Part IV
My grandson (who is in his 20s) complained about how uninteresting my columns had become since I began to list down Tagalog words he couldn’t recognize. They came from your baul, he said, they’re musty! I guess, I retorted, old words wouldn’t interest anyone of your age who opens his laptop the moment he sits down! Besides, there are many things in my baul that are of great interest to others—old saya and other clothes, necklaces, antique books and bottles, newspaper clippings, old photos, letters.
I used to love reading books by American school teachers, tourists or housewives who wrote their memoirs on the Philippines. They were such a rich source of information. So what’s wrong with remembering? Things stamped in memory are best handed down to later generations who may find them useful.
Some forgotten or neglected words are:
Nakakahili—nakakainggit, makes one envious
Sindak—fright. A Tagalog movie once was titled “Sindakin Mo si Ba- by Jane!”
Lantad—Obvious to the public. Ex: “Lantad na ang secret romance nila.”
Lulà—hilo, dizziness, as in mo- tor sickness
Utáy-utáy—little by little
Nakakamuhî—annoying
Nakangisi—has a sarcastic smile. A cute, very old rhyme goes: “Donde esta el Camino de Real?” “Pumitas na po kayo ng ilan.” “Que dice? Que dice?” “Matanda na pong babae kaya nakangisi.”
Gunitâ—remembering
Urbanidad—manners, courtesy, politeness
Makapagpawari—to think before you act or consent to anything
Nakakapantot—nakakayamot; an irritatingly long wait
Nakapupoot; nakakamuhi; nakakasuklam; nakakagalit—disgusting, vexing
Upakan mo—Beat him up!
Nakakatulig; nakakabingi—deafening
Utô-utô—foolish; silly
Yapós; yakap—embrace
Uyayi—a lullaby; also a rattan swing
Panayám—meeting; usapan; conference
Arimuhanán—extremely thrifty. “Nagaarimuhanan na ang dating mayamang anak.”
Hinalà—suspicion; feeling that someone is not quite trustworthy
Huwád—fake; counterfeit; forged. “Siya ay bayaning huwad.”
Usigin—investigate
Pakimkim (or pakipkip)—money given by godparent to child during baptism or fiesta
Usóg—flatulence. “Puera usóg!” The child’s mother will say when a person comments emphatically on how cute a baby is, lest its stomach gets full of air. To counter that, the person is made to apply a bit of saliva on the baby’s heel.
Nagtatanim—planting grudges
Nagwas—old-style half-slip
Nahihibang—mind not focused, often talking nonsense
Malabò—unclear, as in impure water.
Malabò, as in instructions unclear. Also means not likely, as in “Magbabayad kaya siya ng utang? Malabo!”
Naliligaw ng landas—losing one’s way, veering to wrong behavior
Lumbay—lungkot; sadness
Namamanglaw—melancholy; sad
Nananabik—strong desire for some person or some object
Uyam—mockery; sarcasm
Usod—to move, using buttocks, on sofa or bench
Upós—cigarette butt
Tumirik ang mata—when the eyes roll upwards and only the whites show, as in ecstasy, convulsion or the throes of death. Also: tumirik ang kotse—the car stopped in its tracks
Nakakaalibadbad—nakakasuka-nauseating
Alipato—flying embers. “Ang alipato ng nasusunong na bahay ay napadpad sa amin.”
Ngidngid—gilagid; gums
Alakalakan—the space behind the knee
Berdugo—killer. “Berdugo ’yan ng frat initiations”
Birina or virina—glass cover of a saint’s image
Nananabík—desire to do or finish something, see someone or something
Bungisngis—easily laughs at anything; giggly
