lespu

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• lispu
• lispo

Etymology

Backslang from pulis: pu-lis → les-pu.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈlespu/ [ˈlɛs.pʊ]
• Rhymes: -espu
• Syllabification: les‧pu

Noun

lespu (Baybayin spelling ᜎᜒᜐ᜔ᜉᜓ)

1. (back slang) police

   Synonyms: pulis, pulisya, (slang) alat

   • 1984, Malou Leviste Jacob, Juan Tamban:

     JUAN: (likot ng pabalik) Ops, ops, lespu, lespu, lespu.
     TONYO: (Hahawakan si JUAN sa kuwelyo ng T-shirt nito). Akong bahala.

     JUAN (move backward) Oops, oops, the cops!
     TONYO (holding JUAN on his T-shirt collar) I'll handle this.

Further reading

• “lespu”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018