Useless words

RP for Philippines is out. It has been replaced with the globally accepted PH or PHL. Philstar and TF use PHL. But some other papers prefer PH. Many who haven’t heard of the change are confused.

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My octogen friend Noy Temyong says: “Tan-awa ra gud ta ... Bisan sa initials sa Pinas wa ta magkahiusa. Wa gyud tay sense of oneness.”

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Noy Temyong says PHL for Philippines is better than PH, which a manufacturer of a popular feminine sanitary wash uses in its ads.

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RP to stand for Philippines was never known or formally accepted worldwide. Newspapers I wrote for abroad never used RP in my address. One editor said RP is more widely known as the initials for the Republic of Panama.

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There are still Americans who use PI (Philippine Islands) in addressing letters destined for the Philippines. PI was popular during the American colonial regime.

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Did you know that from time to time some dictionaries dispose of some words because of non-use or rarely, if ever, used? Dictionaries, like newspapers, also have the problem of space limitation. Or so it seems.

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According to “Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader” the following are some of the words that are likely to be eased out unless we save them by using them:

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• Caducity: Transition, the state of being impermanent.

• Embrangle: To confuse, to make more complicated.

• Mansuetude: Gentleness of manners.

• Skedaddle: To leave a place suddenly.

• Smollygoster: A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially politician.

• Caliginosity: Din, misty, dark.

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I was told that priapism was once stricken out. But was restored after the coming of different drugs giving some guys with impotency problem a new deal.

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The first Christmas card I received this year has a scented red Rose on the cover. I smelled the Rose to find out if it really smelled sweet as claimed by the sender. It did.

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I thought the card came from someone, somewhere, in Bohol. No, it did not. It came from a company engaged in the promotion of flower seeds and seedlings.

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I received this unwanted text message in the middle of the night: “Here is your HOTMP3 for the week. To Love You More by Celine Dion, you have been charged P30 for this.”

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What is this HOTMP3? I don’t even know what it is. But Globe took it upon itself to send me what I did not ask for and charged me P30 for it. I wanted to shout “Holdup!” but it was in the dead of night.

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