shabu

English

Alternative forms

• syabu

Etymology

Probably ultimately from Japanese シャブ (“stimulant: amphetamine, methamphetamine”), in turn possibly from the verb しゃぶる (shaburu, “to suck on something”), from the way that the addictiveness of the drugs sucks in the user.

Noun

shabu (uncountable)

1. (slang, Southeast Asia, chiefly Indonesia and Philippines) Methedrine; methamphetamine.
   • 1997, Alfred A. Yuson, FVR, Sin, Erap, Jawô and other peeves, Anvil Books:

     […] burning or hammer-smashing of confiscated paraphernalia, however these be illegal — such as marijuana, plastic bags of shabu, pinball machines, video arcade equipment — since such acts of showmanship only lend themselves to media […]

   • 2017 August 1, Mario Casayuran, “Customs payola: P147 B?”, in Manila Bulletin:

     […] some P6.4 billion worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu was slipped passed the BOC through its automated classification system.

See also

• shabu-shabu (also from Japanese; possibly etymologically related)

Anagrams

• Busha, Shaub, bahus, habus, subah

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʃabu], [ˈsabu]

Noun

shabu

1. (slang, drugs) Alternative form of sabu (“methedrine; methamphetamine”)

Japanese

Romanization

shabu

1. Rōmaji transcription of しゃぶ
2. Rōmaji transcription of シャブ

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• syabu

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Japanese Hepburn romaji シャブ (shabu, “stimulant”) (cf. Indonesian sabu). From the 1980s.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʃaˈbu/, [ʃɐˈbu]
• Rhymes: -u
• Syllabification: sha‧bu

Noun

shabú (Baybayin spelling ᜐ᜔ᜌᜊᜓ)

1. (informal) methedrine; methamphetamine; crystal meth

   Synonyms: agimat, bato

   • 2000, Tomas F. Agulto, Sa. Ba. Tri: sa masaganang milenyo, →ISBN:

     Nakakaramdam siya ng pagnanasa. Mas masidhi ang sumpong ng isang taong bitin o kulang sa sex. Lalo na kung kargado sa gamot o bumatak ng shabu. Tulad ngayong solong nagmumukmok ang kanyang laman.

     He has sexual desire toward her. The temperament of a person lacking in sex is more intense, especially when he is high on [illegal] drugs or he sniffed shabu, like right now, when his body is sulking solo.

   • 2017 July 11, Jamil Santos, '"4 na drug suspect na nanlaban daw sa mga pulis, patay sa buy-bust operation", GMA News

     Nakuha sa mga suspek ang cal .45 baril, tatlong improvised shotgun at mga sachet ng hinihinalang shabu, at marked money [...]

     [The police] confiscated a .45-caliber pistol, three improvised shotguns and sachets of suspected methamphetamine, and marked money from the suspects.

2. (slang) ya ba (tablet containing a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine)

Derived terms

• magshabu
• nakashabu
• shabuhan

 

Further reading

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