


highschooler

highschoolers (plural)
high schooler (alternative)
high-schooler (alternative)


nn

(Philippines, Singapore) Alternative form of NN (“noon”).


gumamela

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis#Translingual

(Philippines) Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

(Philippines) Any flower or plant belonging to the genus Hibiscus


sando

Unknown. Oldest attestation found in the Philippines is from 1943 in the Official Gazette of the Japanese Military Administration of the Philippines, Volume 2. Possibly from Japanese, just like Tagalog sando as per Potet (2016). See also Japanese ランニングシャツ (ranningushatsu, “sleeveless undershirt; tank top; singlet; vest”) and サンド (sando). Compare Bengali স্যান্ডো গেঞ্জি (sênḍō genji), Assamese English sando-ganji, Hindi सैंडो गंजी (saiṇḍo gañjī), Kapampangan sandu, Bikol Central sando, Waray-Waray sando.

cog

স্যান্ডো গেঞ্জি

Bengali স্যান্ডো গেঞ্জি (sênḍō genji)

(Philippines) sleeveless undershirt; tank top; wifebeater; singlet; vest


anting-anting

(Philippines) A Filipino amulet or talisman.


baroto

Borrowed from Philippine Spanish baroto.

(Philippines, nautical) A small dugout canoe boat from the Philippines, which normally lacks outriggers and is usually used in calm waters.


practico

Borrowed from Spanish práctico (“experienced; skilled; practiced”). Doublet of practic.

bor+

On the 14th March, we entered the Bio Guaurabo, one of the two ports of Trinidad de Cuba, to put on shore the practico, or pilot of Batabano, who had steered us across the flats of the Jardinillos […]

1907, Alexander von Humboldt, translated by Thomasina Ross, Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America:

(Cuba, Philippines, obsolete) A guide (person who guides).


red-baiting

(US, sometimes Philippines) The (ad hominem) practice of accusing someone of being a communist, socialist or anarchist with the intention of discrediting their political views.


dalaga

From Tagalog dalaga (“maiden; virgin; unmarried girl”).

bor

(Philippines) A young woman who has passed puberty but is not yet married; an eligible young woman.


ilustrado

Borrowed from Philippine Spanish ilustrado.

bor+

(Philippines, historical) An educated wealthy and elite Filipino during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines.


emergency room

(Canada, US, Philippines, healthcare) A department of a hospital where seriously ill or injured patients, often with life-threatening conditions that require urgent or immediate treatment, are brought in, usually by ambulance.

otdelénije ékstrennoj medicínskoj pómošči

отделе́ние э́кстренной медици́нской по́мощи


kawali

Borrowed from Tagalog kawali, from Malay kuali, from Tamil குவளை (kuvaḷai, “wide-mouthed vessel; cup”).

der

Rain, blown in under the roof, spatters and sizzles in the kawali and clouds of woodsmoke blow back into the crowded hut, where we sit in tiers in the windows and on the edge of the sleeping platform.

2010, William J. Pomeroy, The Forest, page 100:


LPA

en-noun

LPA (countable and uncountable, plural LPAs)

(Philippines, meteorology) Initialism of low-pressure area.


sari-sari store

sari-sari store (plural sari-sari stores)

From Tagalog sari-sari + store. Tagalog sari-sari is a reduplication of sari.

(Philippines) A convenience store in the Philippines; a neighborhood variety store; a minimarket selling basic necessities.


counterflow

counterflow (countable and uncountable, plural counterflows)

(Philippines) Driving in the opposite direction.


fall in line

en-verb

fall in line (third-person singular simple present falls in line, present participle falling in line, simple past fell in line, past participle fallen in line)

falls in line (present singular third-person)
falling in line (participle present)
fell in line (past)
fallen in line (participle past)


bayanihan

(Philippines) Mutual cooperation for the public good.


LTO

w:Land Transportation Office (Philippines)

(Philippines) Initialism of Land Transportation Office.


trailer truck

(Philippines, dated in the US) A semi-tractor truck.


tito

(Philippines, slang) an adult man exhibiting the stereotypical characteristics of a Filipino uncle


MPD

Manila Police District
w:Manila Police District

(Philippines) Initialism of Manila Police District.


stude

The Profs they lead a jolly life, jolly life, / They're free from every care and strife, care and strife. / They make the studes, poor studes fall into line; / I wish the Profs' soft snap were mine.

A stude got a job in a Michigan lumber camp and was told to attach himself to a crosscut saw, the other end of which was in charge of an old lumberman.

1932, The Michigan Technic, volumes 46-47, page 24:

(US, Philippines, slang, dated) A student.


fubu

friend with benefits
friend with benefits

(Philippines, slang) Fuck buddy, friend with benefits.


Chinovela

(Philippines) A soap opera of Chinese origin.


Koreanovela

Prime time on Philippine television has become the time of "Koreanovelas,” said one media watcher.

2006, Ronald Meinardus, Liberal Times in the Philippines: Reflections on Politics, Society and the Role of the Media, page 190:

In the Philippines over the last fifteen years, Koreanovelas have replaced South American telenovelas in popularity, spawning the Philippines' own soap opera industry.

2014, Euny Hong, The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture, unnumbered page:

That's why whenever Love watches Koreanovelas, I (Dreus) remind her not to compare me with the oppas (boyfriend, older brother, or leading man).

2020, Dreus Cosio, Love Cosio, Love Connect: The Couple's Language to a Happy Marriage, page 59:

(Philippines) A soap opera originating in Korea.


CDO

(Philippines) Initialism of Cagayan de Oro.


Pua

Borrowed from Spanish Pua, from Hokkien 潘 (Phoaⁿ).


Uy

Wee (alternative)
Ng (alternative)
Ooi (alternative)
Oey (alternative)
Oei (alternative)

Derived from Hokkien 黃 /黄 (Ûiⁿ), via Spanish Uy.

(chiefly Philippines) A surname from Hokkien


jeepney

⇒ Hokkien: 集尼車 /集尼车 (chi̍p-nî-chhia)

→ Japanese: ジープニー (jīpunī)

→ Spanish: jeepney

→ Tagalog: dyipni

Uncertain, but likely a blend of jeep + jitney (“minibus, gypsy cab, shared cab”), from their origin in US Army surplus jeeps after World War II.

blend

(Philippines) Synonym of shared taxi, especially one with flamboyant decoration and usually heavily crowded.


yaya

From Tagalog yaya, from Philippine Spanish yaya.

“Can you not make this carriage move faster? You're moving slower than when my yaya tried to ride a snail to the next village.”

2020 June 3, William Meny, “Witches” (4:25 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 2, episode 9, spoken by Nadja (Natasia Demetriou):

(Philippines) A nanny; female caregiver; nursemaid


blowdryer

(US, Philippines) Alternative spelling of blow-dryer.


ice pop

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-ice pop.wav

(UK, Philippines) A frozen snack consisting of flavoured ice in a tube; a freeze pop.


IPU

Inter-Parliamentary Union
w:Inter-Parliamentary Union

(Philippines) Initialism of Inter-Parliamentary Union.


grease money

(Philippines) Synonym of grease payment.


washday

From wash + day.
The Philippine sense may be traced back to a 1908 travel guide.

(Philippines) Synonym of mufti day, a day when school uniforms are not mandatory.


RHU

(Philippines, healthcare) Initialism of rural heath unit.


PSG

Presidential Security Group
w:Presidential Security Group

(Philippines, military) Initialism of Presidential Security Group.


ganta

From Spanish ganta, from Cebuano gantang, from Malay gantang. Doublet of gantang.

(Philippines, historical) A unit of volume equivalent to eight chupas.


Tessie

(Philippines) A diminutive of the female given names Teresita or Teresa, from Spanish.


PAF

Philippine Air Force
w:Philippine Air Force

(Philippines, military) Initialism of Philippine Air Force.


An R with a cross-stroke indicating an abbreviation (of recipe, response, retrograde etc). In the case of a prescription, abbreviating Latin recipe (“take this”, second-person singular imperative of recipiō); it is sometimes typeset as, or even interpreted as, a digraph Rx. Compare also Dx (“diagnose, diagnosis”) and Hx (“history”).

der

second-person singular imperative of <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">recipiō</i>

(medicine, pharmacy, Canada, US, Philippines) Prescription.


Imeldific

en-adj

Imeldific (comparative more Imeldific, superlative most Imeldific)

more Imeldific (comparative)
most Imeldific (superlative)

From Imelda + -ific, coined by Imelda Marcos regarding herself: "They will use 'imeldific' to mean ostentatious extravagance."

Cory is a social mouse, she's not into this socializing and nobody really advocates an Imeldific kind of grandeur...

There may be something Imeldific about the main Batasan Pambansa session hall...

1995, Ambeth R Ocampo, Bonifacio's bolo:

Manileños needed a break from the Imeldific extravaganzas. They hankered for a spontaneous and casual lifestyle, which they could not find in the five-star hotels...

2001, Denise Weldon, Neal M Oshima, LJC Restaurant Group, Malate: a matter of taste:

People from different walks of life; some who only care how beautiful their tan looks on Jumeirah Beach, people who work hard to send money to their family back home while living in a small room in Satwa or Karama just to save rent, others with an Imeldific [named after Imelda Marcos, the shopaholic former First Lady of the Philippines, known for her colossal shoe collection] attitude who shop every week...

2007, Jenny Walker, Stuart Butler, Frances Linzee Gordon, Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Oman, UAE and Arabian Peninsula:

(Philippines) Ostentatiously extravagant, sometimes to the point of vulgarity.

Obviously she had not heard of Dorian Gray, having taken life pretty much according to the gospel of Cole Porter. But it's richly Imeldific, Imelda scouring the dark night of her soul in prayer while her enemies peer through the rain at airports watching out for her...

1991, Conrado de Quiros, Dance of the dunces:

The first phase of the PGH was constructed within the Imeldific timetable to reach its inauguration day, 2 July 1985, which coincided with the birthday of Mrs. Marcos...

2003, Gerard Lico, Edifice complex: power, myth, and Marcos state architecture:

(Philippines, rare) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Imelda Marcos.


DND

D&D (alternative)
DnD (alternative)
D'N'D (alternative)

w:Department of National Defense (Philippines)

(military, Philippines) Initialism of Department of National Defense.

DAR

executive departments of the Philippines


candy store

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-candy store.wav

Boys hung around her by the score / But she loved the boy next door / Who worked at the candy store

1958, Jack Clement, “Ballad of a Teenage Queen”, performed by Johnny Cash:

(US, Philippines) A store that sells principally candy.


MRT

en-noun

MRT (countable and uncountable, plural MRTs)

(UK, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, India, transport, uncountable) A form of heavy-rail rapid-transit system that utilizes modern Electric Multiple Units to transport commuters between stations.

(UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of mass rail transit.

(UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of mass rapid transit.

(UK, Singapore, Philippines, India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of mass rail transport.

(Singapore, Malaysia, India, Thailand, transport, uncountable) Initialism of mass rapid transport.

(India, Philippines, Singapore, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metro rail transport.

(UK, Singapore, India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metro rapid transit.

metropolitan rapid transport
metropolitan rapid transport#English

(India, Thailand, South Korea, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metropolitan rapid transport.

(Thailand, India, South Korea, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metropolitan rapid transit.

(Philippines, India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metro rail transit.

(Philippines, India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metropolitan rail transit.

(UK, India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metro rapid transport.

(India, transport, uncountable) Initialism of metropolitan rail transport.

After several years of study, the Government of Singapore in 1982 decided to implement a comprehensive mass rapid transit (MRT) system.

2000, Jian Zhao, J. Nicholar Shirlaw, Rajan Krishnan, Tunnels and Underground Structures, page 32:

The origins of the MRT are derived from a forecast by city planners in 1967 which stated the need for a rail based urban transportation system.

2008 September 25, Angela Albanese, bus570 fall 08: The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT):

Bukit Panjang residents will soon enjoy a shorter commuting time to town when Singapore’s latest MRT line, the Downtown Line 2 (DTL2), commences operations on Dec 27.

2015 December 11, Feily Sofian, Esther Hoon, The Edge Property: The impact of MRT on property prices:


fiscalize

en-verb

fiscalize (third-person singular simple present fiscalizes, present participle fiscalizing, simple past and past participle fiscalized)

fiscalizes (present singular third-person)
fiscalizing (participle present)
fiscalized (participle past)
fiscalized (past)

(transitive, Philippines) To check and balance; to call attention to abuse.


freshie

en-noun

freshie (countable and uncountable, plural freshies)

From fresh + -ie. In the sense of an immigrant, shortened from fresh off the boat.

You've got a swell chance to make this [baseball] team, you have, not! Third base is my job, Freshie. Why, you tow-head, you couldn't play marbles.

1911 March, Zane Grey, “Out on the Field”, in The Young Pitcher, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 64:

(countable, colloquial, US, Philippines) A freshman.


AVC

Abra Valley Colleges
w:Abra Valley Colleges

(Philippines) Initialism of Abra Valley Colleges.


special election

special election (plural special elections)

(politics, government, Philippines, US) An election scheduled at other than the usual date for a specific purpose, often to fill an office that has become vacant before the incumbent has completed the term.


Palace

(Philippines, journalism) Ellipsis of Malacañang Palace.


palay

palay (countable and uncountable, plural palays)

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is targeting an additional 1.1 million metric tons of palay production amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021, “Archived copy”, in CNN Philippines, archived from the original on 2021-09-28:


ampalaya

As we can all guess correctly, bitterness was obtained from plants like the ampalaya.

2016, Micky Fenix, “What the early Filipinos ate at the time of the Spaniards”, in Philippine Daily Inquirer:


PCSO

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office
w:Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office

(Philippines) Initialism of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.


batchmate

He and several of his medical school batchmates were helping, he explained.

2023, V. V. Ganeshananthan, Brotherless Night, Viking, page 78:

(chiefly South Asia, Philippines) A member of the same graduation school class as another.

(chiefly South Asia, Philippines) A member of a batch.


colorum

Corruption of Latin in saecula saeculōrum (“for ever and ever, for eternity”)

der

The colorums believed that one day he would rule the Philippines. When this came to pass, the property of all those who were not colorums would be confiscated and apportioned among the members. Like other colorums elsewhere, the Surigao group believed themselves invulnerable to the enemy's bullets.

1975, Renato Constantino, The Philippines: A Past Revisited, page 350:

Historically, the first colorums in the Philippines were the survivors of Apolinario de la Cruz' Religious Revolt (1840-41), who fled to Mounts Banahaw and San Cristobal, situated between the Quezon (Tayabas) and Laguna Provinces, and settled in their caves and cool riverbanks.

1979, Gregorio F. Zaide, The Pageant of Philippine History:

(Philippines) A rebel organization characterized by religious fanaticism or a member thereof.

It does not mean, however, that out of the twelve thousand estimated colorum vehicles we have now in Manila have been reduced by four thousand. As long as the colorum operators take the risk of operating illegally on our thoroughfares, ...

1982, Land transportation: proceedings of the First Institute on Transportation, 1980, University of the Philippines. Law Center:

"[...] it is clear that they have broken those rules grossly, putting at risk the tens of thousands of TNVs without PA or franchise to commit colorum activities,” said LTFRB Chairman Martin B. Delgra III.

2017 July 18, “Uber, Grab broke the rules by tolerating colorums - LTFRB”, in Manila Bulletin:

(Philippines, by extension) A public transport vehicle operating without a franchise or in violation of it.


cedula

Borrowed from Spanish cédula. Doublet of schedule and cedule.

"A certain man," it is said in the Novena of San Vicente (p. 15), "gave his soul to the devil with a certificate (cedula) signed by his own hand, and hearing the Saint preach, implored him to ask that the demon return it.

1921, T.H. Pardo de Tavera, The Legacy of Ignorantism:

His short residence in Barcelona was possibly for the purpose of correcting the irregularity in his passport, for in that town it would be easier to obtain a cedula, and with this his way in the national University would be made smoother.

1913, Austin Craig, Lineage, Life, and Labors of Jose Rizal, Philippine Patriot:

The other, the one who was left to me, was not a coward like his father, so our persecutor was still fearful that he would wreak vengeance on him, and, under the pretext of his not having his cedula, [124] which he had not carried with him just at that time, had him arrested by the Civil Guard, mistreated him, enraged and harassed him with insults until he was driven to suicide!

The justified protests of Columbus found a hearing, and the man who had inflicted a supreme indignity upon him was recalled, Don Nicholas de Ovando being appointed by a royal cedula of September 3, 1501, to succeed him.

1909, Francis Augustus MacNutt, Bartholomew de Las Casas; his life, apostolate, and writings:

--Property tax (7/8 per cent. of assessed value), industrial, cedula (poll tax of 1 peso for each male over 18 years), stamps, court fees, fines, sales of supplies to municipalities, and forestry collection.

1906, John Foreman, The Philippine Islands:

(Philippines) A community tax certificate, often used as a form of identification in the Philippines.


shabu

Probably ultimately from Japanese シャブ (“stimulant: amphetamine, methamphetamine”), in turn possibly from the verb しゃぶる (shaburu, “to suck on something”), from the way that the addictiveness of the drugs sucks in the user.

[…] burning or hammer-smashing of confiscated paraphernalia, however these be illegal — such as marijuana, plastic bags of shabu, pinball machines, video arcade equipment — since such acts of showmanship only lend themselves to media […]

1997, Alfred A. Yuson, FVR, Sin, Erap, Jawô and other peeves, Anvil Books:

[…] some P6.4 billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu was slipped passed the BOC through its automated classification system.

2017 August 1, Mario Casayuran, “Customs payola: P147 B?”, in Manila Bulletin:

(slang, Southeast Asia, chiefly Indonesia and Philippines) Methedrine; methamphetamine.

shabu-shabu

also from Japanese; possibly etymologically related


latik

(Philippines) Solid coconut curds, the byproducts of coconut oil production.

(Philippines) A thick syrupy caramelized coconut cream used as a dessert condiment.


SPG

(Philippines, television, film) Initialism of strong parental guidance.


NFA

National Food Authority
w:National Food Authority

(Philippines) Initialism of National Food Authority.


Achi

(Philippines, Chinese Filipino, colloquial) respectful honorific used before a name for the eldest sister

(Philippines, Chinese Filipino, colloquial, informal) respectful honorific used before a name for an elder sister: Sister

(Philippines, Chinese Filipino, colloquial, informal) respectful honorific used before a name for a young female senior (usually within the Chinese Filipino community): Miss; Sister


CNY

Majestic Bay offers traditional CNY set menus (from S$388) as well as a CNY dim sum lunch set menu (S$68 per person).

2014 February 6, “Chef Yong's Group Restaurants”, in Today, Singapore, →OCLC, Dining Guide, page 71:

2019 February 5, Adrian Lim, “Multiracial CNY celebrations true to Singapore spirit: President Halimah”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-02-05, in title:

Gone are the days of hustling through busy streets to shop for CNY goodies, because they can now be ordered online and delivered to your doorsteps.

2019 February 5, Lo Tern Chern, “Of CNY, angpows and fireworks”, in The Star, Malaysia, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-02-05:

Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year#English

(chiefly Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia) Initialism of Chinese New Year.


supersenior

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-supersenior.wav

postsecondary education
postsecondary school

(education, US, Philippines) A university student who is in their fifth year of postsecondary education without having graduated.


up and down

(Philippines, architecture, of a building) having two stories


malling

(chiefly Philippines) shopping or window-shopping in a shopping mall


AUV

Asian utility vehicle
Asian utility vehicle#English

(chiefly Philippines, automotive) Initialism of Asian utility vehicle.


PNP

Philippine National Police
w:Philippine National Police

(Philippines, law enforcement) Initialism of Philippine National Police.


check off

en-verb

check off (third-person singular simple present checks off, present participle checking off, simple past and past participle checked off)

checks off (present singular third-person)
checking off (participle present)
checked off (participle past)
checked off (past)

Check off the items on the list that interest you.

Check off the correct answer to each question.

(US, Philippines, often used without "off") To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or verified as correct or satisfactory).


banana peel

(Canada, US, Philippines) The several outermost layers of a banana, especially once removed from the rest of the banana, which may be slippery if stepped on.


OVP

(US, Philippines, politics) Initialism of Office of the Vice President.


WPS

West Philippine Sea
w:West Philippine Sea

(Philippines) Initialism of West Philippine Sea.


unipersonalist

Labelling Osmeña as an autocrat and "unipersonalist," Quezon advocated the notion of " collective leadership, " meaning that authority and responsibilities would be distributed to various agencies and leaders in the government.

1987, Aruna Gopinath, Manuel L. Quezon: The Tutelary Democrat:

The emergence of the Democrata party as a political force after the June 1922 elections forced the Nacionalistas ( whether of Osmeña's unipersonalist or Quezon's collectivist wing) to appear more radical than the Democrata on the matter of "immediate, complete, and absolute independence."

1989, Philippine Studies - Volume 37, (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 222:

(politics, Philippines) An autocrat; One who does not share political power with other people, or one who supports such a ruler.


CCP

Cultural Center of the Philippines
w:Cultural Center of the Philippines

(Philippines) Initialism of Cultural Center of the Philippines.


Taglish

(Philippines, linguistics) an informal bilingual variety of the Tagalog language that incorporates English lexis and/or vice versa


Taglish

(Philippines, uncountable) A particular instance of Taglish


QSU

Quirino State University
w:Quirino State University

(Philippines) Initialism of Quirino State University.


ALS

w:Alternative Learning System (Philippines)

(Philippines, education) Initialism of Alternative Learning System.


tausi

From Tagalog tausi, from Philippine Hokkien 豆豉 (tāu-sīⁿ). Doublet of douchi.

Foods with high sodium content (not allowed or limited in high blood pressure): […] beans with added salt such as tausi, tahure, misu; […]

1979, Sugar News, volume 55, Manila, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 43, column 2:

Other additions: salted duck eggs, tomatoes, tausi [salted black beans], and garlic

2012, Amy Besa, Romy Dorotan, “Chilled Lobster Kinilaw”, in Memories of Philippine Kitchens: Stories and Recipes from Far and Near, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, →ISBN, chapter 2 (Food That Was Always Ours), page 51, column 3:

At Fely J’s, the dilis or dried mini anchovies are crisp fried with a slight hint of tausi and served atop hot steaming jasmine rice.

2014 November, Claude Tayag, Mary Ann Quioc, “Dilis-cious rice”, in Linamnam: Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines, 2nd edition, Mandaluyong: Anvil Publishing, →ISBN, “Metro Manila” section, page 76:

2 Tablespoons tausi salted black beans […] Once the onion softens, add vinegar, tahure and tausi.

2022 March 7–13, “Tochong Bangus”, in Mindanao Examiner, Mindanao, →OCLC, page 9, columns 3–4:


routinary

en-adj

routinary (comparative more routinary, superlative most routinary)

more routinary (comparative)
most routinary (superlative)

routinary visitation

routinary jobs

routinary activities

[H]e [the savant] retreats into his routinary existence, which is quite separate from his scientific.

1870, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Works and Days”, in Society and Solitude. Twelve Chapters, Boston, Mass.: Fields, Osgood, & Co., →OCLC, pages 163–164:

(now chiefly Philippines) Involving, or pertaining to, routine; customary.


balimbing

(Philippines) Alternative form of belimbing (“star fruit”).


guyabano

Borrowed from Philippine Spanish guayábano (“soursop”), as in Spanish guanábano (“soursop tree”) with possible influence from Spanish guayaba (“guava”), from Taíno wanaban.

bor+

(Philippines) The soursop (Annona muricata) (tree and fruit).


nangka

Artocarpus heterophyllus
Artocarpus heterophyllus#Translingual

(chiefly Philippines) jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)


tsampoy

From Tagalog tsampoy, from Cantonese 陳皮梅 /陈皮梅 (can⁴ pei⁴ mui⁴⁻²), introduced as a genericized trademark romanized as "CHAN PUI MUI" as printed on preserved prune packaging.


caban

After a good harvest the caban fetches four reales; but just before the harvest the price rises to one dollar, and often much higher.

1916, Fedor Jagor, Tomas de Comyn, Chas. Wilkes, Rudolf Virchow., The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes:

Eusebio Mazorca further states: [105]--"The Governor receives payment of the tribute in rice-paddy, which he credits to the native at two reales in silver per caban.

(Philippines) A grain measure equal to 3.47 cubic feet, used in the Philippine Islands.


supercock

[…] You know, I could understand your anxiety if you were betting on just any rooster. But when you wager on a supercock like this, why, it's just like putting your money on San Miguel."

1959, Alejandro Roces, Of Cocks and Kites, and Other Short Stories, Regal Publishing Co, published 1959, page 61:

(Philippines, dated) A formidable gamecock.


jusi

From Philippine Spanish jusi, ultimately from Hokkien, possibly either:
* 富紗 /富纱 (hù se, literally “rich yarn”) or 富絲 /富丝 (hù si, literally “rich silk”), according to Chan-Yap(1980)
* 互紗 /互纱 (hō͘ se, literally “intertwining yarn”), according to Manuel(1948)
Compare Tagalog husi, Bikol Central husi, Cebuano husi, and Hiligaynon husi.

It is made of jusi cloth, that is, cloth woven from banana leaf fiber.

1917, John Stuart Thomson, Fil and Filippa:

Her head covered with a handkerchief saturated in cologne, her body wrapped carefully in white sheets which swathed her youthful form with many folds, under curtains of jusi and pina, the girl lay on her kamagon bed.

(Philippines) a thin fabric woven from the fibers of the Manila plantain (abaca), Musa textilis, and pineapple leaves, to which filaments of imported silk are sometimes added and sometimes a little cotton. It is woven principally in Iloilo and western Luzon: used for women's dresses and, to some extent, for men's shirts.


senior high school

en-noun

senior high school (countable and uncountable, plural senior high schools)

senior high schools (plural)
SHS (alternative)

(Philippines) A secondary education school for grades 11 and 12 (a continuation of junior high school), which consists of tracks, which some consist of strands.


forda

Compound between English words for, and the in informal speech. From the early 2020s.

(Philippines, slang, neologism) down (comfortable [with]) for something


TDK

Initialism of Philippine Hokkien 大陸仔 /大陆仔 (tāi-lio̍k-á, “mainlander”), which is often perceived as "Tai Diok Ka" or "Tai Diok A", due to /l~d/ allophony usually preceding an /i/ vowel and the concept of forming initialisms from the consonant-sounding phonemes that syllables seemingly sound like they start with due to syllable assimilation in Hokkien. See also Taiwanese Mandarin 26.

bor

(Philippines, Chinese Filipino, colloquial, slang) a mainlander from mainland China; mainland Chinese (to differentiate from a Chinese Filipino raised in the Philippines or other Overseas Chinese).


SOCO

(Philippines) Acronym of scene of the crime operative.


ACM

(Philippines) Initialism of automated counting machine.


buko pie

buko pies (plural)
buco pie (alternative)

(Philippines) coconut pie, especially the Filipino variant made with young coconuts and condensed milk


TLE

en-noun

TLE (countable and uncountable, plural TLEs)

(Philippines, education) Initialism of technology and livelihood education.


Turco

The Philippine sense is a genericized trademark from the Spanish brand, Turco Española S.A.


lf

what are you lf, friend?


bicam

(Philippines, Philippine politics, colloquial) bicameral


SHS

senior high school
senior high school#English

(Philippines, education) Initialism of senior high school.


BGH

(Baguio) Initialism of Baguio General Hospital.

Baguio General Hospital
w:Baguio General Hospital

(Philippines)
Initialism of Benguet General Hospital.

(Philippines)
Initialism of Bataan General Hospital.

Bataan General Hospital
w:Bataan General Hospital

(Philippines)
Initialism of Basilan General Hospital.

Basilan General Hospital
w:Basilan General Hospital

(Philippines)
Initialism of Batanes General Hospital.

Batanes General Hospital
w:Batanes General Hospital


PDP

(Philippines) Initialism of Philippine Development Plan.


Vill.

(US, law and Philippines) Abbreviation of village.


UST

University of Santo Tomas
w:University of Santo Tomas

(Philippines) Initialism of University of Santo Tomas.


PBO

(Philippines) Initialism of Pinoy Box Office.


parao

From Philippine Spanish parao, from Cebuano paraw.

(Philippines, nautical) A sailing vessel found in the waters of the Philippines, similar to a proa.


UP

University of the Philippines
w:University of the Philippines

(Philippines) Initialism of University of the Philippines.


IIT

w:Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology

(Philippines) Initialism of Iligan Institute of Technology.


banana cue

banana cues (plural)
bananacue (alternative)
banana q (alternative)

(Philippines) A Philippine snack made by coating a deep-fried banana in caramelized brown sugar, served on a skewer.


push through

en-verb

push through (third-person singular simple present pushes through, present participle pushing through, simple past and past participle pushed through)

pushes through (present singular third-person)
pushing through (participle present)
pushed through (participle past)
pushed through (past)

(Philippines, transitive, figurative, especially with to or with) To continue or proceed.


CLE

(Philippines, Christianity, education) Initialism of Christian Living Education.


siopao

From Tagalog siopao, from Philippine Hokkien 燒包 /烧包 (sio-pau), itself from Cantonese 叉燒包 /叉烧包 (caa¹ siu¹ baau¹). Compare siomai.

(Philippines) Chinese steamed stuffed bun; baozi (usually char siu bao, especially the Philippine variant known as "siopao asado")


restobar

(Philippines, some other countries) an establishment resembling both a bar and a restaurant.


rancheria

(Philippines, historical) A political division denoting a small poor rural settlement.


parlorista

(Philippines) A low-income male homosexual who behaves in a feminine manner and stereotypically works in a beauty parlor.


apartelle

apartelles (plural)
apartel (alternative)
apartele (alternative)

Blend of apartment + hotel using apartment + -elle.


comfort room

(Philippines, by extension) Any lavatory (both public or private)


ball pen

ball pens (plural)
ballpen (alternative)

→ Japanese: ボールペン

→ Korean: 볼펜 (bolpen)

desc

→ Burmese: ဘောပင် (bhau:pang), ဘောလ်ပင် (bhaulpang)

→ Tagalog: bolpen

(Hong Kong, Pakistan, India, Philippines) Clipped compound of ballpoint pen.


kagwang

Philippine flying lemur
Philippine flying lemur

(Philippines) A Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans).


BAL

(Philippines, chiefly Baguio, historical) Initialism of Benguet Auto Line, a Manila Railroad Company subsidiary which formerly serviced buses that connected Baguio to the Damortis, La Union train line.


Abcde

From the first five letters of the English alphabet.

(US, Philippines, uncommon) A unisex given name originating as a coinage.


loveteam

Afternoon TV mainstays like Leila Benitez and Bobby Ledesma of Darigold Jamboree gradually gave way to teenage loveteams Vi and Bot and Guy and Pip who had legions of fans watching their shows and movies and listening to their records.

2002, Pia B. Gutierrez, The changing face of the Filipino, page 35:

(Philippines) A pair of actors or television presenters who are promoted as a romantic couple.


atchara

Borrowed from Philippine Spanish achara, possibly from Malay acar, ultimately from Classical Persian آچار (āčār, “pickle, marinade”). Compare Tagalog atsara, Cebuano atsara, Hiligaynon atsara, Indonesian acar, Hindi अचार (acār).

der

achara (alternative)
atsara (alternative)

(chiefly Philippines) A pickle made from grated unripe papaya, popular in the Philippines.


kutsinta

/kʊ.t͡ʃɪn̪ˈt̪aʔ/

Borrowed from Tagalog kutsinta. See also English ang ku kueh, red tortoise cake, kuih kosui.

cuchinta (alternative)
cutchinta (alternative)
kuchinta (alternative)
kutchinta (alternative)

A red or yellow steamed rice cake with a chewy, jelly-like consistency, popular in the Philippines.


PCW

Philippine Commission on Women
w:Philippine Commission on Women

(Philippines) Initialism of Philippine Commission on Women.


LBM

(Philippines) Initialism of loose bowel movement: diarrhea.


carromata

From Philippine Spanish carromata, from Spanish carromato + -a. Compare Tagalog karomata, Cebuano karomata.

(Philippines, historical) A light two-wheeled, horse-drawn passenger carriage with a tilt roof used to convey passengers within city limits or for countryside travelling.


MFW

Overseas Filipino workers, known as O.F.W.s, are also returning to the country to earn crypto as M.F.W.s, or metaverse Filipino workers.

2024 March 18, Eli Tan, Jes Aznar, “What Meltdown? Crypto Comes Roaring Back in the Philippines.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(Philippines, neologism) Initialism of metaverse Filipino worker


NCC

(Philippines) Initialism of New Clark City.


tambay

Borrowed from Tagalog tambay, itself from English stand by.


machang

/ˌmaʔ ˈt͡ʃaŋ/

bak chang (alternative Malaysia Singapore)
bak zhang (alternative Malaysia Singapore)
bah zhang (alternative Malaysia Singapore)
ba zhang (alternative Malaysia Singapore)


balikbayan

From Tagalog balikbayan, from balik (“to return”) + bayan (“home country”).

It's the time of year when balikbayans descend upon us in droves Ito remind us of how benighted we are.

1990, Conrado De Quiros, Flowers from the rubble, page 139:

2 balikbayans kidnapped in Zamboanga City.

2011, Philippine Daily Inquirer, (headline), 12 July

This dual citizenship enables him to return to the Philippines as a balikbayan.

2015, Elaine Marie Carbonell Laforteza, The Somatechnics of Whiteness and Race, page 132:

(Philippines) A Filipino returning to the Philippines after spending time in another country.


carnap

en-verb

carnap (third-person singular simple present carnaps, present participle carnapping or carnaping, simple past and past participle carnapped or carnaped)

carnaps (present singular third-person)
carnapping (participle present)
carnaping (participle present)
carnapped (participle past)
carnapped (past)
carnaped (participle past)
carnaped (past)

From car + -nap, formed in allusion to kidnap based on an erroneous belief that the latter specifically refers to the kidnapping of children.

(Philippines, originally US) To steal a motor vehicle.


carnapper

(Philippines, sometimes UK) One who engages in grand theft auto; one who steals an automobile.


carnapping

Blend of car + kidnapping, from the 1970s

(Philippines) Grand theft auto; the theft of a motor vehicle.


PCG

Philippine Coast Guard
w:Philippine Coast Guard

(Philippines, law enforcement, nautical) Initialism of Philippine Coast Guard.


boston

(Philippines) a type of metal or rubber pad placed in the heel and/or front of the sole of a shoe for antislip purposes


lumpia

For Philippines:
* Borrowed from Tagalog lumpiya, from Hokkien 潤餅 /润饼 (lūn-piáⁿ).
For Indonesia:
* Borrowed from Indonesian lumpia, from Hokkien 潤餅 /润饼 (lūn-piáⁿ).
Compare Spanish lumpiá, Dutch loempia, Cebuano lumpya.

(chiefly Philippines and Indonesia) A kind of spring roll.


pasalubong

en-noun

pasalubong (plural pasalubongs or pasalubong)

pasalubongs (plural)
pasalubong (plural)

Borrowed from Tagalog pasalubong, literally "(something) for when you welcome me".

(Philippines) A gift brought back by a traveller for somebody at home.


pulutan

Borrowed from Tagalog pulutan, from pulot + -an.


jumping salad

jumping salad (usually uncountable, plural jumping salads)

(Philippines) A salad made with live shrimp.


karambit

karambits (plural)
kerambit (alternative)

Borrowed from Minangkabau kurambik, karambiak.

(Philippines) A small, curved Southeast Asian knife resembling a Sumatran tiger's claw.


aircon

aircon (countable and uncountable, plural aircons)

→ Central Dusun: iikon

→ Brunei Malay: ekon

→ Indonesian: erkon

→ Japanese: エアコン (eakon)

→ Korean: 에어컨 (eeokeon)

→ Tagalog: erkon

→ Tausug: ilkun/irkun

And when I suggested turning the aircon off to make the battery last longer, he threw back his head and laughed; later I read that the car’s economy driving mode does exactly that, turning off aircon to extend the car’s range.

2015 September 10, Jemima Kiss, “Clean and green, but an electric car can give a driver some shocks”, in The Guardian:

using the aircon at mid-setting or at 25 degrees Celsius for maximum efficiency.

2019 September 9, “Meralco rates down for the fifth straight month”, in Manila Bulletin, archived from the original on 2019-09-22:

(UK, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong, abbreviation, informal) Alternative form of air-con (“air conditioning”).


longganisa

From Tagalog longganisa. Doublet of linguica and longaniza.

Irene Santos, a fourth-generation empanada monger, has the longganisa filling made early in the day.

2014 November, Claude Tayag, Mary Ann Quioc, “Ilocos empanada: Fried savory turnovers”, in Linamnam: Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines, 2nd edition, Mandaluyong: Anvil Publishing, →ISBN, “Amianan” section, page 20:

Drawing on Charlene’s love of sharing her Filipino heritage and Darren’s love of the grill, the Fattened Caf turns out a citrusy, charry take on a St. Louis backyard staple with its Pinoy Pork Steak, and it has added its savory-sweet longganisa to the list of the area’s great grilled sausages.

2023 April 2, Ian Froeb, “Ian Froeb’s STL 100, 2023: The Best St. Louis Restaurants”, in Go! Magazine (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), St. Louis, Mo., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 18, column 2:

Besides house-made pastries such as calamansi doughnuts, ensaymada, bibingka, and ube handpies, breakfast options will include the Rich Tita with pork longganisa (a sausage similar to chorizo), egg, and Cooper sharp cheese; […]

2025 January 25, Michael Klein, “Long-awaited Filipino destination finally has an opening date”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, volume 195, number 239, Philadelphia, Pa., →ISSN, →OCLC, page B9, column 4:


rugby boy

From rugby (“rubber cement; contact cement”) + boy.

compound

(Philippines) A minor (typically male) who is addicted to the inhalation of rubber cement.


kamote

Borrowed from Tagalog kamote, from Mexican Spanish camote (“sweet potato”), from Classical Nahuatl camohtli.

(Philippines) Alternative form of camote.


13th month

/θɜːˌtiːnθ ˈmʌnθ/

/ˌθɝ.tɪnθ ˈmɒnθ/

A fixed 13th Month Payment is introduced, freezing all previous bonus payments and is payable on the following basis: (a) where bonus of one month’s pay or more was paid in respect of the last three annual bonus payments, the 13th Month Payment shall be equivalent to the average of bonuses paid in the last three years or the last annual bonus paid, whichever is higher, subject to a maximum of three months’ pay.

1972 April 29, The Straits Times: Two Choices for Employers, page 1:

An ANZUK spokesman last night said the decision to pay civilian employees a 13th month payment (cost: about $1 million) was approved by the Australian government early this year to be in line with the Singapore Government’s policy.

1972 December 21, The Straits Times: ANZUK’s Civilians to get 13-month pay, page 12:

According to sources, circulars have been sent to all officers informing them that their 13th month pay will include the National Wages Council recommendations for wage increase for last year and this year

1974 November 4, New Nation: An extra month…, page 3:

In this cost cutting era [...] many banks do not even give out 13th months.

2013, “Saving $100k by the time you are 30 years old”, in Investment Moats, retrieved 2015-11-03:

The Annual Wage Supplement is also known as the 13th month bonus which you will receive in addition of your December’s salary.

2014 December 31, Goodbye 2014, Hello 13th Month Bonus?:

(Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Nepal, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico, Israel, some other countries, generally attributive) a one-month (or more) bonus paid to employees at the end of the financial year.

some other countries; generally attributive; some other countries; generally attributive


one-fourth

(Philippines) Ellipsis of one-fourth pad paper (“a one-fourth of standard size sheet of pad paper typically used by students for school quizzes”).


dirty kitchen

(Philippines) A kitchen where everyday cooking is done by household staff, as distinct from a kitchen that is purely for show or for special use by the owner of the house.

(Philippines) A kitchen, sometimes auxiliary or situated outside the house, used primarily for preparing messy and smelly dishes or cooking with firewood or charcoal. It is also used for cooking for a large group of people.


top-notcher

(currently, Philippines) Someone who finishes, or is listed by name, first.


aiyee

onomatopoeic

Imitative

(Philippines) Expression uttered to tease someone as if he or she is now in a romantic relationship with someone.


lechon

(Philippines) a roasted suckling piglet; a roasted pig


macho dancer

(Philippines) A male stripper who works in a strip club.


ensaymada

en-noun

ensaymada (countable and uncountable, plural ensaymadas)

From Tagalog ensaymada. Doublet of ensaimada.

By previous arrangement, we were made to try the best of local cuisine, starting with breakfast of Cebu’s famous torta (a close cousin of ensaymada); […]

2014 November, Claude Tayag, Mary Ann Quioc, “Escabeche, tinuong nga saang, tinuwang imbao, at tudlo dato: Fish simmered in vinegar, spider conch cooked in coconut milk, and two kinds of shellfish soup”, in Linamnam: Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines, 2nd edition, Mandaluyong: Anvil Publishing, →ISBN, “Central & Eastern Visayas” section, page 179:

I had my eye on the sticky ensaymada, a pull-apart monkey bread with cinnamon glaze, but the last one had sold just minutes before I ordered, so I pivoted to the ube pancakes ($16) instead for something sweet.

2024 July 10, Kayla Samoy, “New to the scene”, in Chicago Tribune, 177th year, number 192, Chicago, Ill., →ISSN, →OCLC, section 5 (Food & Health), review of Bayan Ko Diner, page 5, column 3:

Guests can also purchase apple fritters, Long Johns, bread pudding and ensaymadas.

2024 July 31, “Restaurant Crawl”, in Crave (Honolulu Star-Advertiser), Honolulu, Haw., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 10, column 1:

Nearly two years after starting work on their century-old building on Girard Avenue […] the lechon sisig bowls, ensaymada, and bibingka are expected to roll out of the kitchen starting Feb. 8. […] Besides house-made pastries such as calamansi doughnuts, ensaymada, bibingka, and ube handpies, breakfast options will include the Rich Tita with pork longganisa (a sausage similar to chorizo), egg, and Cooper sharp cheese; […]

2025 January 25, Michael Klein, “Long-awaited Filipino destination finally has an opening date”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, volume 195, number 239, Philadelphia, Pa., →ISSN, →OCLC, page B9, columns 1 and 4:


IITian

(Philippines) An alumnus of the Iligan Institute of Technology or MSU-IIT.


KKB

From Tagalog KKB, initialism of kaniya-kaniyang bayad (“going Dutch”, adjective, literally “to each their own payment”).

initialism

(Philippines) shared or split cost (usually for meals together with people, where each one pays their own cost)


KKB

(Philippines) Indicates that the cost (e.g. of a meal) together with people is to be shared or split.


kikay

(Philippines) A flirtatious girl or woman.

(Philippines) A girl or woman interested in beauty products and fashion.


kikay kit

(Philippines) A soft case in which a woman's toiletries and cosmetics are stored.


adidas

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-adidas.wav

Genericized trademark from the German company name, Adidas. The sense is most likely due to the association made with chicken feet and Adidas shoes. Compare Cebuano adidas and Tagalog adidas.

Andrej Rossi. Adidas : Grilled chicken feet skewers , marinated and cooked to perfection . Tapsilog : A budget - friendly meal consisting of tapa ( marinated beef ) , sinangag ( garlic fried rice ) , and itlog ( fried egg ) . Balut : A[…]

2023 November 20, Andrej Rossi, Philippines Travel Guide, via tolino media, →ISBN:

... Adidas barbecue (chicken feet), roasted peanuts, boiled or roasted corn on the cob, balut (boiled duck egg), sago gulaman (tapioca pearls), fish balls, and fresh fruit and vegetables. A risk associated with street foods is the[…]

2021 February 15, Mary Anne Alabanza Akers, Urban Environments and Health in the Philippines: A Retrospective on Women Street Vendors and their Spaces, Routledge, →ISBN:

... given special or funny names in the 1980s, like Betamax (chicken-blood cake), Walkman (grilled pork ears), Adidas (chicken feet), and pope's nose (chicken butts). PRITONG DILIS Fried Anchovies with Spicy Rémoulade THIS DISH IS.

2018 November 13, Nicole Ponseca, Miguel Trinidad, I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

... Adidas) 1. [n.] chicken feet barbecue; the chicken feet are washed clean with toe nails cut off, parboiled, then marinated in barbecue marinade, skewered in bamboo barbecue stick, and then grilled on charcoal embers. 2. [n.] chicken[…]

2017 November 15, Edgie Polistico, Philippine Food, Cooking, & Dining Dictionary, Anvil Publishing, Inc., →ISBN:

... adidas for grilled chicken feet, and walkman for barbecued pig ears. The word “trapo” is used to describe ... Philippines and became a standing joke. While most Filipinos would criticize her grammar, this writer would think that this is[…]

2016 April 13, Patricia Haseltine, Sheng-mei Ma, Doing English in Asia: Global Literature and Culture, Lexington Books, →ISBN, page 44:

309 Recipes, 60 Countries Steven Raichlen. PLANET BARBECUE. The. Philippines: Asian. Grill. Secrets. Revealed. I often say ... Adidas” (grilled chicken feet) and “Walkman” (grilled pig ears). (For a full guide to Filipino street food, see[…]

2015 December 22, Steven Raichlen, Planet Barbecue!: 309 Recipes, 60 Countries, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

... adidas arrozcaldo SNACKS (MERIENDA) AND STREET FOOD DESSERTS rice porridge with chicken balut raw, halfformed duck ... grilled chicken or pig's intestines served with a cup of vinegar for dipping steamed cornonthecob pugo hardboiled[…]

2014 October 1, Simon Foster, Kiki Deere, The Rough Guide to the Philippines, Penguin, →ISBN:

Highlights include deep-fried fishballs and squidballs (mashed fish or squid blended with wheat flour), grilled pig intestines and adidas – chicken's feet, named after the sports-shoe manufacturer. Prices start from a few pesos a stick.

2013 October 10, David Dalton, Stephen Keeling, The Rough Guide to the Philippines, Rough Guides UK, →ISBN:

... Philippines, street vendors can be found grilling marinated chicken feet that are playfully nicknamed “adidas” (the ... grilled Filipino-style of chicken feet is delectably chewy. My interpretation of this popular Filipino street food is[…]

2013 April 23, Marvin Gapultos, Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey, Tuttle Publishing, →ISBN:

... Philippines providing their owners with a fresh eggs and meat. Like the pig, no part of the chicken, or manok, goes to waste ... grilled chicken heads (Filipinos nickname this street food the “helmet”), grilled chicken feet (called “adidas[…]

2012 July 10, Miki Garcia, Filipino Cookbook: 85 Homestyle Recipes to Delight Your Family and Friends, Tuttle Publishing, →ISBN:

... grill and sell them as tasty two - bite snacks . Mature chickens provide even more fodder for strolling munchers . Grilled chicken heads , known as helmets , are extremely popular as are Adidas , chicken feet which have had the nails[…]

2012 January 16, Jonathan Deutsch, Natalya Murakhver, They Eat That?: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Weird and Exotic Food from around the World, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, →ISBN:

... grilled bananas, one can find barbecued chicken feet, nicknamed 'Adidas,' chicken wings called 'PAL' (Philippine Airlines), chicken intestines called 'IUD' for its appearance, pig's ears that are known as 'walkman' and the combs on[…]

2007, Richard Hosking, Eggs in Cookery: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium of Food and Cookery 2006, Oxford Symposium, →ISBN:

(Philippines, informal) chicken feet, skewered and grilled, sold as street food


betamax

Genericized trademark from Betamax. The food is named from their resemblance to the cuboidal videocassettes.

(Philippines, informal) coagulated chicken blood that is boiled, cut in to cubes, skewered and grilled to be sold as a street food


hilot

Borrowed from Tagalog hilot (“massage”).

(Philippines) A traditional healing practice, involving chiropractic manipulation and massage.


sundang

(Philippines) A kind of dagger or short machete.


PDL

(international law, chiefly Philippines) Initialism of person deprived of liberty (“prisoner; incarceree”).


bringhouse

(Philippines, chiefly Cebu and around Visayas) take-home leftover food (such as from a party)


trainor

Borrowed from Cebuano trainor, itself from English trainer.

(Philippines) A person who trains another; a coach, a trainer.


cooking show

→ Spanish: show cooking, cooking show

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-cooking show.wav

Keywords related to this year’s Miss Universe pageant dominated X Philippine trends, including “Top 10” and “COOKING SHOW,” among others.

2023 November 19, “Fans praise Michelle Dee for Miss Universe 2023 run, saying she was ‘robbed’”, in Rappler, retrieved 2023-11-30:

(chiefly Philippines) A competition that is perceived to be rigged in favor of a certain participant or group of participants.


vetsin

Genericized trademark of Tien Chu Ve-Tsin food company. The Ve-Tsin (味精) trademark itself comes from Shanghainese 味精 (⁶vi-cin₁), which is ultimately from Japanese 味(み)精(せい) (misei).

monosodium glutamate
monosodium glutamate


hopia

Borrowed from Tagalog hopia, from Spanish hopia, from Hokkien, possibly 好餅 /好饼 (hó piáⁿ, literally “good pastry”) according to Chan-Yap (1980) and Manuel (1948). See also Early Manila Hokkien 香餅 /香饼 (hioⁿ-piáⁿ, literally “fragrant pastry”), Indonesian bakpia. Compare Cebuano hopya.

ncog

(Philippines) A flaky pastry (typically filled with either mung bean, pork bits, purple yam, azuki bean, or etc.)

hopya

an Indonesian and Philippine bean-filled pastry


teleserye

/t̪ɛlɛˈsɛɾjɛ/

(Philippines) A Philippine television drama, serialized in the manner of a soap opera.


caycay

(Philippines) A layered biscuit rolled in toasted peanuts and honey or sugar syrup.


bangkal

(Philippines) Leichhardt pine (Nauclea orientalis)


bakwit

Borrowed from Cebuano bakwit, from English evacuate.

Evacuees queuing sparked tension when some aid agencies claimed that non-bakwits in communities hosting the evacuees, took advantage of relief goods by signing up as the displaced.

2007, Checkpoints and chokepoints, Mindanao Studies Consortium Foundation, page 178:


bahala na

(Philippines) Expressing the fatalistic attitude that things are out of one's control and whatever will happen will happen.


AFAB

w:Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan

(Philippines) Initialism of Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan.


taclobo

The Taclobo, is a large species of the oyster, the shell of which will hold a pitcher of water; indeed they are used as vessels for holy water in the churches.

1814, The Critical Review, Or, Annals of Literature, page 326:

These "taclobos" are much liked and, if available, used as flower-pots and for adornment of gardens.

1954, J. Gonzalez, Suggestions on the improvement of Philippine economy and investment opportunities:

Taclobo collectors — then numbering 200 in Taytay Bay — used hammers to pound on the corals and knives to pry free the deeply embedded clams.

2001, Elmer Magsanoc Ferrer, Hope Takes Root: Community-based Coastal Resources Management Stories from Southeast Asia, page 202:

Tridacna gigas
Tridacna gigas#Translingual

(Philippines) A giant clam (Tridacna gigas), or its shell.


ampaw

ampaws (plural)
ampaw (plural)
ampao (alternative)

From Tagalog ampaw. Compare Spanish hampáo, Cebuano ampaw, Ilocano ampaw, Bikol Central ampaw, Aklanon ampaw, Maranao ampaw.

(Philippines) A Filipino sweet puffed rice cake.


singkamas

Borrowed from Tagalog singkamas, from Philippine Spanish síncamas, from Early Modern Spanish jícamas, plural of jícama; from Classical Nahuatl xīcama, apocopic form of xīcamatl.

sincamas (alternative Philippines obsolete)
sincama (alternative Philippines obsolete)

If all of the 35 kinds could have been handled by one stand, the average sales for the year would have amounted to P2,904; sales from boiled green corn, singkamas, lanzones, Carabao mango, pineapple, and watermelon would have represented more than two-thirds of the total.

1952, The Philippine Agriculturist, volume 36, page 199:

Harvesting of peanuts, singkamas, onions, caimito and root crops still underway.

1960, Philippines. Weather Bureau, Annual Climatological Review:

I remember that singkamas became a decorative air plant in our homes; hung from a wall, it would sprout a sprig that grew into a leafy vine.

1989, Benjamin M. Pascual, The Happy Time of an Ilocano Boy, and Other Essays, page 43:

For example, achara, pickle relish made of grated unripe papaya and vegetable, red and green bell pepper, purple shallots, carrots, cucumber, and singkamas or turnip—all preserved in and flavored with coconut vinegar, salt, and spices—is a prime medium for this art.

1994, Cultural Center of the Philippines, CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art: Philippine visual arts, →ISBN, page 98:


purok

(Philippines) a subdivision of a barangay, typically urban.


ngay

Yes ngay.

Used to agree with what the listener has said.


BOC

(Philippines) Initialism of Bureau of Customs.


NIR

Negros Island Region
w:Negros Island Region

(Philippines) Initialism of Negros Island Region.


tanod

Barangay tanod Senando Dulce testified that on the night of April 28, 1984, he was conducting the 'ronda' with two other companions, Alejandro Senica and Francisco Cases.

1993 October 1, People vs. Joya, “Supreme Court Advanced Decisions”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 129:

The barangay tanods are civilians who enforce peace and order in the locality.

2001, Kate Kirk, A Guide to Los Baños for IRRI International Staff & Families, page 51:

The victim is always addressed as the "datu" or rich man of their Barangay and enjoyed an economic ascendancy over Marcelino, a mere barangay tanod.

2021, Deogenes Nambayan Agellon, Criminal Law Case Digests:

(Philippines) A low-level law enforcement officer.


TIP

w:Technological Institute of the Philippines

(Philippines, education) Initialism of Technological Institute of the Philippines.


toyo

Borrowed from Tagalog toyo, from Hokkien 豆油 (tāu-iû, “soy sauce”).


ikmo

(Philippines) betel pepper (plant and leaves)


ahiya

tlb

(Philippines, Chinese Filipino, colloquial)


RTC

Regional Trial Court
w:Regional Trial Court

(Philippines, law) Initialism of Regional Trial Court.


Colgate

The toothpaste brand was named after the company founder, William Colgate. The surname derives from the place name, which is probably from Old English col (“coal”) and ġeat (“gate”).
The Philippine sense is a genericized trademark from the toothpaste brand, Colgate. Compare Cebuano kulgit.

Colgate (name)
Colgate (toothpaste)
Colgate, West Sussex


chocnut

Genericized trademark from Choc Nut, which is a blend of chocolate + peanut, or alternatively of chocolate + coconut, since supposedly the original recipe used chocolate and coconut.

She talked about how it was to achieve fame, how it was to work her body to the bones, how it was to crave for bagoong and chocnut in fits of homesickness, how the whole thing had not changed her at all, she was still the same old Lea.

1993, Teodoro C. Benigno, Here's the score - Volume 2, page 269:

Go into that shop and buy me three of those chocnut lollies.

“Chocnut,” said Robyn, then she paused. “Peas Mummy? Peas chocnut?”

2017, Makala Thomas, Kenco: The Return Of Her King, →ISBN, page 264:

(Philippines) A confectionery, usually sold in small bars, made with cocoa powder, peanuts and sugar.


grand finals

(Philippines) The final round of a talent competition television series.


SWS

Social Weather Stations
w:Social Weather Stations

(Philippines) Initialism of Social Weather Stations, a private institution in the Philippines focusing in public opionion polling.


gradeschooler

gradeschoolers (plural)
grade schooler (alternative)
grade-schooler (alternative)

(US, Philippines) A pupil in a grade school.


board member

(Philippines) a provincial assembly member or councillor.


PMA

Philippine Military Academy
w:Philippine Military Academy

(Philippines, military) Initialism of Philippine Military Academy.


spirit house

(Philippines, Chinese Filipino) A small house- or temple-like replica structure made of paper and cardboard specially made for the deceased to be displayed during funerals and later burned as an offering.


kaingin

(Philippines) Alternative form of caingin.


PHS

Pampanga High School
w:Pampanga High School

(Philippines) Initialism of Pampanga High School.


angpao

From Hokkien 紅包／红包 (âng-pau, literally “red packet”). Doublet of angpow and hongbao.

To celebrate the Chinese New Year (Imlek), Sheraton Media Hotel & Towers made the biggest angpao (a gift envelope) measuring 14.7 metres by 4.7 metres which is believed to be a record size.

2001, Travel Indonesia - Volume 23, Issues 1-6, page 12:

In return, they give us red envelopes called angpao with crisp peso bills in them.

2015, Gidget Roceles Jimenez, All About the Philippines: Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids, →ISBN:

Traditionally, Chinese families will visit the temple before gathering in families for a hearty meal and exchange of angpao or lucky money.

2016, Katherine Davidsen, Survival Indonesian, →ISBN:

(Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia) Synonym of red envelope.


black lady

(Philippines, folklore) A ghost of a lady in black mourning clothes.


caingin

caingins (plural)
caiñgin (alternative)
kaingin (alternative)

(Philippines) Land that has been cleared using slash-and-burn techniques.

aghom

land that has been cleared using slash-and-burn


Japayuki-san

(Philippines, derogatory) A Filipina who travels to Japan to work as an entertainer, with implications of prostitution.


camote cue

(Philippines) A Philippine snack made by coating deep-fried slices of sweet potato in caramelized brown sugar.


Chinese garter

From Chinese + garter. See Chinese jump rope, a game said to have originated in 7th century China.

(Philippines) a narrow garter band strip of rubber, usually a meter long, used in various jumping games

(Philippines, playground games) Chinese jump rope game using a meter long rubber garter strip


bold film

softcore pornography
softcore pornography

(chiefly Philippines) A commercial film that has a pornographic or erotic component; softcore pornography.


bold star

(chiefly Philippines, sometimes derogatory) An actor or actress who appear mainly in bold films.


carabao English

(Philippines, derogatory) broken English.


carabao English

(Philippines, derogatory) Of the English language, poorly spoken or ill-written.


honor student

(US, Philippines) A schoolchild noted for their high academic grades or presence on the honor roll.


apple mango

en-noun

apple mango (plural apple mangos or apple mangoes)

apple mangos (plural)
apple mangoes (plural)

Named after the color of its skin. apple + mango

(Philippines) A mango cultivar bearing large fruits with reddish skin.


ice candy

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-ice candy.wav

(Philippines, Japan) Synonym of freeze pop.


ice drop

Envorcing regulations regarding approval of applications for license to operate ice drop factories and sale of ice drops

1922 June 27, “Philippine Health Service”, in Official Gazette, volume 20, number 76, page 1327:

Papa also “conscripted” a new “army” of ice cream and ice drop ambulant peddlers.

2020, Bartolomea Agatep-Enrico, Under His Wings:

(Philippines) Frozen fruit juice, flavored sugar water or the like, on a stick, of a size to be one serving; a popsicle.


talisay

From Spanish talisay or Tagalog talisay from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *talisay.

Terminalia catappa
Terminalia catappa#Translingual

(Philippines) A tree of species Terminalia catappa, Indian almond or tropical almond.


dapdap

Borrowed from Tagalog or Cebuano, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *dapdap.

(Philippines) The Indian coral tree, Erythrina variegata.


Pines

(Philippines, chiefly Baguio, colloquial) Ellipsis of:

(common) Pines City Doctors' Hospital (a hospital in Baguio, Benguet, Philippines)

Pines City Colleges (a college in Baguio, Benguet, Philippines)

(uncommon) Pines City National High School (a high school in Baguio, Benguet, Philippines)


Session

(Philippines, chiefly Baguio) Ellipsis of Session Road.


Victory

en-proper noun

Victory (countable and uncountable, plural Victorys or Victories)

Victorys (plural)
Victories (plural)
victory (alternative)

(Philippines, colloquial) Ellipsis of Victory Liner, a bus company.


tapsilog

en-noun

tapsilog (usually uncountable, plural tapsilogs)

There was Rodic’s tapsilog, which was so good you didn’t mind that you smelled like tapsilog afterwards.

2002, Jessica Zafra, “Remembrance of Tapsilogs Past”, in Twisted 6, Pasig: Anvil Publishing, →ISBN, page 83:

Bago opened in June just north of First Avenue’s Little Manila cluster of Filipino restaurants. Almost everything is under $10, including tapsilog, caramelly cuts of beef, abetted by a fried egg and powerfully garlicky rice.

2015 November 12, Ligaya Mishan, “Bago and Tito King’s Kitchen”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-11-12:

(Philippines) A meal of tapa with fried rice and fried egg.


tosilog

(Philippines) a meal of tocino with fried rice and fried egg


hamsilog

hamsilogs (plural)
Ham Silog (alternative)
ham silog (alternative)

(Philippines) a meal of ham with fried rice and fried egg


longsilog

(Philippines) a meal of longaniza pork sausage with fried rice and fried egg


bangsilog

bangsilogs (plural)
bangusilog (alternative)

(Philippines) a meal of jerked bangus (daing) fish with fried rice and fried egg


daing

[…] (including drugstores, even if one could pay; food could be had only through the generosity of kindly neighbors, if one was caught flatfooted without a single can of sardines or a handful of daing).

1991, Ani, volume 5, Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 19:

Trout is done daing-style, marinated in garlic and vinegar, dried and fried, accompanied by garlic fried rice and sweet cherry tomatoes.

2014 September 11, Phil Vettel, “Seriously fun: Laughing Bird is a low-key introduction to Filipino flavors”, in Chicago Tribune, 167th year, number 254, Chicago, Ill., →ISSN, →OCLC, section 5, page 5, column 1:

Cusinera serves stupendous silog (traditional Filipino breakfast, $5.61) — eggs with garlic rice and a protein of your choice, such as daing (crispy dried fish), longaniza (juicy, garlicky pork sausage) and tapa (cured beef steak).

2021 February 27, Rebecca King, “Bountiful Bergenfield”, in Daily Record, volume 34, number 92, Rockaway, N.J., →OCLC, page 2D, column 1:

(Philippines) Dried fish, usually split open (though they may be left whole), gutted, salted liberally, and then sun- and air-dried.


tubog

(Philippines) Ficus nota; a small tree endemic to the Philippines.


Porta

(Philippines, chiefly Baguio, colloquial) Ellipsis of Porta Vaga: a mall in Baguio, Benguet, Philippines.


camote fries

(Philippines) A Philippine snack made by coating deep-fried strips of sweet potato in caramelized brown sugar.


PMC

Philippine Marine Corps
w:Philippine Marine Corps

(Philippines, military) Initialism of Philippine Marine Corps.


camote tops

(Philippines) The young leaves, leafstalks and stems of the sweet potato used as a vegetable.


kamote tops

(Philippines, rare) The young leaves, leafstalks and stems of the sweet potato used as a vegetable.


pechay

pechays (plural)
petsai (alternative)
pe-tsai (alternative)

From Hokkien 白菜 (pe̍h-chhài, “Chinese cabbage”, literally “white vegetable”). Doublet of bok choy.

bor

(Philippines) the Chinese cabbage (either napa cabbage or bok choy)


guest relation officer

en-noun

guest relation officer (plural guest relation officers)

guest relation officers (plural)
GRO (alternative initialism)


cagebelle

Having a deep background in basketball may be an advantage, but national cagebelle Bea Daez still feels the pressure as she joins the hosts of UAAP Unfront.

2015, Mei-Lin Lozada, Perlas cagebelle Bea Daez does the crossover, tries hand at UAAP hosting job:

(Philippines, sports journalism) A female basketball player; a female who plays basketball.


volleybelle

Now a part of the decorated DLSU Lady Spikers, this petite lass already showed glimpses of her skills as she, together with veteran volleybelle Charleen Cruz bagged home second honor merits in the recently concluded UAAP Beach Volleyball tournament...

2010, Green Gallery: Lady Spiker Amanda Villanueva:

(Philippines, sports journalism) A female volleyball player.


molave

molave (countable and uncountable, plural molaves)

From Spanish molave, from Tagalog mulawin.

(Philippines) A tree, either Vitex parviflora or Vitex cofassus in the family Lamiaceae.


yakal

yakal (countable and uncountable, plural yakals)

(Philippines) Shorea astylosa; a tree endemic to the Philippines.


kotong cop

From Tagalog kotong (“bribery & extortion; corrupt”) + cop.

compound

(Philippines, derogatory, informal) a police officer involved in kotong (bribery and extortion); a corrupt police officer


yosi boy

(Philippines, slang) An ambulant male cigarette vendor.


ninja cop

After their ability to climb the perimeter fences of warehouses where the confiscated drugs are stored.

These 'ninja cops,' explained Carlos, are legitimate cops who are part of the operating group of the anti-illicit drugs campaign, but conduct illegal activities like reselling of the contraband

2016 July 7, Trishia Billones, “Top policemen linked to drugs face probe over 'ninja cops'”, in ABS-CBN News, ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs:

Police officers who are part of an anti-drugs operating group but conduct illegal activities like reselling of the contraband have been dubbed as “ninja cops.”

2016 August 11, Tetch Torres-Tupas, “‘Ninja cops’ unmasked, charged with selling illegal drugs”, in Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer:

2018 August 17, Pia Ranada, “Duterte dangles P5M for dead 'ninja cops,' only P10k if caught alive”, in Rappler, Rappler:

2019 September 26, Azer Parrocha, “'Ninja cop' syndicate ‘a thing of the past’: Palace”, in Philippine News Agency:

2019 October 3, Eimor Santos, “Senate orders detention of ‘ninja cop’ for contempt”, in CNN Philippines, archived from the original on 2019-10-13:

(Philippines, informal) A police officer involved in the illicit resale of confiscated illegal drugs.


high blood

high-blood (alternative)
highblood (alternative)

(Philippines, informal) angered, agitated


takatak boy

(Philippines, slang) An ambulant male vendor, typically selling candies and cigarettes.


PDEA

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
w:Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency

(Philippines, law enforcement) Acronym of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.


NBI

National Bureau of Investigation#English

(Philippines, law enforcement) Initialism of National Bureau of Investigation.


POEA

w:Philippine Overseas Employment Administration

(Philippines) Initialism of Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.


NBP

(Philippines) Initialism of New Bilibid Prison.


CoC

certificate of candidacy
certificate of candidacy#English

(Philippines) Initialism of certificate of candidacy.


COMELEC

Commission on Elections
w:Commission on Elections (Philippines)

(Philippines) Abbreviation of Commission on Elections.


Napolcom

(Philippines) Alternative letter-case form of NAPOLCOM.


DILG

w:Department of the Interior and Local Government

(Philippines) Initialism of Department of the Interior and Local Government.


hanging rice

It is usually stored hanging to avoid spoilage.

As I continued walking around the market, I would see lots of meat hanging in each stall until I finally found the object of my quest: the little red sweet and salty two-inch-long sausages and Cebu's famed hanging rice.

2014, Erlinda Jean, A Little Girl in a Big Hat, page 25:

(chiefly Philippines) Rice wrapped and boiled in a casing made of woven coconut leaves.


champaca

Magnolia champaca
Magnolia champaca#Translingual

(Philippines) champac; Magnolia champaca; a large evergreen tree in the Magnoliaceae family.


siomai

From Tagalog siomai, from Philippine Hokkien 燒賣 /烧卖 (sio-māi), from Cantonese 燒賣 /烧卖 (siu¹ maai⁶⁻²).

King Chef (2F Main Mall, 0932 323 1871) serves healthy food and authentic Cantonese cuisine in a fine dining setup. For Father's Day, treat the whole family to its dim sum platters! It has a roasted platter which includes soyed chicken, roast duck, barbecued pork asado, fried five-spice roll, and soyed cucumber with century egg. Another option is the steamed dim sum platter, where you can devour a spread of hakaw, pork & shrimp siomai, Japanese siomai, beancurd roll, and Taosi spareribs.

2022 June 18, “Go on a Binondo food trip this Father's Day at Lucky Chinatown”, in Manila Bulletin, Manila: Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-06-22:

(Philippines) A shumai from the Philippines; a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum.


DTI

w:Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines)

(Philippines) Initialism of Department of Trade and Industry.


AFA

en-noun

AFA (countable and uncountable, plural AFAs)

(Philippines, education) Initialism of agricultural and fisheries arts, one of the strands under the TVL track in senior high school.


bitaog

Calophyllum inophyllum
Calophyllum inophyllum#Translingual

(Philippines) The Alexandrian laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum); a large evergreen tree often cultivated as an ornamental.


boodle fight

From boodle (“candy and snacks”, U.S. Military West Point Academy slang) + fight, initially adopted from the U.S. Military Academy by the Philippine Military Academy, which spread across the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) before spreading to the populace.

compound

(Philippines, military) A large communal meal where food is placed directly on top of banana leaves across a long table where diners typically eat standing with their hands or plastic gloves, usually without cutlery.

AFP
Philippine Military Academy
U.S. Military Academy
West Point Academy
boodle fight


Tagala

Women from southern Tagalog are called tagalas,” says Decal. “And, most women are in the kitchen.” Kulinarya Tagala features good home:...

2012, Must-experience South Tagalog food tour: From Patis’ ‘adobo’ with ‘buko’ meat to Ugu Bigyan’s ‘pako’ salad, lifestyle.inquirer.net

(Philippines) A woman from Tagalog region or provinces


Tagala

2012, Experiencing Tagala cuisine, Philstar.com, headline:

(Philippines) Of, or pertaining to the people or women of Tagalog region or provinces


Noranian

(Philippines, fandom slang) A fan of entertainer Nora Aunor.


Sharonian

(Philippines, fandom slang) A fan of entertainer Sharon Cuneta.


Vilmanian

First of all , I should inform you that a lot of Vilmanians have already defected.

1996, Friends of Jung Society Philippines, Jung Festival '95: A Glimpse Into the Collective Unconscious, page 64:

Vince will deny it now, but he was once a Vilmanian, meaning he was part of the multitude of hopelessly devoted diehard true-blue-'til-death-do-us-part fans who didn't live a single day without thanking the Lord for bringing into their rich or wretched existence Vilma Santos.

2011, R. Zamora Linmark, Leche: A Novel:

If you compare the great actress Vilma to a durian, you do not know what you're talking about. That is the point of view of a Vilmanian.

2021, Gina Apostol, The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata, page 28:

(Philippines, fandom slang) A fan of entertainer Vilma Santos.


salambaw

salambaws (plural)
salambao (alternative)


videoke

en-noun

videoke (countable and uncountable, plural videokes)

Blend of video + karaoke. First attested in the 1990s.

“Generously coated in candy-colored skulls and psychedelic scenes of suffering,” the videoke machine, as Manila-based pop critic Alice Sarmiento describes it, plays a loop of a “muzak rendition” of Sinatra's anthem, its lyrics superimposed over video and tabloid headlines about the killings "with the words going up in flames as the song played."

2016, Christine Bacareza Balance, Tropical Renditions: Making Musical Scenes in Filipino America:

(Philippines) Synonym of karaoke (“form of musical entertainment”).


use one's coconut

(Philippines, dated) Use one's head; think.


bedspace

bedspace (countable and uncountable, plural bedspaces)

(Philippines, countable) bed lodging; bed accommodation (the use of a bed in a private home, often rented out by the month.)


speak in dollars

en-verb

speak in dollars (third-person singular simple present speaks in dollars, present participle speaking in dollars, simple past spoke in dollars, past participle spoken in dollars)

speaks in dollars (present singular third-person)
speaking in dollars (participle present)
spoke in dollars (past)
spoken in dollars (participle past)


green joke

(Philippines) A joke about sex, (a dirty joke) or feces; toilet humor.


senatoriable

(Philippines, politics) A person who is a likely or confirmed candidate for the senate.


green-minded

en-adj

green-minded (comparative more green-minded, superlative most green-minded)

more green-minded (comparative)
most green-minded (superlative)

(Philippines, colloquial) Dirty minded; having a tendency to seek or locate sexual connotations in objects; lewd.


hold-upper

hold-uppers (plural)
holdupper (alternative)

→ Cebuano: holdaper

→ Tagalog: holdaper

/ˌhoɫd̪ ˈʔʌ.pɚ/

(Philippines) One who carries out a robbery at gunpoint.


practicumer

(Philippines) One who participates in a practicum; an intern.


tora tora

tora toras (plural)
tora-tora (alternative)

Named after the 1970 blockbuster movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, because of its popularity portraying the use of propeller driven fighter planes (mostly WW2 era models), The origin of the word "tora" is from the Japanese 虎 literally means "tiger", but actually, it was an abbreviation of two-syllable codeword 突撃雷撃 (totsugeki raigeki, “lightning attack”) used to indicate that the attack had commenced. And also, the film was notable for using North American T-28 Trojans to simulate IJN Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes.

(Philippines, colloquial) A North American T-28 Trojan.

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Japanese language
Mitsubishi A6M Zero
North American T-28 Trojan
Tora! Tora! Tora!


macapuno

From Philippine Spanish macapuno, from either or both Tagalog makapuno and Cebuano makapuno.

In a report by Zuñiga, he stated that no difference in the floral and blooming behaviour existed between macapuno-bearing trees and the ordinary Laguna variety.

1966, The Philippine Journal of Plant Industry, volumes 31-32, page 81:

(Philippines) A coconut sport or a tree propagated from such sport; a naturally occurring mutant coconut with an abnormal development of the endocarp, prized for it's soft coconut meat.


Sangley

Sangleys (plural)
Sangleyes (plural)
sangley (alternative)
Sanglay (alternative)
sanglay (alternative)

From Philippine Spanish Sangley, ultimately from Hokkien.

There were also in this city certain Sangleyes who had settled down there to sell their merchandise, so that they remained there from one year to another.

1905, United States Bureau of the Census, Census of the Philippine Islands, 1903, page 483:

They retired to the river of Tan-Chuy, with a prize which they made there, a small champan from China, which came from that kingdom to Hermosa Island to carry supplies and merchandise; in it was traveling a religious of St. Dominic, in the garb of a Sangley.

1907, Emma Helen Blair, The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, →ISBN, page 136:

What arouses my wonder most is, that when I arrived no Sangley knew how to paint anything; but now they have so perfected themselves in this art that they have produced marvelous works with both the brush and the chisel....

1947, Edwin Wolf, Doctrina Christiana: the First Book Printed in the Philippines, Manila, 1593, →ISBN:

(Philippines, historical) A person of pure ethnic Chinese ancestry (especially during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines)


dirty ice cream

en-noun

dirty ice cream (plural dirty ice creams)

(Philippines) local ice cream (often made using coconut milk and sold by street hawkers)


flavor of the road

(Philippines) Local ice cream, often made using coconut milk and sold by street hawkers.


promdi

From a pronunciation spelling of from the, an ellipsis of from the province.

(possibly offensive, Philippines) someone from the provinces; a hillbilly


Vi and Bot

(Philippines, slang) The loveteam of Filipino actors Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz.


KathNiel

(Philippines, slang) The loveteam of Filipino actors Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.


LizQuen

(Philippines, slang) The loveteam of Filipino actors Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil.


Melason

(Philippines, slang) The couple consisting of Filipino actors and reality show contestants Melisa Cantiveros and Jason Francisco.


lanzon

Lansium domesticum
Lansium domesticum#Translingual

Lansium domesticum, a species of tree in the mahogany family


computer shop

computer shops (plural)
comp shop (alternative Philippines colloquial)
compshop (alternative Philippines colloquial)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-computer shop.wav


Fukien

From the Postal Romanization of the Nanjing court dialect Mandarin 福建 (Fújiàn), from before the modern palatalization of /k/ to /tɕ/. Doublet of Hokkien. Compare Spanish Fokien, Portuguese Foquiem.

Fu-kien (alternative)
Fu Kien (alternative)
Fu kien (alternative)
Fuh-kien (alternative)
Fuh-Kien (alternative)
Fuhkien (alternative)
Fuhkeen (alternative)
Fuhkeën (alternative)
Fookien (alternative)

I thought it was faster than what they taught in school, but I've forgotten how to speak Fukien.

2000, Norbert Weissinger, Soul of the Algorithm, San Jose: Authors Choice Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 39:

Linguistically, the mainlanders speak Mandarin Chinese, the Fulow speak Fukien/Southern dialects, and the Hakka speak their own dialects.

2006, Jolan Hsieh, Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Identity-Based Movement of Plain Indigenous in Taiwan, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, page 51:

However, their first priority in the earliest years was language learning with the local Chinese population with whom they could practice Mandarin and Fukien.

2016, Brian M. Howell, Christianity in the Local Context: Southern Baptists in the Philippines, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 52:

But more importantly, Capt. Stanley speaks the language of the Tan family, perhaps literally and otherwise. He is the son-in-law of the taipan, married to Tan’s daughter Lilybeth, also a veteran PAL pilot. He speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese, Fukien, English, and Filipino.

2022 February 2, Iris Gonzales, “Injecting young blood into the empire”, in The Philippine Star, archived from the original on 2022-02-03:


Fukien

Fukien (plural)
Fukiens (plural)
Fu-kien (alternative)
Fu Kien (alternative)
Fu kien (alternative)
Fuh-kien (alternative)
Fuh-Kien (alternative)
Fuhkien (alternative)
Fuhkeen (alternative)
Fuhkeën (alternative)
Fookien (alternative)

The Fukiens are to-day the most numerous of the Chinese race in Johore, Kelantan and the Straits Settlements. Taking British Malaya as a whole, there are 39 Chinese in every hundred of the population, while the percentage of Malays is 37.5 ...

1954, Zhengming Huang, The Legal Status of the Chinese Abroad:

The differences between South Chinese clans have been jealously kept, particularly among the Fukiens who, in Malaya, are called Hokkien if from the Kiulung Valley near Amoy, Teochiu if from the Han Valley behind Chaochow and Swatow, ...

1955, Ernest Henry George Dobby, Senior Geography for Malayans:

Whereas the Teochews in Thailand and Cambodia, and the Fukiens in the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia are the largest groups within their respective Chinese communities and hold the most powerful economic positions, ...

1993, Tran Khanh, The Ethnic Chinese and Economic Development in Vietnam, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, →ISBN, page 30:

The Fukiens were skilled in trading, import and export, building ships and ocean shipping, intermediary business, running hotels and restaurants and manufacturing rubber products.

2008, Ethnicity and Migration in the Mekong River Delta of Vietnam, 1975-2007:

(Philippines) A (member of a) group of Han Chinese people whose traditional ancestral homes are in southern Fujian, South China, especially those that ancestrally spoke the Hokkien language.


kropek

kropeks (plural)
kropeck (alternative)
shrimp kropeck (alternative)
shrimp kropek (alternative)

From Tagalog kropek. Compare Malay keropok, Indonesian kerupuk, Dutch kroepoek.


Andoy

(Philippines) A male given name from Cebuano, variant of Andy

A diminutive of the male given name Andrew


Huk

Clipping of Hukbalahap, from Tagalog Hukbalahap, an abbreviation of Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (“People's Army Against the Japanese”). The initial word itself where the abbreviation comes from is from Tagalog hukbo (“army”), which itself is derived from Hokkien 服務 /服务 (ho̍k-bū, “service”).

abbrev

But sooner or later, there will be decisions to make: I cannot go to your country for I am known as a Huk; you could not stay in mine if your sympathies for us are discovered.

1963, William J. Pomeroy, The Forest, a Personal Record of the Huk Guerrilla Struggle in the Philippines, page 31:

Whether portrayed as masculine warriors, female seducers, or wayward mothers, Huk Amazons were regarded as extraordinary and unconventional Filipinas: communist guerrillas trained to fight as soldiers against the government and women who lived in the forests, fraternized with men, and had children outside marriage.

2009 April 22, Vina A. Lanzona, Amazons of the Huk Rebellion: Gender, Sex, and Revolution in the Philippines, Univ of Wisconsin Press, →ISBN, page 31:

(Philippines, US, historical) A member of the Hukbalahap.


Junjun

JunJun (alternative)
Jun-Jun (alternative)
Jun-jun (alternative)
Jhunjhun (alternative)
Jhun-jhun (alternative)
JhunJhun (alternative)
Jhun-Jhun (alternative)

(Philippines) A diminutive of the male given name Junior


jueteng

Ultimately derived from Hokkien, via Philippine Spanish jueteng, where the use of ⟨j⟩ represents /h/ as it is spelled from Spanish orthography during the Spanish Colonial Era in the Philippines. See more at Tagalog huweteng.

hueteng (alternative)
huweteng (alternative)

(Philippines, gambling) An illegal numbers game lottery, using a tambiolo/tambola/tómbola container that is spun or a receptacle, sometimes shaped like a bottle or small-necked phial, that is shaken with the winning number from 1 to 37 on a ball or raffle ticket paper drawn after all bets are submitted

History of the Philippines (1565–1898)
Spanish orthography
jueteng


masteral

(Philippines) Relating to a master's degree or to get a doctorate degree.


carinderia

carinderias (plural)
carenderia (alternative)
calenderia (alternative archaic)

From Philippine Spanish carindería, where the root, Spanish carí, itself is from Tagalog kari (“curry”). Compare Tagalog karinderya.

(Philippines) A small eatery or canteen or cafeteria that serves local (usually Filipino) food


He led another Italian 1-2-3 12 months ago in Portugal.

He could be the rider that upsets a Spanish 1-2-3 on the podium.

(sports) An achievement by a team of taking the first three positions in competition.


lagtang

(Philippines) fishberry (Anamirta cocculus)


kamuning

The kamuning leaves had been deftly arranged to form the name REGINA on the altar, and right below were the words REQUIESCANT IN PACE.

2017, Macario Pineda, Love in the Rice Fields: And Other Short Stories:

Murraya paniculata
Murraya paniculata#Translingual

(Philippines) orange jessamine (Murraya paniculata)


tablea

From Cebuano tabliya, from Spanish tablilla (“tablet”).

(Philippines, chiefly Cebu, Baguio) Ground cocoa shaped into a disc; used mainly for making sikwate.


carton girl

Named after the corrugated box that the girls and their customers use for bedding.

(Philippines, chiefly Cebu, slang) A female prostitute who has sexual intercourse with men using collapsed carton boxes as bedding.


eat-all-you-can

He'd have been more than just disappointed if he'd ended up an eat-all-you-can meal for the zombies outside.

year unknown, Aurelio Rico Lopez III, Zombies Don't Knock, Lulu.com, page 24

Lunch at Bob's Restaurant was an eat-all-you-can Mongolian barbeque. People were already milling around the buffet table, choosing which vegetable dishes they wanted to go with the tenderloin strips. But Lita was heaping nothing but red ...

2002, Likhaan: U.P. Creative Writing Center, The Likhaan Book of Poetry and Fiction, →ISBN:

"Have you been invited to an eat-all-you-can party?" "No. Who's throwing it? Were you invited? Why are you asking?" "Forget I asked. Besides, I don't know who's giving the party." When Blair put the phone back in its cradle, a slow smile was ...

1989, Andrew K. Arriola, Grace C. Pe, Discovering New Horizon: Anthology of Chinese Filipino Literature in English:


video karera

video + Tagalog karera (“race”), from the horse racing games played in the machines.

1995, Philippines. Congress (1987- ). Senate, Journal of the Senate
Some of these forms of illegal gambling are: jueteng, video karera, tong-its, loteng, horse race bookies, sakla, last 2, jai-alai bookies, hi-lo, monte, various carnival games, and pula-puti.

The paraphernalia: video "karera" machine. (PDI, PS, October 16, 2004) PNP and the Military The two vanguards of the country's peace and order never had it so good, especially for the officials. Despite their meager salaries, some of them ...

2005, Armando Ang, Greed & Scams, Inc: Corruption, Deception, Forgery, Fraud, Hoax, Kickback, Quackery, Swindle, Rip-off, Etc:

... 2000, she was the caretaker of the “video karera" of Lauro Buluran; she was at Mata St. and Panday Pira St. waiting for her work time; Lauro, Rodelio, Onyo and Danny Manalo were drinking in front of the house of Onyo; they started drinking ...

(Philippines, informal) An illegal betting game using an arcade machine playing horse racing.


barriotic

en-adjective

barriotic (comparative more barriotic, superlative most barriotic)

more barriotic (comparative)
most barriotic (superlative)

Their elegantly esoteric excursions into the realms of pure thought, color, form, line, space or the simple sensuality of their chosen medium have the internationalism that the vividly barriotic works of local color lack.

2017, Menchu Aquino Sarmiento, Ukay-Ukay: Cuentos and Diskuwentos:


Badjao

Badjaos (plural)
Bajao (alternative obsolete)

Spelled as such around the early 20th century to avoid confusion with Spanish J, which the modern Spanish pronunciation is /h/. The spelling of "Badjao" emerged to ensure English J is pronounced as /d͡ʒ/.

(chiefly Philippines) Alternative spelling of Bajau.


handcarry

handcarries (plural)
hand-carry (alternative)
hand carry (alternative)


gulaman

(Philippines) Gelatin made from agar, used in certain foods.


under the saya

en-adj

under the saya (comparative more under the saya, superlative most under the saya)

more under the saya (comparative)
most under the saya (superlative)

From Tagalog saya (“skirt”). Literally, “under the skirt.”


under the saya

(Philippines) A henpecked husband or boyfriend.


star meat

Before ending the story of my father as Secretary of Agriculture, the story of star meat must be told. My father's first big problem at the department was the rat invasion of Mindanao.

2007, Maria Lina Araneta Santiago, Araneta: A Love Affair with God and Country:

(Philippines, historical) The meat of rats used as food.


chick boy

chick boys (plural)
chickboy (alternative)


street parliament

(Philippines) a resistance movement characterized by street protests


extra service

(Philippines, slang) A happy ending (a handjob, especially one provided by a masseuse to a client after a massage)


Sottogate

Long is the saga of Sottogate, yet allegations against Senator Tito Sotto continue.

2012 November 10, Miguel Syjuco, “Kennedy to Sotto: 'This is a clear case of plagiarism'”, in Rappler:

By the way, those of us who have been following “Sottogate” and the incidents of “Sottocopying” have read the letter written by Kerry Kennedy on behalf of The Robert Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights summarizing her dismay over Sen. Tito Sotto’s not only using her father’s words without proper credit, but also using them out of context. The senator has replied by saying translation to Filipino is not plagiarism and upon receiving this communication, suggested it was fake. (The veracity of the letter has already been confirmed).

2012 November 16, “Catching ‘Tiktik’; fearing contagious stupidity”, in Manila Times:

(Philippines, neologism) The series of plagiarism cases involving Philippine senator Tito Sotto.


sottocopy

en-verb

sottocopy (third-person singular simple present sottocopies, present participle sottocopying, simple past and past participle sottocopied)

sottocopies (present singular third-person)
sottocopying (participle present)
sottocopied (participle past)
sottocopied (past)

But pooh-poohed wrongs don’t make a right. The people knew better. Student groups issued statements of protest. A petition signed by more than 30,000 Filipinos demanded Sotto’s resignation. Tweets and Internet memes mocked his arrogant sense of impunity, ensuring that “sottocopy” and “sinotto” will forever be part of his legacy. All this led Sotto to paint himself a victim, of “cyberbullying,” and threaten his critics with the now-infamous cybercrime bill.

2012 November 9, Miguel Syjuco, “Something new to Sottocopy”, in Rappler:


noynoying

From Noynoy + -ing, from the nickname of former Philippine president Benigno Aquino III.

Like planking, Noynoying can be done almost anywhere, but has the advantage of enabling people to do it in any position they like, political activist Vencer Crisostomo told the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. That could include standing up, sitting down, or even lying on your back. "The important thing is that you're doing nothing," Mr. Crisostomo said.

2012, James Hookway, “'Noynoying' Poses Challenge to Philippine Leader”, in The Wallstreet Journal:

(Philippines, slang) The use of lazy poses as a form of protest.

Now, in the time of Noy-noying^([sic]), our once-great universities are seriously engaged in a race to the bottom. There is another term for that… .. Boboing, the quest to be dumb and dumber.

2012, Marlen V. Ronquillo, “After Noynoying…Boboing”, in The Manila Times:

“Noynoying”, which has become a synonym for inaction, was inspired by the Philippines’ president, Benino Aquino III, known to many by his nickname “Noynoy”. The president has faced growing criticism for doing nothing to stop the rise of fuel prices.

2012, “'Noynoying': the Art of Making Fun of President 'Noynoy'’s Inaction”, in The Observers:

And could it be that Aquino’s defenders in the dominant local media are finally being shown up for what they really are, like that broadcaster who cannot understand the concept of conflict of interest and still goes to work even if her husband is one of this administration’s most important officials – as enablers of noynoying and suppressors of the truth? (Seriously, does this woman – who was once a real journalist – even know what she’s doing anymore?)

2013, Jojo Robles, “Global Noynoying”, in The Manila Standard:

We have to resurrect noynoying because Noynoy cannot be someone that his character is not. Even his very first act in office, which was to do away with wang-wang ostensibly as a sign of humility and oneness with the people, already suggested, if inadvertently, a lack of urgency.

2014, Jerry Tundag, “Noynoying Revisited”, in The Freeman:

With a little over three weeks before the nation reaffirms its righteous judgment on an anointed successor, Aquino prays, will continue the kind of governance he had himself inflicted, the signature “noynoying” had yet again reared its empty head, this time on a stretch of road in remote Kidapawan, where desolation validates the hidden economic failures of the Aquino administration.

2016, Dean Dela Paz, “Never-ending Noynoying”, in The Market Monitor:

(Philippines, slang) A state of inactivity; indolence; idleness.


noynoying

(Philippines, slang) Lacking urgency; slow or idle.


job order

(Philippines) Piecework, intermittent or emergency employment in local government units.


topbill

topbill (third-person singular simple present topbills, present participle topbilling, simple past and past participle topbilled)

topbills (present singular third-person)
topbilling (participle present)
topbilled (participle past)
topbilled (past)

Before she leaves for Spain in August, she will topbill a show with other classical singers entitled Best […]

(transitive) To star in; to be the leading actor or actress in (a series, etc.).

Michael Dudikoff is top-billed as the professional hitman who trains him.

2015, Clive Davies, Spinegrinder: The Movies Most Critics Won’t Write About:


batchoy

en-noun

batchoy (countable and uncountable, plural batchoys)

Borrowed from Hiligaynon batsoy, from Hokkien, either 肉碎 (bah-chhùi, “minced meat”, literally “meat pieces”) or 肉水 (bah-chúi, literally “meat water”). See also chop suey, Hokkien 肉脞麵 /肉脞面 (bah-chhò-mī), Hokkien 碎肉 (chhùi-bah / chhùi-mah).

(Philippines) Noodles mixed with pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, and beef loin.