kanto boy

Originally from Japanese 官庁 (kanchō, “government office”) +‎ boy, borrowed in during WW2 according to Potet (2016), but the former eventually got replaced with Tagalog kanto (“corner, especially of two streets”).

kanto boy (plural kanto boys)

1. (Philippines, slang) An office boy.

• kanto girl
• kanto lingo
• yosi boy
• takatak boy
• rugby boy
• call boy

• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 343

Borrowed from English kanto boy, from Tagalog kanto (“corner, especially of two streets”) +‎ boy. According to Potet (2016), the former term *kanto was originally from Japanese 官庁(かんちょう) (kanchō, “government office”), borrowed in during WW2. The word was reinterpreted to mean “office corner”.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˌkanto ˈboj/ [ˌkan.to ˈboɪ̯]
• Syllabification: kan‧to boy

kanto boy (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜈ᜔ᜆᜓ ᜊᜓᜌ᜔) (vulgar, slang)

1. bum; deadbeat; loafer; idler

   Synonyms: palaboy, tambay

2. (humorous) office boy

• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 343
• Zorc, R. David, San Miguel, Rachel (1993) Tagalog Slang Dictionary, Manila: De La Salle University Press, →ISBN, page 72