Speakers of Tagalog, the most common language in the Philippines, speak of a particular kind of emotion that comes over people, making them grit their teeth or tremble with the futile effort to resist it. They call this feeling gigil.
Outside the Philippines, gigil is often described as the specific emotion of an irresistible to pinch a baby’s cheeks because of its cuteness, even though that might cause a bit of pain to the baby. It is true that gigil is most often used to describe the compulsion to fawn to excess over something cute, but that’s not it’s only meaning. Gigil can also refer to the inability to resist crossing personal boundaries out of frustration, or anger, or other strong feelings.
The main idea of gigil doesn’t have to do with cuteness, but with a surging drive that overwhelms self-control and threatens to go too far. It’s a drive that’s focused more on its own satisfaction than on the desires of anyone else.
