IN THE KNOW: ‘Epal’
“Epal,” in Filipino slang, usually refers to a person who inappropriately presents himself in a situation or butts into a conversation.
Despite its common use in informal talk, there is a dearth of official reference concerning its etymology.
Writer Jose “Pete” Lacaba, who authored the book “Showbiz Lengua,” a book on Filipino colloquial terms used in the entertainment business, says epal must have come from “mapapel” or “pumapapel,” which shares the same connotation as epal. “But, I’m not sure,” Lacaba clarifies.
As early as 2003, Filipino netizens have listed and tried to define the word epal in urbandictionary.com, a free interactive online dictionary of colloquial terms.
One user says it refers to “one who likes to butt in on others.” Other users take epal to mean “a person who goes into a situation wherein his presence is not needed,” “a very annoying person,” and an “attention grabber.” Lawrence de Guzman, Inquirer Research
