51. 15 KAPAMPANGAN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH REFERENCE TO BODY PARTS

Many Kapampangan idiomatic expressions make use of figures of speech, using words or an unusual combination of words that results in a new definition. Kapampangans of old may not be aware of this, but they often use  “synechdoche”, which in Greek means, “simultaneous understanding”, to achieve this effect. It is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something, refers to the whole of something, or vice versa—which explains why there are many Kapampangan expressions with allusions to parts of the body. Other “body part idioms”  involve metaphors, parallelisms, euphemisms, while some are drawn directly from Western expressions. Here are 15 examples:

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DILANG ANGEL (literally, “angel’s tongue”)

Meaning: A hope that what one had wished for someone  would come true

Angels are God’s messengers, and bringers of truth. It was angel Gabriel who came to Mary and announced that she was going to be the mother of the world’s Savior, hence, an angel’s voice was infallible and truthful. When someone says, “mag-dilang angel ka sana”, it is a hopeful wish that what someone predicted or guessed would come true.

“Sana mag-dilang angel ka ketang sinabi mung mipasar ya keng bar exams ing anak ku”

BUBULA ASBUK (“bubbling mouth”)

Meaning: Non-stop muttering of one’s anger or annoyance.

An angry, mad dog that “foams at the mouth” has a descriptive counterpart in Kapampangan – “bubula asbuk”—a hyperbolic term for an extremely angry person who mutters his annoyance non-stop, without control. You can say that his rage makes him babbles---and bubbles!

“Nandin ya pa bubula asbuk I Atsi mu, uling eke peyagan mag-malling!”

ALANG ATDU (“no gall bladder”)

Meaning: Without courage or boldness

A person without a gall (alang atdu) is one without courage and boldness. According to the theory of internal organs in traditional Chinese medicine, the gallbladder has the function of making judgments and decisions in mental processes and activities, and it also determines one's degree of courage. People with cowardly and timid behavior are often referred to by Chinese as having “small gallbladders”.

“Ot petulan mo reng anak? Deta mu kasi ding agyu mu..ala ka kasing atdu!”

PANGADUANG ATYAN (“second stomach”)

Meaning: Reference to children from multiple marriages.

The “tummy” (atyan) is a euphemism for the womb or uterus (matris). A baby, therefore, comes from a mother’s “atyan”—when describing his origin to a young or a polite audience. In the case of multiple mothers due to death or remarriage, the children of the first mother are products of the “mumunang atyan” (first stomach), the second set are from the “pangaduang atyan” (second stomach), and so on.

“I Gloria Macapagal, anak ya keng pangaduang atyan”

MASIPAG A BATAL (“hardworking neck”)

Meaning: To have a big appetite

Instead of saying “I have 4 mouths to feed”, Kapampangans of yore say “apat lang batal deng pakanan ku”.  Thus, to be described as having a “masipag a batal” ( a hardworking neck) is to mean you are a voracious eater. A related idiom is “meging alaua batal” (to have a basket-like neck), which is used to describe someone with a prodigious appetite.   “Alaua”, is a basket or a net at the end of a pole used to to pluck fruits from a high branch, or to scoop fish from a pen.

“Keng pyesta, marakal datang a bisitang magatal batal, anya maglutu kang marakal!”

BALAT-SIBUYAS (“onion- skinned”)

Meaning: Over sensitive

To have the thin skin of an onion which makes it prone to bruising, is to be over-sensitive, quick to be affected by the slightest criticism.

“Masyadu yang balat-sibuyas, sebianan ke mung bagya, mengaga ne..”

KUSKUS-BALUNGUS (“rub lips together”)

Meaning: Unnecessary talk or fuss over petty details

Balungus is a term for the border of the lips.  Rubbing or smacking one’s lips is done when one’s appetite is tempted and whetted, thus causing  unnecessary eager anticipation over something. Thus “kuskus-balungus” is needless fuss, especially over petty details, making much ado about nothing—which is a trademark of most politicians. To cut to the chase and go straight to the point, don’t be a  “kuskus-balungus”!

“Basta gawan mu ne mu ing pagawa ku..ala na kang kuskus-balungus!”

MAGALO BULDIT (“buttocks that can’t sit still”)

Meaning: Promiscuous

When animals are in heat, they usually display restlessness and unusual behaviors. Female dogs for example, will often exhibit changes in their gaits, including hip-swinging and tail-wagging. This “restless rear” movement may be described as dirty flirting, in human terms, and to possess a “magalo buldit” –buttocks that can’t keep still--is to be slutty, prone to have casual sex partners, a promiscuous person.

“Deng anak na, miyaliwa la tatang…magalo ya kasi buldit!”

MAYNA DUNGUS (“weak stomach”)

Meaning: Low tolerance for things that trigger disgust

“Mayna dungus” has quite a broad range of definitions in Kapampangan. It does not only used to describe a number of different symptoms and medical conditions—from gastritis to bloating, flatulence and diarrhea. But it also refers to a person’s low threshold for seemingly-tolerable things—from the sight of blood and gore, dirt and grime, to eating exotic or raw foods.

“Eke agyung kanan ing balut—mayna ku dungus”

MAGATAL GAMAT (“itchy hands”)

Meaning: One prone to take or steal other people’s items.

A kleptomaniac—who has this uncontrollable urge to steal items—can be described as having “magatal gamat”  (itchy hands). One more idiom referring to hands: “marimla gamat” (cold hands)-green thumb.

“Matagal ya pala gamat itang ikwa dang kayabe bale…karakal na penako!”

MASAKLO MATA (“more than what the scope of the eyes can see”)

Meaning: To be greedy

Saclao or saclo, is defined in Bergaño’s compilation of Kapampangan words as “to grasp all, to surround all, so that not one part is lost. “Ma-saclao-mata” literally means “more than what the eyes can grasp or see”, hence, it means avarice, greediness.

“Karakal mu kinwang ulam, emu no man pala agisa…masaklo ka kasi mata!”

MAGADTU PUSAD (“half-cooked navel”)

Meaning: To have a weak will or conviction.

This is a rather odd idiom and the connection of the umbilical cord with a cooking process is not clearly apparent. It is used to describe a person with a weak will or conviction. “Gadtu” is a term commonly used to describe rice that is not fully cooked, giving it a gritty constitution. The idiom could be explained that anything half-cooked or half-baked is done half-heartedly, which is a sign of weakness of spirit.

“Sinabi mu mo agyu meng aryan ing kursu mu, magadtu ka pala pusad”.

MABURAK SAKUNG (“muddy heels”)

Meaning: A hick, a hillbilly, unsophisticated country bumpkin.

Rural planters who toiled in farms often worked their fields without shoes or any other foot coverings as they planted seedlings in ankle-deep paddies. Thus, they go home with feet all muddied and dirty—“maburak sakung”, a  derogatory term for a hick, or a country bumpkin unsophisticated in modern ways.

“E byasang gumamit flush toilet—metung ya kasi kareng maburak sakung”

MASKUP SALU (“tight or crowded chest”)

Meaning: To be overwhelmed with the pain of sadness

When one meets a sad experience, he is overcome with a combination of  loneliness, regret, and emptiness—he feels a tightening of the chest --‘saskup ya salu’—which is how this profound experience is described.

“Saskup ku salu nung akakit ko reng anak a kalulu keng dalan”

UTAK-BIA (having the brain of a fish)

Meaning: narrow-minded, slow to understand, stupid

Bia are small edible fishes commonly found in Pampanga rivers, so to have a brain with the same size as that of this tiny fish is to have limited knowledge, to know very little, to be narrow or even close-minded about things.

“Utak-bia ya kasi anya ene aintindyan ing pangaral mu”.

SOURCES:

Alang Atdu:

(Yu, Ning, Metaphor, Body, and Culture: The Chinese Understanding of Gallbladder and Courage. Metaphor and Symbol, 2003, Vol. 18, No. 1, p 13-31.)

http://wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20484

Head: https://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/human_body_parts.html

Eyes: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/external-view-human-eye-showing-pupil-133127993?src=S4NRRw3FARQGyNmFkBh_mw-1-17

Liver: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/liver-in-black-and-white-royalty-free-illustration/165723027?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect

Hand: http://www.bartleby.com/107/Images/large/image608.gif

http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/human-anatomy-scientific-illustrations-hand-muscles-gm529078732-93214281?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect

Navel: http://orig05.deviantart.net/04a7/f/2014/089/9/d/22_by_pammella-d7cbywy.jpg

Tongue: http://imgur.com/Vv01l8I

Stomach: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/human-anatomy-scientific-illustrations-royalty-free-illustration/529985208?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect

http://www.fpnotebook.com/GI/Anatomy/StmchAntmy.htm

Bone: https://www.123rf.com/photo_35097690_stock-vector-leg-bones-tibia-and-fibula-vintage-engraved-illustration-usual-medicine-dictionary-by-dr-labarthe--1.html

Skin: https://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/upload/q889622.jpg

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/377809856215330850/

Legs: https://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/279553/554057926/stock-photo-concept-conceptual-d-illustration-human-lower-leg-anatomy-or-anatomical-and-muscle-isolated-on-554057926.jpg

Gallbladder: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=130345&picture=gall-bladder

Neck: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/106538347407571528/

Buttocks: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-buttocks-image3811643

Mouth: https://www.pinterest.com/ArtInBiology/mouth/