bantay-salakay

Tagalog

Etymology

From bantay (“guard; watch”) +‎ salakay (“attack; strike”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /banˌtaj saˈlakaj/ [bɐn̪ˌt̪aɪ̯ sɐˈlaː.xaɪ̯]
• Rhymes: -akaj
• Syllabification: ban‧tay-sa‧la‧kay

Noun

bantáy-salakay (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜈ᜔ᜆᜌ᜔ᜐᜎᜃᜌ᜔) (idiomatic)

1. untrustable person
2. opportunist
3. dishonest guard who steals from his own master

Further reading

• “bantay-salakay”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018