Culture
The Pinoy gay-cabulary: 2014 edition
Vice Ganda (Creative Commons/Flickr/Michael Howard/https://flic.kr/p/mfgCzn)
“Wiz ko kineri ang inetch ditey! Irita Avila!”
That roughly translates to “I cannot take this heat! So irritating!” But this is circa 2010-something already.
‘Gayspeak’ or ‘swardspeak’ as attributed by award-winning filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes to columnist and movie critic Nestor Torre, has become so common that even the self-professed straights or heterosexuals, whether male or female, are already native speakers of the language. It’s fascinating that you’d hear words such as anek, asar or karir in everyday conversations, whether consciously or not.
Interestingly, gayspeak is continuously evolving as well, spanning across more languages and dialects, and adapting to equally dynamic pop culture terms. Gayspeak, aka bekinese, uses the names of popular and formerly popular artists who probably have no idea their names are being used for a variety of reasons, be it excruciatingly funny, mildly insulting, or hilariously embarrassing.
Here are some additional words that you might encounter this 2014, or past ones that are making a comeback this year.
Hanash: ganap/event
Irita Avila ka! Ang dami mong hanash sa buhay. Ako, wiz!
Shupit baler: kapitbahay/neighbor
Wiz ko kineri ang shupit baler mo! Kamuka ni Papa P! Yammy!
Mujay/Muji: nanay/mommy
Mujay, pahingi naman ng pang-lafang.
Pujay/Puji: tatay/daddy
Muji, si Puji witchikelles na naman sa kalasingan.
Nora ko yan: alam ko yan/I know that
Wit mo knows movie ni Ate V? Nora ka yan! Walang himala! Chos! Kay Nora pala iyon.
Daks: malaki/big
In fairness diyan sa tinatago mong…ahas, ang daks! Afraidy Aguilar!
Jubis/Juba: mataba/fat
Ang jubis mo na kapatid! Mag-dyeta ka na!
Jutes/Jutay: maliit/small
Ang jutay naman ng alaga mo. Patayuin mo nga!
Merli: babae/girl
E dalaga nap ala itong merli mo. Manang-mana sa mujay. Kulang na lang pangil at buntot ng isda at mukha ng Merlion. Char!
Utoku/Utoko: lalaki/boy
Sayang! Ang gwapo pa naman niyang utoku. Utu-uto nga lang.
Gandiz Everdeen: maganda/beautiful
Ang Gandiz Everdeen mo naman! Pwedeng-pwede ng mag-“I volunteer!” sa simbahan…I volunteer na ikasal kasi walang nagbabalak magpakasal. Chos!
Cash & Carry: a variation of keri, meaning okay.
Hindi ko Cash & Carry itez na mga bagelya. Ang heavy!
Balaj: shameless/criticized badly
Nabalaj ang presentation ko kanina. Wiz nadaan sa kagandahan si Sir.
Chanda Romero: tiyan/tummy
Nagloloko si Chanda Romero. Kailangan kong gumora sa CR.
Crayola: umiyak/to cry
Huwag ka na ngang crayola diyan. Ang arte mo! Nabali lang crayola mo iiyakan mo na agad?
Enter the dragon: pumasok/to enter in a grand manner
Bongga si atey! Umenter the dragon sa kasal ng kabit.
Mahalia Jackson: mahal/expensive
Ang Mahalia Jackson naman ditez. Wiz ko afford kahit buto ng manok.
Murriah Carrey: mura/cheap
Murriah Carrey naman ng damit mo. Hindi galing sa Cash & Carry!
Oprah Winfrey: promise
Mamahalin mo ba akez ng forchever bilena? Oprah Winfrey?
Wrangler: matanda/old
Wrangler naman ng utoko mo. Pati brief, wrangler din.
Updating your bekinese is not a herculean task. Most of the time, you just need to have a flair for words, a dash of creativity, and a spoonful of pop culture knowledge. Who knows, you might be inventing the next entry in the gay-cabulary.

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jim reynolds