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