Tuesday, August 23, 2016

CHAMORRO EXPRESSIONS



Ti daddao yo'.

I don't have sharp teeth.


The other day at a party, where seating is informal, a lady wanted to sit at our table with me and another lady.

She asked, "Kao siña yo' matå'chong yan hamyo?" "May I sit with you all?"

The lady who was with me replied, "Hunggan. Ti man daddao ham!"

Daddao can mean two things, but they are connected. In fact, I think one comes from the other.

The oldest reference I can find in a dictionary (1918) says that daddao means "sharp, cutting, pointed."

It's obvious how this was then applied to the sharp teeth of a menacing dog or some other threatening animal. This is how other dictionaries then define daddao. "Vicious, cruel, savage."

So, "Ti daddao yo'" is a Chamorro way of saying the English equivalent "I don't bite," as is often said by people inviting others to come closer.

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