gigukod sa gunting
Cebuano
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Literally, “chased by the scissors”. From gukod (“to chase”) + sa (“by”) + gunting (“scissors”).
The phrase relies on playful visual hyperbole: it jokingly implies that a person's hair has grown so long, wild, or overgrown that a pair of scissors is actively running after them to trim it, but the person is running away.
Pronunciation
[edit]- Hyphenation: gi‧gu‧kod‧sa‧gun‧ting
Adjective
[edit]gigukod sa gunting (Badlit spelling ᜄᜒᜄᜓᜃᜓᜇ᜔ ᜐ ᜄᜓᜈ᜔ᜆᜒᜅ᜔)
- (idiomatic, humorous) badly in need of a haircut; having excessively long or overgrown hair
- Paalot na tawon dong kay mora na ka dihag gigukod sa gunting.
- Please get a haircut already, son, because you look like you're badly in need of a haircut [literally: chased by the scissors].
Usage notes
[edit]- This idiom belongs to a distinct family of humorous, formulaic Cebuano expressions that use the structure "gigukod + [grooming tool]" to tease someone who looks unkempt, untidy, or negligent of their personal appearance. Notable parallel expressions include:
- gigukod sa plansa (literally, "chased by a flat iron") – used to describe someone wearing very wrinkled or crumpled clothes.
- gigukod sa sudlay (literally, "chased by a comb") – used to describe someone with extremely messy, bedheaded, or uncombed hair.
- Like its parallel idioms, it is highly informal, almost always paired with the comparative particle murag (“like; as if”), and is used affectionately or teasingly among family members and friends.