kanto boy

Originally from Japanese 官庁 (kanchō, “government office”) +‎ boy, borrowed in during WW2 according to Potet (2016), but the former eventually got replaced with Tagalog kanto (“corner, especially of two streets”).

kanto boy (plural kanto boys)

1. (Philippines, slang) An office boy.

• kanto girl
• kanto lingo
• yosi boy
• takatak boy
• rugby boy
• call boy

• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 343

From English kanto boy, from Tagalog kanto (“corner, especially of two streets”) +‎ boy, where the former term was originally Japanese 官庁(かんちょう) (kanchō, “government office”), borrowed in during WW2 according to Potet (2016). kanto (“corner, especially of two streets”) was reinterpreted to mean "office corner", according to Zorc et al. (1993).

kanto boy

1. (vulgar, slang) bum; deadbeat; loafer; idler

   Synonyms: palaboy, tambay

2. (vulgar, humorous, slang) office boy

• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 343
• Zorc, R. David; San Miguel, Rachel (1993) Tagalog Slang Dictionary‎, Manila: De La Salle University Press, →ISBN, page 72