Echapuera. [eh cha pweh´rah] To throw it aside; to put little value on something, or to say it’s useless. From the Spanish phrase echar fuera which means to cast out, or to chase away.

Echas. [eh´chas] Most of us don’t like calling excrement by its real name. In Pilipino it is tae (pronounced as ta´eh and not tey) so terms are invented for ouryoung children. It’s like the western way of calling urine pee or moving one’s bowels as going to the potty.

Eh. [eh] A distinctive Filipino expression that may inhabit a sentence in English or any of our 400 dialects. Eh can be said before or after a sentence. Canadians probably copied us, but pronounce it as long A after a question. In my mama’s Laguna hometown, they double the eh, put it in front of a statement, to highlight indignation or surprise.

Ekis. [eh’ kis] It really means X, but in teenage lingo it can also mean a type of amphetamine.

Ek-ek [ek ek] When you can’t think of the precise word to complete a phrase, you say ek-ek. For example, “Emitting greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere can cause global…global…ek-ek…” when you mean to say global warming. Does that make any sense?

Ekscrima. [eks kree´ma] An ancient system of self defense using sticks or knives of about 24” long. The History Channel’s feature on it says it originated in the Philippines.

Ensaymada. [en say ma´da] A mouth-watering bun made of egg yolks, flour, yeast and real butter. The dough is made to rise until it is light and fluffy. Very similar to the croissant, but rolled in more butter and sugar, and topped with grated cheese before serving. Definitely more cholesterol-laden than its French counterpart. Best eaten with a hot chocolate drink.

Epal. [eh pal] To insist on doing something at the same time. Like court the same girl liked by your friend. Some friend you are.

Estero. [es te´ro] A estuary from the same Spanish term. An estero can be clean or dirty. But for us the word conjures a smelly, dirty waterway near where squatters love to build their shacks.

Eta. [e´tah] means excrement taught to kids since it doesn’t seem as crude as tae [tah eh].

Eto na. [e´to na] Is the same as heto na or ito na, meaning here it is.

Eto. [e to´] A variation of ito or heto which means this.

Ewan ko. [e´wan ko] It means, I don’t know or the colloquial expression of search me! Some people try to put po at the end to make it sound less disrespectful. But that won’t fly with my mama who thinks the retort is downright impertinent!

Ex [eks] . This refers to any person that was: a former boyfriend, or an ex boss. Can be used to stand alone in reference to the has-been.Excuse me? Used to express incredulity, more than asking someone to repeat what one has said. All ages use this, but the older one gets, the more one feels entitled.

Exag naman. [eks sahg´ nah man´] An expression using two syllables of the word exaggerated, then adding naman, to mean only. See also weh.

Export overruns. Like many countries where labor is cheap, we assemble things for developed countries. The items, called overruns, have strict quality control,
so rejects are sold to locals at giveaway prices. Don’t ask whether this practice
is legal.

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