kasili

kasili n.
/kasili/

1. A slender dark-colored freshwater eel-like fish inhabiting the shallow muddy margins, rice fields, creeks, and vegetated waters around Lake Buhi. Commonly identified with swamp eels such as Monopterus albus.

Description:
Long, narrow, smooth-bodied, usually dark blackish or brown in color; capable of surviving in muddy or oxygen-poor waters. Distinguished locally from the larger birarawan by its slimmer form and darker coloration.

Traditional use:
Usually caught by hand, eel traps, or while clearing muddy waterways and rice paddies.

1. (figurative)
   A slippery, elusive, or difficult-to-catch person; one who easily escapes blame, restraint, or capture.

Example:
Kasilion an tawo na iyan.
“That person is slippery/elusive like a kasili.”

Core semantic features:
[+slender] [+dark-colored] [+eel-like] [+mud-dwelling] [+elusive]