Baba. [bah bah´] This means downstairs or going downstairs. It means the chin if the accent is on the first syllable. It’s common for languages to have words with multiple meanings depending on where the accent falls. But
Chinese tops it all with its seven or more meanings per word, depending on the accent and tone.

Bababa ka ba? [bah´bah bah´ kah  bah´] Are you going down? Try this on foreigners or Pinoys who don’t know Pilipino.

Babalu. [bah bah luh´] Someone with an uncommonly long chin. There was once a comedian with the same name.

Babatukan kita. [bah bah´tuh kan´ kee ta´] An empty threat (even an affectionate one) to beat someone up.  One really doesn’t announce it; one just does it.

Babaw. [bah´bao] When someone says ang babaw this literally means, how shallow! Figuratively, it means how superficial (you are) since mababaw means not deep. Ibabaw means on top of.

Baby. [bay´bee] Of course this means infant but Filipino parents some times use it as a nickname. Carried to an extreme, a male offspring may be called Baby. This boggles Western males who cannot imagine being called that beyond a year old.

Bading. [bah ding´] Another colloquial word to mean male homosexuals. Many slang words are coined by them before becoming mainstream.

Bad trip. [bad trip] Initially meant to describe a not-that-great drug experience, but kids sometimes use it to mean any awful situation or experience.

Baduy. [bah dooy´] The opposite of being cosmopolitan or jaded.
It can also mean provincial or tacky, like a country cousin who doesn’t know citified ways. From the Arabic word bado, to mean the Bedouins—nomads and lowliest of the tribes.

Bagets. [bah gets´] Pinoys mean  teeners because some young movie stars were called this years ago.

Bagong yaman. [bah´ gung  yah mun] Nouveau rich compared to old money. See also hindi sanay and biglang yaman.

Bagoong. [bah goh ong´] A fermented mix of fish or shrimp and salt—therefore smelly to the uninformed! If you’re not Pinoy but care for one, eating bagoong is a test of how far you’ll go to prove your devotion.

Baha. [bah ha´] Floods that are part of life in our country. During drainage-challenged times, pants have to be rolled up to prevent them from getting wet so baha can mean pants that are too short.

Bahag. [bah hag´] A loin cloth. Our indigenous peoples’ daily wear for centuries until the Spaniards came. Some tribes in our hinterland continue to wear them.

Bahala ka! [bah ha´lah kuh´] It’s your call. Sometimes said with disdain when one doesn’t agree with the plan of action. Bahala ka sa buhay mo is a variation to mean, it’s your life!

Bahala na. [bah ha´lah nah´] From Bathala na or God will take care of it or leave it to God. A favorite Filipino axiom that just shows how much trust we all have in the Creator. Can some times be taken into extremes when Pinoys throw caution to the winds.

Bailerina. [bay´leh ree´nah] The Spanish word for dancer. Fifty or so years ago, there was a negative connotation to being one. It seems they were the equivalent of nightclub hostesses of the 50s and 60s, and the GROs (guest relations officers) of today.

Baka sa kali. [bah kah´ sa  kah´lee] Just in case. It might just happen. The Pinoy’s eternal optimism showing through.

Bakla. [bak lah´] A male homosexual. Bakling means the same thing.

Bakya. [bak yah´] Unisex wooden clogs perfect for our floods and puddles. Not used as much now since plastic and rubber slippers from China are cheaper.
When one says the bakya crowd, one means the hoi polloi since traditionally, only
the rich could afford leather shoes and fancy slippers. Today, less trees are cut for clogs. The bad news is, plastics add to non-biodegradable environmental waste.

Bakit ba? [bah´ kit bah] It can mean a simple why? or an angry what the heck?

Balasubas. [bah lah´suh´bas]  An old term for a jerk. Kids these days probably never heard of the term, although everyone knows the species continues to thrive.

Balak. [bah lak] A plan; a goal. Pinoys are known to be short-term planners, with frequent disregard of long-term consequences, or a lack of strategic, goal-oriented plans.

Balang araw. [bah´lung ah´rao]  Someday soon, with lots of hope.

Balat sibuyas. [bah lat´ see buh´ yas]  Literally onion-skinned. A person who is too sensitive.

Balato. [bah lah´toh] Share-your-luck funds. What hangers on and close family expect of someone who has won or sold anything of value.

Bale... [bah´leh ] You begin your sentence with this when you want to summarize the conversation: Bale...ang utang ko ay tapos na. (In summary...my debt is paid.)

Bale wala. [bah´leh  wah lah´] Does not count.  From the Spanish word, vale to mean value. Can be used to mean anything from a psychosomatic illness to a half-hearted proposal you’ve made to wed the girl your parents have chosen
for you.

[‘Di] bale. [dee  bah´leh] Don’t you mind or don’t sweat it.

Balik+anything [bah lik´] Pinoys use this to mean return of or return to.

Balikbayan. [bah lik bah´yan] Literally means return to country. The term surfaced when there were enough Filipinos working and living abroad who visit or reconnect with their roots. There are about 10 million hardworking Pinoys found from Alaska to Zaire. Without them, our local economy would collapse, and millions would not survive but for the money these expats send.

Balikbayan box. [bah lik bah´yan  box] A 20”x20” care package from abroad.  Pinoys either love their family a lot, or they want to show off their new affluence, sending anything from corned beef to cologne. It brings a lot of happiness especially during Christmas.

Balik swerte. [bah lik´ swer teh´] Someone down and out hopes that one’s luck returns by betting the last P20 on a lotto ticket.

Balimbing. [bah lim bing´] A fruit that resembles a three dimensional oblong star. The fruit seems to change color depending on how one looks at it. It has been used to describe a two-faced politician who changes sides depending on how the political winds blow.

Balisong. [bah lee song´] A folding knife with its blades hidden in between the handles. Used in the province of Batangas, so people from that province have a reputation for fierceness when one’s honor is at stake.

Baliw. [bah liw’] Crazy, far out. Used to call anyone who has temporarily lost his or her marbles.

Ballpen. [ball pen’]  Only among Pinoys will you be understood when you use this term. It seems we took out the point from the ball. It’s ballpoint pen a non-Pinoy told us.

Balot [bah´lot].  It means a wrapper, the cover of something—or the verb to wrap. The term is also used for food to go (or a doggie bag).

[Alsa] balutan. [al sah´ ba loo´tan] means to pack and go, the way a young bride goes home to mother after her first tiff with her hubby.

Balsa. [bal sah´]  A sled, not used in snow or ice, but drawn by a carabao. Used mainly in the boondocks to haul produce.

Balut. [bah lut´] A fertilized (usually duck) egg  (yes, the little chick is there!) that is boiled and eaten with salt. Used by the show Fear Factor as one of its
challenges for the unsuspecting vegetarian. A Filipino national icon. Do you have any balut? Was a standard US Customs question for Pinoys entering the US before we made balut there.

Banat. [bah´nat] To stretch, literally. It also means to hit or to strike in either physically or verbally. Bumanat ka na naman can mean you have made an argument of it again.

Banda rito, banda ron. [ban dah ree´toh  ban da  ron ] Near here, near there. The Pinoy way of saying it’s over here but kinda over there. Usually said by someone who doesn’t exactly know!

Bangko. [bang koh´] The common bench. A long rectangular seat without back or arms, popular with Pinoys. Originally, they were made of bamboo poles stuck together by rattan strips. The banko is usually found where Pinoys like to gather: outside the corner store, in waiting areas of public offices, in small eateries, and at parks and plazas.

Bankarote. [ban kah roh´teh]. What happens to a merchant who has gone under. Since our economy is so volatile, the danger of bankruptcy exists for all. But it is the small-time trader who is most vulnerable.

Bangketa. [bang keh´tah] The lowly sidewalk made famous by bangketa sales. Shops lure clients in with bargain tables outside their stores. Or where vendors hawk their wares when the police aren’t looking.

[Pa] banjing-banjing. [pah ban´jing ban´jing] To loiter or go aimlessly about. Normally not used for males, unless they’re ambivalent about their sexual orientation.

Bangus. [bung oos´] The fresh water milk fish. Actually the mother fish is taken from the ocean and made to lay eggs in man-made ponds. The Philippines’ national fish. Even non-Pinoys abroad look for it smoked—called daing na
bangus  [duh-ing]—bought deboned and ready to cook at any Asian store.

Bangugot. [bung oong´ot] A deadly phenomenon that happens more to males than females. Without any warning, a person dies in his sleep. Folks say it’s caused by a nightmare. A medical explanation is that the person had a heart attack or an aneurism.

Banig. [buh nig´] The woven grass mat that most Filipinos sleep on. My grandfather laid out a banig in the living room when he thought it was about time that my aunt’s suitor left— at six pm—when the sun went down.

Bantay salakay. [bun tie´ sah lah´kie] A useless guard  like a dog that welcomes intruders. Or an ineffective way of watching over someone or something.

Bantot. [ban toot´] Smelly but not exactly so…more like the pungent smell of
dirty socks.

Banyaga. [ban yah´gah] This word for alien or stranger comes from Sanskrit (vanijya) to mean merchant. Indian and Chinese traders were here before the Spaniards, and many are still around. Some are illegal. You should see them scamper when immigration does a raid. Seen them in action in Quiapo.

Baol. [bah ool´] A hope chest. There was a time when women would save stuff (mostly clothes and linen) for their weddings. This included heirlooms like their mothers’ wedding gowns.

Baon. [bah´on] Can either mean a snack or something one takes along during a trip. It can be in the form of money, extra clothes, extra anything. Our practice of taking snacks even on board a plane now serves us well. Flights that cross the US now charge for bottled water!

Barako. [bah rah´koh] The best tasting coffee  if you ask a Pinoy connoisseur. Native to the Cavite, Laguna and Batangas areas. Our coffee plantations’
volume ranked fourth in world in the 1800s. Attempts to revive the industry may again make coffee a top foreign earner.

Barangay. [bah rung guy´] The smallest political unit in the country. These units, which comprise a town,  were also called barrios.

Bar-b-q. [bar bee cue] Anything that Pinoys marinate and broil in a sauce mixture of soy, sugar and a bit of vinegar. We barbecue pork, chicken, innards, intestines, chicken feet—you name it we  roast it—mostly in makeshift street stands. Our version of the hotdog and pretzel carts. Filipino barbecue recipes abound. The best is a mixture of soy sauce, ketchup and ginger ale, with lots of crushed garlic and ground pepper. Pinoys tend to sweeten their food too much, so add only a little brown sugar.

Barkada. [bar kah´dah] One’s gang sharing a common culture. Not the Westside Story kind, but there are times when a barkada can lead to that. The cause of
low grades, angry parents and jealous girlfriends.

Barko. [bar koh´] Means ship or boat. There are tens and thousands of Pinoys—men mostly—who ply the world’s waters on all sorts of vessels. So a sailor is nagbabarko or nasa barko.

Baro. [bah´roh] Another foreign word (Persian) that has invaded our language. Baju is a coat, but it can also mean any dress or shirt, since we hardly ever wear coats in this weather.

Barok. [bah rohk´] Someone in dire need of ESL or IELTS classes.

Barong. [bah rhong´] They say the barong came to be when the Spaniards refused to allow the Indios (us natives) to dress like the Europeans. They required the men to wear their shirt tales out, instead of tucked in. In a subtle form of revenge, we designed the barong to actually look better than the shirts we were forbidden to wear.

Barung-barong. [bah´rhoong bah´ rhong] A shanty. Normally a one-room affair with no indoor plumbing. A dwelling usually made of wood and iron scraps. Plenty of these around, especially on public land in urban areas. When it rains, the shacks leak. In sunny weather they are like ovens.  Forty per cent of urban Filipinos live this way.

Barrio. [bar´yoh] When one is from the barrio, it means living in the hinterland of an already rural area. Barrio folk are uncomplicated, so different from jaded city folk. This is also old name for the political unit called the barangay.

Barumbado. [bah´rum bah´doh] Someone who loves to brawl, to get into fights. We checked this out in a Spanish to English dictionary because it sounds Spanish, but it wasn’t there.

Barya. [bar yah´] Small change, coins. Something to sneeze at. Although some Pinoy Catholic parishes have been able to build churches after counting on the 25c coins given by parishioners over a number of years.

Barya lang. [bar yah´ lang] Phrase written in jeepneys and pedicabs meaning: don’t give me your thousand peso bill for a P10 ride, duh!

Basa. [bah´sah] Seems we have lots of Sanksrit words. This means to read in both languages.

Basag ang pula. [bah´sag ung poo lah] An egg’s yolk is broken is the literal meaning. Someone who’s nuts is the figurative one.

Basagulero or Basag ulo. [bah´sah guh leh´rho] To mean a hothead, someone who gets into fights easily.

Basi. [bah´see] A native wine aged from three to six months produced from sugarcane. Look out for the inebriated farmers beginning 10 am. By sundown they are still singing or fast asleep.

Basta. [bas tah´] For as long as… which is so different from the original meaning of the Spanish word: that’s enough!

Basta ikaw! [bas ta´ i kaw´]. Saying yes:  I’m doing it only for you. A suitor’s way of buttering up his lady.

Bastian! [bas tee yan´] We heard it from our parents in the 1970’s. The adults used it probably because they were a politer generation—making up all sorts of terms to vent their need to cuss!

Bastos [bas tos´] Means crude or tacky. A bastos person is someone we try to avoid like the plague, but who crops up like weeds in a garden. Bastos! can also be told to someone’s face, but the danger there is that the feuding just continues.

Basura. [bah suh´rah] Trash or garbage. Used as an adjective: basura lang ang laman ng kahon (this box contains only garbage). Basurero/a is the collector.

Bata. [bah´tah] This word means child  but it can mean anyone from a newborn infant to an adult offspring. My parents still refer to us as mga bata when they talk among themselves. Can also mean the favored one, the protégée.

Bata Batuta. [bah´tah bah tuh´ tah] Part of a nursery rhyme. Presumably a small, naughty child because batuta is the policeman’s night stick. A spanked child, maybe? Just trying to make sense of this!

Batang kalye. [bah´tang  kal´yeh] A street kid, an urchin. Sometimes they’re also homeless. They survive by begging—or worse from petty thievery. Years ago, most of these unfortunates were boys. Not anymore.

Batchoy. [bat´choy] A to-die-for soup dish from the province of Iloilo made with pork meat and rind, garlic, diced green onions, and specially made noodles.

Batya [bat yah´] The circular metal wash basin that is large
and shallow. Remember the classic Coke bottle with the metal cap called a tanza? The cap is a miniature of the batya. Nowadays the batya has been replaced by non-corrosive plastic tubs that are colorful but not very Pinoy.

[Magpa] beauty. [mag´ pah beeyu´ tee] Anything Pinays will do to enhance how they look, usually face-wise: skin whitening, facials, eyelash extensions or tatooed eyebrows. Most are non-invasive procedures that will lift their spirits and make them feel beautiful. My sis-in-laws put up i-lash, eyelash extension salons in Makati, Baguio, Greenhills and Iloilo, and they’re booming!

Bawal umihi dito. [bah´wal  ooh mee´hee  dee´ toh]. Words on a Filipino sign you will never find anywhere else in the world: please don’t empty your bladder here. Filipino males love to anywhere; so that the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has put bright pink urinals all over the metropolis.

Bawas. [bah´was] To lessen, to discount or to reduce. Pinoy workers have to contend with a lot of bawas in their meager wages. The term is also used when a buyer beseeches a seller to lessen the price. See also tawad.

Bawi. [bah´wee] Means to recover or a retraction. Bigay bawi is an Indian giver (Pardon the politically incorrect stereotype!) If the accent is on the syllable, bawi means recovered.

Bayan. [bah´yan] This can either mean country or town center.

Bayanihan. [bah´yah nee´han] The cultural trait of Filipinos helping other Filipinos. Best depicted in Carlos Francisco’s mural of brawny barrio folk transporting the house of a neighbor on their shoulders. Too bad many Pinoys probably no longer know what bayanihan means.

Bayawak. [bah yah´wak] A type of lizard that eats only dead meat. Moniker
for a greedy person, usually a politician who steals so much from his
constituents—money he can’t take to the grave, anyway!

Bayong. [bah yong´] A multi-purpose woven bag (about the size of a sack of rice) made of reed or coconut leaves. The bayong has been replaced by polluting plastic bags. During the Japanese occupation, its soldiers put a bayong with two peep holes on the heads of snitches who denounced Filipinos of “treason”. The unfortunate ones were tortured or put to death.

Beh! [beh´]. A taunting expression used by children when they are in friendly competition. Can also be said as belat!

Beho. [beh´ho]  A Chinese male. Used in the 1920’s to about the 1960’s. A racist moniker usually uttered with Insik, the Pinoy term for Chinese.

Benta. [ben´tah] From the Spanish word venta to mean goods for sale. It seems Pinoys have the passion to buy and sell anything. This must come from our Chinese heritage. Local economists say that if it weren’t for the underground economy, our country would have been gone long ago.

Berdugo. [ber doo´goh] This really means an executioner, but may be used to describe a ruthless killer-for-hire or even a hit man. A profitable job in this country these days.

Beso-beso. [beh´soh beh´soh] The European practice of lightly kissing both cheeks when one meets or says adieu. Recently, the term can also mean an
insincere greeting, or a kiss of treachery.

Bet. [bet] A term coined and used by gays to mean I like this or this really catches my fancy. Bet ko ‘yan means gusto ko ‘yan (I like this.)

Betamax. [beh´tah max] A Sony video tape format that first allowed us to see movies on TV instead of at a theater. To Pinoys, any videos on tape was a Betamax, now replaced by digital contraptions that are now smaller than the Betamax tapes!

Beto-beto. [beh´toh beh´toh] A game of chance usually played at town fairs or fiestas. One has to guess which of three upside down cups contain the token. It’s been around for such a long time that my aunt who’s 88 remembers that her dad caught her playing, and gave her a spanking she never forgot!

BF or GF. Non-Pinoys don’t use this abbreviation for boy friend or girl friend.
[Nag] bibinata. [nag bee´bee na tah´]  Acting like a young man.  Nagdadalaga [nag dah´dah la ga] is the equivalent for girls. Also used to mean an oldie who is desperately trying to act young.

Bibingka. [bee bing´kah] Cakes of ground rice, lots of egg yolks, coconut milk and butter—cooked in a clay stove. The batter is put on a deep dish lined with banana leaves (a must for the wonderful scent). The dish lies on top of the stove and a tin plate with live charcoal is used as cover. For best results, bits of salted eggs and Ωnative cheese are added to the batter when half done.

Bicolano. [bee´coh lah noh] Natives of the Bicol provinces in southwestern Luzon.

Bida. [bee´dah] The hero, the protagonist. Can also mean the center of attraction. As a verb, it means to brag.

Bigas. [bee gas’] Rice that has been de-husked, ready for cooking. Filipinos think that the whiter the rice, the better—not! All the nutrients are lost for the same reason as brown sugar is better than refined sugar.

Bigat naman! [bee gat´] Really heavy (stuff)! A colloquial expression to mean something serious or important. One can say bigat without the naman and it means the same thing.

Bigay loob. [bee guy´ loh ob´] Something given  sincerely or wholeheartedly.

Biglang yaman. [big lang´ yah´man] Got rich fast. Usually lucky or unscrupulous individuals, politicians, movie stars. One can tell from over-decorated homes, tacky clothes…can you detect sour grapes? See also hindi sanay.

Bigtime. [big tym] A large-scale undertaking; a slang word for someone who has arrived, socially or financially.

Biik. [bee ik´] A baby pig.

Bilao. [bee la´oh] A shallow, woven circular basket with no handles. Too bad it’s practically gone out of circulation.

Bilbil. [bil´bil] Love handles or the stomach’s spare tires.

Bilib na bilib. [bee lib´ na  bee lib´] An adjective to describe a gullible or naïve person. Or someone who has complete confidence or trust. Bilib actually comes from the English believe, a perfect example of how good we are at innovation!

Bilib sa sarili. [bee lib´ sa  sa ree´leh] Has too much belief in one’s abilities; over confident.

Binibini. [bee´nee bee´nee] The formal title given to single women, abbreviated as Bb.

Bilog. [bee log´] Round, circular. Figuratively, it means fooling someone, or pulling one’s leg by flattery: Binibilog ang ulo niya or I am fooling him by making
his head round, the literal translation!

Bilihan. [bee lee´han]. A store, a market. Types include: the corner store (sari-sari); the sidewalk shop (bangketa); the flea market (tiangge); the department store (Robinson’s, SM, Rustan’s and Landmark); the factory and warehouse store (Marko, Uniwide); the upscale designer shops; and the open specialty markets: clothes in Baclaran, fruits at Sta. Ana, fish in Malabon, baking ingredients and restaurant supplies in Quiapo, knock offs in Greenhills, and veggies in Balintawak, and anything and everything in Divisoria.

Bilis! [bee lis´] Hurry! Uttered by someone who can’t be hurried.

Bistado. [bis ta´doh] One’s folly, scheme or pretense discovered. When an internal revenue assessor finds out that one’s taxes are unpaid. Or when someone is subject to a news exposé. The word nabisto means the same thing.

Bistek. [bis tik´] The Pinoy term for beef steak. When we corrupt a language, we do it with a vengeance! Although our son,  fluent in Spanish, says the same term is used by the Español. Bistek Pinoy style is beef cut into thin slices with lots of onions. It is cooked in diluted soy sauce and lots of calamansi.

Bisyo. [bis´yoh] A vice. Many a Pinoy man’s folly: wine, women and song. Guess it’s got something to do with our matriarchal society where many males
remain infantile.

Bitin. [bee tin´] Means not long enough.  When one tells a cliff-hanger, the listeners are bitin. In the 70s, it referred to boys’ pants that did not reach the ground as expected. See also baha.

Biyaya. [bee yah´yah] Graces from God, expected or unexpected. When a wealthy person wins the lottery a third time.

Bobo. [bo´bo] To make this politically correct, a grey matter-challenged person.

Bola. [bo´lah] Same as the Spanish word for ball. Idiomatically, it can mean pulling one’s leg (another idiom!). Or trying to fabricate a yarn in order to impress.

Bolero. [bo le´ro] The Lothario who can fake it with sweet words and a box of chocolates. Although there are women too: bolera.

Bomba. [bom´bah] Literally a bomb,  an explosive—common in our lives today. A real shocker or an erotic show. Many a two-bit actor who is desperate for attention, starts with bomba movies.

Boom tarat tarat. [boom´ ta rat´ ta rat´] A ditty that became popular at an inane variety show. The program’s only saving grace is distributing balikbayan dollars to the poor lucky enough to be on it.

Bongga. [bong´ga]  Flashy, almost tacky. Can also mean going all out.

Borloloy. [bor lo´loi] Used more frequently to describe China-made fashion trinkets sold at every street corner.

Boso. [boh´so] The word means an deep-sea  diver from the Spanish buzo. Colloquially it is used to describe a peeping tom.

Bosing [boh´sing]. A term employees use to speak of, or address their boss. For some reason, ing has been added to the word boss. Boss or bosing is also used to call out to a perfect stranger who usually responds automatically.

Botete. [boh teh´teh] A blow fish. The word sounds so funny, we had to
include it.

Boy. [boy’] Of course it means a male child, but like Baby, it is a favorite Pinoy nickname. Some times it is bestowed on the eldest or youngest male offspring, or to Junior. Variations include Boyet, Boying and Totoy.

Boyet. [boy´et] Although it is a nickname, boyet has also come to mean a gigolo.

Bruha. [brew ha’] A witch. A shrew. Someone you don’t want to be neighbors with.

Bugaw. [boo´gao] A pimp, one of those low-life creatures who prey on the innocent and desperate.

Bugay. [boo´guy] Strangely enough, this word which means dowry, follows bugaw in this list. Can also mean a female thug.

Bugbog. [boog´boog´] A verb or noun to mean beat up or beaten up. Many Pinays from all social classes suffer this fate at the hands of their partners. Few know that they can go to the police,  the Department of Social Welfare and  women’s groups who are trained to help.

Buhay Pinoy. [boo´high  Pee noi] Anything uniquely part of Filipino life…always cheerful and smiling even if the world hands you a raw deal…working as a hit man then having one crucified on Good Friday...ordering Philippine-made Johnson’s baby powder because one thinks it smells better than those manufactured elsewhere…laughing during dramatic scenes in a serious movie…sending from abroad toilet paper, soap and shampoo as if these products were non-existent here…forgiving and forgetting the crimes of politicians who plunder the treasury…

Bukhang bibig. [book hang´ bee big´] Literally, opened mouth. You said something you didn’t mean, and never will. You’ve invited your obsessive compulsive spinster aunt to live with you.

Bukid. [boo´kid] A farm, or agricultural area. From an Austro-Indonesian word bukij to mean earth’s bounty.

Buko. [boo´koh] A young coconut. When the acent is on the second syllable: stopped in one’s tracks because one’s reasoning was found fallacious or even stupid. Like the college kid who wants a flat of his own when he can’t even fix his bed in the morning.

Bulakbol. [boo luk bol´] To play hooky. To hang out.

Bulag. [boo lag´] Blind, literally or figuratively.

Bulalo. [boo la loh´] Beef bone marrow (with it still lodged in a bone) parboiled. It’s part of a mouth-watering but cholesterol-laden dish that all Filipinos love. If you haven’t tried it, you must, because you are missing food from heaven—where you’ll soon be, if you eat too much of it!

Bulgar. [bul gar´] To reveal, or to tell all. As an adjective, it means the same in English and in Spanish—cheap, tacky or gross.

Bulilit. [boo´lee lit] The runt, the smallest of the lot.

Bulilyaso. [boo lil yah´soh] Something that doesn’t push through because of some snuffu. Like suddenly losing one’s beloved because her parents have chosen their would-be in-law alá Pride and Prejudice.

Bulol. [boo lool´] The rice god of the indigenous peoples of Northern Luzon.

Bumbay. [boom by´] The generic term used by Pinoys for people from the East Indian sub-continent. No distinction made between the Hindus, Pakistanis, or Sihks (those whose males wear turbans). East Indian natives are known for their savvy business skills like the Chinese and the Jews. Some are still seen  riding motorcycles as they go around lending money.

Bumulabog. [boo moo la´bog]  To fall and disperse with a loud thud.

Bumubuntot-buntot. [boo moo´boon tut boon tut´] The annoying way of following too closely, by the buntot or tail. Similar to breathing down one’s neck or tailgating when driving.

Bundok. [boon duk´] One of the few Pinoy words that is now part of the English language. To mean mountains or hills: boondocks. We should be tickled pink, unlike the word Filipina  in the Oxford dictionary to mean nanny. Our government officially protested the sterotyping.

Bungangera/o. [boo ngan nge´ ra/o] A foul-mouthed individual, as crude as the term bunganga (mouth).

Bungisgis. [boong´ngis ngis] To smile widely and show one’s teeth in the process. Cute on little kids but kind of awkward with anyone over 12.

Bunot. [boo noot´] The dried husk of a mature coconut used to manually polish the floor. One foot remains steady on the floor, while the other on the husk slides back and forth.

Bunso. [boon soh´] The youngest child who may or may not be the bulilit—the smallest.

Buntal. [boon tal´] To hit with one’s hands. The actual fist blows received is the noun. Sadly, it is also what some family members get from a drunk father of
a family.

Buntog. [boon toog´] A quail in Visayan but may also mean a prostitute.

Burara. [boo rah rah´] A slob. A super disorderly person. Could it be another Pinoy onomatopoeia?

Burgis. [boor gis´] From the French word bourgeois to mean exactly the same thing. Political activists give this label to anyone who doesn’t belong to the working class. A bit dated now, the term was used more in the time of student activism in the 70’s.

Buro [boo´roh]. Fermented anything from fish, to green mangoes, to shrimps, to veggies—to people. One is buro if he is left to wait indefinitely.

Busong [boo´sung]. One of the Pinoy versions of karma. My grandmother used to tell us to finish every rice grain on our
dinner plates, or God’s graces may run out on us.

Busalsal [boo suk´ sul]. An old fashioned term for slob. A college roommate you don’t ever want. Come to think of it, pity you if your spouse is too!

Butas [boo´tas]. A hole, literally or figuratively. There are holes in his argument: May butas ang katuwiran niya.

Butas and bulsa [boo tas´ ung bull sah´]. A pocket with holes. Can’t hold money so one is always broke!

Butong pakwan. [boo tong´ pak wan´] The dried, salted seeds of the watermelon. Like squash and sunflower seeds, they must be opened with one’s teeth to expose the meat inside.

Butsike. [boot see kee´] A corruption of the Visayan term butike or house lizard to mean anything senseless, or nothing.

Buwang. [boo wang´] The word is Visayan in origin but is used freely by most Filipinos to mean plumb crazy.

Buwisit. [booy sit´] Annoy, annoyed, annoying, or the person doing the annoying.

Buwisit na buwisit is super annoyed.

Buyó. [boo yuh´] To induce by nagging. To make someone do something, almost against one’s will—like disclosing one’s weight when you’re over 30.

To find other definitions, please press the first letter of the word: