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Tagalog slang: phrases you never knew you wanted to know

It's a well-known fact that almost all Filipinos, even with Tagalog as their predominant mother tongue, have a good grip of at least the rudiments of English. This perhaps is the greatest convenience of visiting these islands. No need to buy an English-Tagalog dictionary to get acquainted with the locals, just pack your bag and go.

But let's stretch our imaginations a bit. What if, in your frantic search for the john or the restroom amidst Tagalog-speaking Filipinos too busy to listen to your pained queries, all you can see are signs pointing to the mysterious C.R.? Or what if, a Tagalog-speaking friend of yours told you that traffic en route to a place you're visiting is toxic? Will you take your chances with the C.R. and risk ruining your day? Or will you imagine a major thoroughfare laced with biochemical wastes?

In times like these it's good to recognize your friend's good intentions by realizing that "toxic" in Tagalog slang means "difficult," or "will cause a lot of headache." Nobody wants to be caught in an automotive logjam, and everybody wants to steer clear of toxic traffic.

It will also be, uh, comforting to know that C.R. in Tagalog vocabulary is an acronym for "comfort room," which is the Tagalog answer to the British john and the restroom (i.e. toilet) of general usage.

This mental exercise just wanted to prove a point: sallying forth on a Philippine adventure will be much more fulfilling when the backpacker knows the local lingo. And while it's obvious that you have to know such words as "para" (what you say to a jeepney driver if you want him to drop you off), knowing some words and phrases may have an exclusively entertainment value. We offer you a glimpse into the richness of Tagalog slang, anyway, with this little excerpt from the Tagalog street lexicon - in the exciting world of Philippine travel you never know when you can use these.

This first list consists of words we Filipinos use everyday.

adidas - means chicken feet. Tagalog slang here bares it humorous side, naming a street delicacy after a sporting good brand

apir - Tagalog equivalent of the high five

baduy - someone who dresses out of fashion

dedma - allegedly a combination of "dead" and "malice." Accordingly, to dedma means to ignore a gossip or a scandal, or to feign innocence

indian - to indian means to fail to show up at an appointment

Kano - an American man (from Tagalog "Amerikano"). Kana refers to an American woman

pogi - handsome, good-looking; also, used to describe something that is flashy

promdi - from the phrase "from the province." Accordingly, promdi is a term used to describe someone who has just come from the province

tsikiting - a child

syota - a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Magsyota is Tagalog slang for lovers yet unmarried

This next list gets a bit more interesting, as it involves English words and phrases that have entirely different meanings in Tagalog.

bracelet - euphemism for police handcuffs. Strangely enough, handcuffs in Tagalog slang connotes a bracelet

conference room - a euphemism for the comfort room, and is also an allusion to the restroom doubling as a place for small talk

cloud - in a happy state

cross-eyed - very drunk

eighty-eight - Tagalog slang for a piano, in reference to a standard piano's 88 keys

time man - someone who has spent a very long time in prison

white leghorn - someone with a Caucasian lineage, especially someone whose skin color is lighter than usual

nyarks/nyek! - an expression you utter when you are surprised.

zombie - Tagalog term for a person who eats a lot