Jezebel’s other names
Jezebel by Irene Nemirovsky is available at National Bookstores.
We enjoyed Jezebel, a novel from the 1930s about a beautiful upper-class woman accused of killing a much younger man presumed to be her lover. During the trial she is reluctant to say anything in her defense—the reason for her silence becomes clear as we read her history. Fascinating portrait of self-absorption.
In the Old Testament Jezebel was a woman who introduced the worship of Baal in Israel; her name has come to mean “shameless and immoral female”. At dinner with Consolata and Chus, we compiled a list of local synonyms for jezebel, to wit:
kiri
kerengkeng
talipandas
hitad
haliparot
pagirpir (First we’ve heard of this, apparently a Batangueno term)
hostess (from 1960s Tagalog movies; early GROs)
baylarina
bellas (Shouldn’t this be a compliment?)
pampam
pokpok
putaching
paka (from the 1970s, short for “pakawala”)
hotsie patotsie (from the 1950s)
kalapating mababa ang lipad (What’s a low-flying pigeon got to do with it?)
Add to the list.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
October 3rd, 2012 at 12:42
alembong
garutay
lantod
arak
pupuran
October 3rd, 2012 at 15:27
Putassium
Hammer
Puquita/Pukita
Pocahontas
October 3rd, 2012 at 18:19
I’m from Batangas, and I must say “pagerper” still is widely spoken.
I’ve always thought it means “prostitute”.
October 3rd, 2012 at 23:29
malantod
makati
hada
malandi
October 3rd, 2012 at 23:46
We forgot “Burikak”
October 4th, 2012 at 01:17
pabulog
October 4th, 2012 at 08:13
Recently, in a ladies’ room, I heard women talking about “mga pumo-poker-face na kumakaladkad ng Kano sa Greenbelt.” Huh.
October 4th, 2012 at 12:48
if jezebel = shameless and immoral female, then
kangkarot
kangkangera
kalawang (girls who backride in motorcycles for a free ride then give a nice f**k)
pagoto (girls who will accept goto or a meal for their services)
babaeng alkohol (women holding a bottle of alcohol and a wad of tissue offering bj , found in avenida)
charot
babae ng gabi
are there words to describe men to this effect?
October 4th, 2012 at 15:19
What is the etymology of pagerper/pagirpir?
October 4th, 2012 at 20:40
pahabol:
babaing basa (mga babaeng sumasalubong at umaakyat ng bangka ng mangingisda at nagseserbisyo doon mismo sa bangka, kapalit ng ilang pirasong isda, nababasa sila sa pagbalik sa pangpang ng dagat)
October 5th, 2012 at 12:00
Patutot ang tawag sa prosti sa bible. Sa Quezon province naman, “may pagispis” means mukhang bakla, perhaps pagerper is an iteration