Are you gigil yet?

Oxford has just added “gigil” to its list of accepted English words, further cementing our invaluable contributions to the language. It joins other flippant sisters like “kilig” and “bakya” to the ever-expanding list, although until now, Microsoft Word still attempts to incorporate red squiggly lines under those terms while I type. Those two style guides have to talk.

Likewise landing into Oxford’s distinguished pages are the words “terror” “sando” and “kababayan”, all of which are now recognized as correct usage when composing essays. Ditto with “videoke” and “lumpia”. Also “salakot” and “Pinoys”.

Gigil means an intense, overwhelming feeling when encountering something cute or adorable. It is physically manifested: one clenches his hands, grits his teeth or pinches or squeezes the object of his affection.

Examples? Remember when we saw ex-president Duterte being hijacked from his uneventful flight from Hong Kong, and then trundled off to Villamor Air Base? His supporters started massing outside and a senator tried to deliver pizza. And then those supporters suddenly started shedding tears when confronted with the harsh reality that finally, he might be flown out to The Hague? And then we couldn’t decide whether they were tears of joy or crocodile tears or best supporting actress-worthy tears? And at the sight of those tears, our reaction was not adorable glee or even anger. It was intense inis.

Hold on. Is “inis” already part of the Oxford dictionary? It should be. It’s almost as useful as “gigil”. In fact, they’re practically twins!

The Oxford dictionary fails to take into account sarcasm in its parsing of gigil. It does include anger amongst the possibilities, although frustration isn’t. Which is more what inis is --feelings of frustration and exasperation.

Remember those occasions when we grit our teeth when confronted with something truly annoying, and we exclaim how the unfortunate soul in front of us is making us gigil? Yes, that kind of gigil. Which is actually, by strict definition, inis. Not angry. Not raging mad. Just gigil.

Better examples of those scenarios imagined by the Oxford dictionary would perhaps be the feelings aroused when confronted by purported TikTok videos of the presidential daughter, where she enjoins everyone to join her to “wake and bake!” Someone went to a lot of effort to compile those, we could start a Salakot award for those Pinoys who go the extra mile to serve their kababayans.

Or those before and after photos where they compare the versions of her nose, allegedly paid for with taxpayer’s money. What adorable photos. They really do make one want to just pinch those surgically-enhanced proboscis, and intensely wiggle-waggle them off.

Possibly, one could be extra gigil when the Duterte camp tries to arouse patriotic feelings amongst their rabid supporters with the slogan “I am not a Filipino for nothing”. And then it turns out they hold American passports, having either been born there or worse, having chosen American citizenship at the age of 18. So, we’re not kababayans after all, are we? What do you mean trying to trigger my nationalism with those faux-sisterhood?

From the Duterte camp came waves of gigil when, despite their protestations, threats, and entreaties, they could do nothing to stop the authorities from whisking away Rody Duterte. The terror wife and the terrorette daughter held no further weapons in their armoire that could prevent the extraction. Sara’s own terror tactics, the ranting and blustering she unleashed during all those months that she was being investigated, were for naught. Or perhaps, they were enough to trigger the decision to cart her father away, to divert her attention. Le divertissement, as they say. She must be so gigil.

What to do. Perhaps, in this heat, best to just put on a sando and flick the videoke open to hum some songs. “Freedom” by George Michael comes to mind. Then we can prep some lumpia for lunch, and more kababayans for dessert (personally, I prefer kalihims).

It’s going to be a while before justice is dispensed. Alamak!