GLOSSARY

accesorias	Apartments; literally, “outbuildings” (Sp.). Word used widely until the 1950s.
bangus	Milkfish.
chitcharon	Fried pork skin (Sp.).
cuedao	Filipinized variation of cuidado, “be careful” or “beware” (Sp.).
dokar	Two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage; word used only during World War II.
encargado	Person in charge; administrator of a plantation (Sp.).
ganta	Measure of grain; term no longer used, as grain is measured in kilos.
hacendero	Landlord; owner of a big plot of land, from hacienda (Sp.).
Huks	Communist-led revolutionary group that fought for agrarian reform in the Philippines after World War II; it grew out of an anti-Japanese resistance movement in Luzon during the war.
ilustrados	The first Filipinos, usually of means, who studied in Europe (beginning in the 1880s) in order to become “enlightened”; literally, “learned” or “well-informed” (Sp.).
jusi barong	A loose-fitting, long-sleeved man’s shirt—the national dress of the Philippines—made from fine, sheer fabric, often embroidered on the collar and facing.
kundiman	A sad folk song, usually Tagalog.
merienda	Afternoon snack (Sp.).
ningas cogon	Famous Filipino expression denoting enthusiasm that dies quickly, like cogon grass that burns quickly in the dry season.
poulownia	A very expensive rare wood used for furniture.