hapa adj. racially mixed, esp. with an Asian racial background. Editorial Note: This is “Asian” in the North American sense, where it usually refers to East Asians from China, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. Etymological Note: Hawaiian hapa ‘half.’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
If someone’s got melon, it means they’re smart. The expression most likely arose because of the resemblance between a melon and a human head. Several other foods are associated with having brains, including a cabbage, a gourd, and even a filbert...
Hundreds of years ago, the word girl didn’t necessarily mean a female child — in the 14th and 15th centuries, it could refer to a child of either sex. Only later did its meaning become more specific. • Some people think that referring to a former...