Chapter 5

My fish in Mariveles has manifold scales. Pepper

Scales laid upon one another; the seeds of the pepper are flat and stacked against one another.

401.

Mahanghang hindi naman paminta; maputi hindi naman papel; verde hindi naman suha; turang mong bigla. (Tag.) Rabanos

It is sharp but not pepper; white but not paper; green but not shaddock; guess what that is. Radish

402.

Ang iloy naga camang ang bata naga pungco. (Bis.) Calabaza

The mother creeps, and the son sits. Squash

The mother is the vine; the child is the fruit. The riddle gains point, by suggesting a reversal of the natural conditions.

403.

Ania iti parsua ni Apo Dios nga aoan ti matana aoan ti ngioatna quen aoan ti obetna quet mangan ti ladoc-ladoc? (Iloc.) Tabungao

What creature of Lord God has no eyes, no mouth, no anus--and eats _ladoc-ladoc_? A white squash

_Ladoc-ladoc_ is rice flattened in the mortar by the blows of the pounder. The seeds of the _tabungao_ resemble it.

404.

Berdi ya balat, malutu ya laman anti mo ing pacuan. (Pamp.) Pacuan

Its skin is green and its flesh is like a watermelon. Watermelon

The riddle is poor, in that it introduces the answer as a term of comparison, in a way to mislead. Similar cases occur in other lands.

405.

Verde ang balat pula ang laman espectorante cung turan. (Tag.) Pacuan

Green skin, red meat, _espectorante_ they call it. Watermelon

Vision.

406.

Limocsoac alabasco agco asabi. (Pang.) Pacanengneng

I jumped further but I did not reach. To see

Waves.

407.

Naga dalagan nga ua-ay sing ti-il cog naga ngurub nga ua-ay sing baba. (Bis.) Balod

It runs having no feet and it roars having no mouth. Waves

Word plays.

408.

Ania iti mainaganan ari ditoy bagui? (Iloc.) Aripoyot

What king (_ari_) do you name in your body? _Ari_poyot

This is the great inner muscle of the upper leg.

409.

Cung hindi lamang ang tatlong letra t, o, at s ay kinakain sana siya. (Tag.) Asintos

But for the letters t o s we would be eating it. (String)

The word _asintos_ means string; dropping the letters _tos_ we have _asin_ left, meaning salt.

410. Bugtong pasmiasa, puno at duloi may bunga. (Tag.) Calamias

Bugtong pas"mias"a, whose trunk and branches have fruit. Calamias

Bugtong is a riddle: the word pas"mias"a has no meaning. There is here a mere play on the sound of words. "Pas"mias"a suggests the answer.

411.

Casano iti panangtiliu iti ugsa a di masapul iti silo, aso, gayang, oen no a aniaman a paniliu? (Iloc.) Urayec a maloto

How do you take a deer without net, dogs, spear, or other things for catching? Cooked

412.

Laguiung tao, laguiung manuc, delana ning me tung a yayup. (Pamp.) Culassisi

The name of a man, the name of a chicken, were carried by a bird.

_Culas_ is a man's name; _sisi_ the name of a chicken. Combined they make a bird's name.

413.

Indi sapat indi man tano apang, ang ngalan nia si "esco." (Bis.,--also Tag.) Escopidor, Escopeta.

Neither animal nor man but its name is "esco." Escopidor, Escopeta

A mere play on the words. _Esco_ is a nickname for Francisco. The _escupidor_ is a cuspidor, the _escopeta_ a broom. The meaning of the words goes for nothing. The words are both of Spanish origin.

414.

Macatu ti poonna, rugac iti ngo-duna. (Iloc.) Macaturugac

Macatu = cloth Rugac = old, rotten clothing

Cloth is the beginning; tatters the ending. i.e. _Macatu_ is the beginning, _rugac_ the ending. The whole word means I am sleeping.

415.

Salapi iti poona; ngao ti ngodona. (Iloc.) Salapingao

(Fifty cents) _Salapi_ is the beginning; ( ) _ngao_ the end.

The _Salapingao_ is a bird "like a swallow."

416.

Sinampal co bago inaloc. (Tag.) Sampaloc

I slapped before I offered. Sampaloc

There is simple word play here; the beginning and end of the riddle give the word S(in)ampal-oc. The Sampaloc is a fruit tree.

NOTES

[1] A species of bambu; firm, slender and high.

[2] a flower.

End of Project Gutenberg's A Little Book of Filipino Riddles, by Various