A friend of mine asked me today where the Filipino slang word “apir” came from.

Apir!, when said by a Filipino, doesn’t mean that he’s commanding something to magically materialize before your eyes. Instead, it suggests a gesture done by two or more people slapping their hands together. In short, it’s technically the equivalent for a Westerner’s “high five”. Read full post…

There’s this game when I was a kid where we go:
Appear, (slap each other’s palms)
disappear, (slap the back of our hands together)
one-half, (side of the hand)
one-fourth, (side of the fists)
one-fourth, one-half, disappear, appear!

If you don’t get what I’m saying, find a Filipino (there’s bound to be one in your area; Filipinos are everywhere) and have them demonstrate. Or…uh…I can make a video.

Anyway.

So, really, where did apir/appear come from? Is it because your hand appears to slap your friend’s hand? Er… that could work, too, I guess. But the real origin of that is what some Westerners say when they “apir”.

While some say “Gimme five!” (meaning your five fingers), some say “Up here!” (as opposed to a low slap or on the side). If you know the Give me five, on the side, down below— You’re too slow! rhyme/game/whatever, you’ll know what I mean. And now, despite the “up here” origin, though, “apir” applies whether it’s a side slap or a low one.

So, pinoyblogero, I hope I answered your question clearly.