GLOSSARY

accesorias	Apartments; literally “outbuildings.” Word used widely until the 1950s.
Amarillo	Orange-colored flower, or orange; literally “yellow.”
anisado	Aniseed wine.
aparador	Wooden cabinet for clothing.
Apo	Respectful form of address.
areglados	Agreements, “done deals.”
arroz caldo	Chicken and rice soup.
con gallina
asado	Pork cooked in a reddish, savory sauce.
aswang	Malevolent night creature, half woman, half bird.
azotea	Roofless area attached to the rear of large homes.
bagoong	Salted fish sauce.
Bagos	Non-Christian mountain people.
banca	Wooden boat usually hewn from one tree trunk.
bangus	Milkfish.
barong tagalong	Loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt—the national dress of the Philippines for men—made from gauzy pineapple-fiber fabric, often embroidered on the collar and facing.
basi	Sugarcane wine.
bodega	Storeroom, usually separate from the house; granary.
buntal	Fine soft grass woven into hats.
cadena de amor	Weed that grows luxuriantly, with a pretty pink flower.
caldereta	Goat meat stew.
calesa	Horse-drawn buggy.
camineros	Road workers.
camino provincial	Provincial road.
capre	Big dark ghost who inhabits large trees.
carabao	Water buffalo.
caretela	Horse-drawn two-wheeled cart.
caromata	Larger type of horse-drawn vehicle.
castaño	Chestnut-colored horse.
cavan	Sack of grain, sugar, or seeds.
cédula	Residence certificate.
cerveza	Beer.
chico	Brown, golf-ball-size tropical fruit.
colegiala	Female college student.
colorum	From the Latin mass, but meaning something phony or illegal.
comedia	Folk dramatization of the Christian and Moslem wars.
comprador	Merchant.
cuartels	Barracks.
cumbacheros	Folk band composed of not more than six musicians with harmonica, guitar, bass and bongos.
derecho	Right (direction).
dinardaraan	Pig innards stewed in vinegar and pig blood.
drill de hilo	White cotton material used for suits.
encargado	Person in charge; administrator of a plantation.
feria	Fair with sideshows, etc., during fiestas.
galletas	Cookie-like biscuits.
gobernardorcillo	Town mayor.
hacendero	Landlord; owner of hacienda or big tract of land.
halo-halo	To mix, usually sweets in crushed ice.
herbolario	Folk medicine man.
hijo	Son.
hospicio	Retirement home for old priests.
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 during the war.
Iglesia Ni Kristo	Church of Christ.
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.”
kundiman	Sad folk song, usually Tagalog.
lechon	Roast suckling pig.
lengua	Tongue, usually ox tongue, prepared as a special dish.
macopa	Tropical fruit, shaped like a pear but smaller.
Manong	Affectionate, respectful form of address for older brother or man. Ilokanos do not call older relatives by their given names alone.
media agua	Awning over a window, to stop rain.
media cuerpo	Half the body, as in a photograph or painting.
Meiji	Historical period in Japan from 1867 to 1912, the Meiji Restoration.
merienda	Afternoon snack.
morcon	Large sausage, usually homemade.
municipio	Town hall.
nanca	Jackfruit.
pancit	Noodles.
pan de sal	Salted bun.
Pañuelo	Stiff kerchief that is part of the traditional Philippine costume for women.
puraw	White.
sacadas	Migratory sugarcane workers.
sala	Living room in large houses.
salapi	Literally a fifty-centavo coin; also denotes money, lucre.
sin vergüenzas	Without shame.
sipi	A small room attached to a peasant’s house where pillows and the rice bin are stored.
tama	Correct.
terno	National dress for women.
tinto dulce	Sweet wine.