pasmo ang bitok

== Cebuano == === Etymology === From pasmo (“a traditional folk ailment characterized by weakness, dizziness, or abdominal discomfort, primarily triggered by failing to eat at one's regular mealtime or overexerting before eating”), ang (“the”), and bitok (“roundworm or intestinal parasite residing in the digestive tract”). Literally: "The intestinal roundworms are suffering from pasmo [starvation/exhaustion]." === Phrase === pasmo ang bitok (idiomatic, colloquial, humorous, hyperbolic) To be absolutely starving, famished, or suffering from a severely delayed meal. A dramatic, lighthearted expression used when a person misses their regular mealtime either because they were too preoccupied with an activity, or because the person cooking is taking an agonizingly long time to serve the food. ==== Usage notes ==== In Visayan folk medicine, pasmo (specifically pasmo sa kaon) is a very real condition triggered when the stomach is left empty past its usual schedule. It causes symptoms like acidic stomach pains, lightheadedness, headaches, and shaky limbs. In traditional rural households, it is casually assumed that everyone has a baseline population of harmless intestinal worms (bitok) living inside them, quietly consuming a portion of whatever the host eats. When a person skips a meal, the joke is that the human isn't the only one hungry the worms inside are also starving and throwing a frantic, painful tantrum in the stomach because their food supply was cut off. Common Social Scenarios: The Delayed Cook: It is frequently shouted as a playful complaint toward a mother, spouse, or cook who is taking too long in the kitchen: "Dugaya maluto sa sud-an uy, pasmo na akong bitok!" ("The viand is taking forever to cook; my stomach worms are literally dying of hunger over here!"). The Preoccupied Worker or Gamer: It describes the state of someone who gets so hyper-focused on internet gaming, a work deadline, or chores that they look up hours later, suddenly dizzy and trembling from an empty stomach. ==== Synonyms ==== gutom kaayo (phrase; intensely hungry; starving) ==== Related terms ==== pasmo (folk illness caused by delayed eating or body exposure to water after heavy labor) bitok (parasitic intestinal roundworm) gutom (hunger; hungry) sud-an (viand; side dish eaten with rice)