sala sa init, sala sa lamig

Tagalog

Etymology

Literally, “sin on heat, sin on cold”.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˌsala sa ˌʔinit | ˌsala sa laˈmiɡ/ [ˌsaː.lɐ sɐ ˌʔiː.n̪ɪt̪̚ | ˌsaː.lɐ sɐ lɐˈmiɡ̚]
• Rhymes: -iɡ
• Syllabification: sa‧la sa i‧nit, sa‧la sa la‧mig

Adjective

sala sa init, sala sa lamíg (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜎ ᜐ ᜁᜈᜒᜆ᜔ ᜵ ᜐᜎ ᜐ ᜎᜋᜒᜄ᜔)

1. (idiomatic) damned if one does and damned if one doesn't (of a situation)
2. (by extension) hard to please due to fickleness (of a person)

Further reading

• Serrano-Laktaw, Pedro (1914) Diccionario tagálog-hispano, Ateneo de Manila, page 1127.