ten-year series

en-noun

ten-year series (plural ten-year series)

Ronald is looking for someone who has a 10-year series of H.S.C. questions on pure and applied mathematics (from 1955-65) to lend or to sell.

1970, “The Straits Times”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 11

For example, the traditional 10-year-series, a compilation of past year examination questions, now comes in all shapes and sizes.

1993, Ng Wei Joo, Tan Seow Hon, “The Straits Times”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page Insight 26

The 10-year series is a compilation of 10 years of GCE O and A-level examination questions and model answers, which students use to "spot" and mug for questions in their own examinations.

1996, Evelyn Yap, “The Straits Times”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page Life 3

They are not worried - because questions are designed in such a way that the answers will not be found in any of the textbooks, classnotes or 10-year series.

2000, Sandra Davie, “The Straits Times”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page Review 36

The "ten-year series" is a phrase used in local parlance to denote assessment books collating Cambridge examinations from previous years. Students use the ten-year series as practice exams for the real thing.

2005, Yu-Mei, “When a ten-year series is not enough”, in Too Many Thoughts

She said: 'Before the new syllabus was introduced, I think students relied heavily on TYS to get good grades. They're like mock exam papers and they prepare the students for the real thing, and the questions are quite similar.'

2009, Liyana Othman in Pearly Tan, “The New Paper”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 13

On top of the 10-year series and the thick booklet of other schools' exam papers we were assigned to do, I requested to get more English papers to practice my composition writing and comprehension skills.

2015, Yonas Ngaturi, “Tuition was not so bad”, in Youth SG, archived from the original on 2015-12-28

Students are more exam-smart today. During my school days, there was no 10-year series. We just studied everything from textbooks, learned everything and enjoyed learning.

2016, Sim Kian Ho, “SPIRIT”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 1, page 56

(Singapore) A compilation of national examination questions from past years.


mat rep

From Mat, colloquial form of the common Malay forename Ahmad, + rep (“reputation”).

Because a matrep/minahrep is supposed to be someone who’s fierce.

2009, Lets Fight For Our Rights (Online Blog)

The boys in their school also have cliques, the most talked about one being ‘Mat Reps’.

2011, Viniti Vaish & Mardiana Roslan ,‘Crossing’ in Singapore, 323

Power la matrep.

2015, Lem_Koek_Far, [GVGT]Techno matrep jin creative and funny ah...

Just a matrep lepaking at youtube.

2016, BanchotheMatrep ,YouTube User About Page

(Singapore, colloquial, informal) A male Malay delinquent.


guai lan

en-adj

guai lan (comparative more guai lan, superlative most guai lan)

more guai lan (comparative)
most guai lan (superlative)

Derived from Hokkien 怪𡳞 (koài-lān, literally “strange dick”).

I'd say it's the "kwai lan" (gangster) look.

1999 May 23, “The Loanshark Look”, in The New Paper, Singapore

you so guai lan for wat

2003 July 21, Z-Bone, “Triple X Carsticker”, in Google Groups

damn guai lan..cannot take it..

2005 August 3, Joleen Lim, “guai lan”, in Blogspot, archived from the original on 2017-02-02

Tribute to my “guai lan” friend!

2013 March 20, JeevS GOne, “Oppa Guai Lan Style (Oppa Gangnam Style Parady)”, in YouTube

After all these years, the bugger still had the same kwai lan air he had even when he was fifteen.

2013 September 3, The Marijuana Chronicles, Singapore

(Singapore, informal, colloquial) Hard to please or satisfy; irritating, loathsome.


lup sup

lup sup (comparative more lup sup, superlative most lup sup)

more lup sup (comparative)
most lup sup (superlative)

/ˈlɐp˦ ˌsɐp˧˨/

Romanisation of Cantonese 垃圾 (laap6 saap3, “rubbish”).

2005, Master Cartwheeler, '7 years later...'
First time at a Lup Sup Bar.

To all the bros here, I am going to penang soon and I am looking for some infos on the lup sup ktv/massage parlour in penang. Does anyone here knows anything abt it?

REVEALED: What Goes on in Singapore’s Seedy KTV Bars, An Ex-Bouncer and Lup Sup Bar Hopper Talk to Redwire.

bondue is damn lupsup so we made it damn lupsup too haha.

(Singapore, colloquial, informal) dirty; sleazy.


water parade

/wɔːtɜː pəˈɹeɪʔ/

When either the red plate (indicating very hot weather above 32 deg C) or the orange plate (indicating hot weather between 30 and 32 deg C) are displayed, a water parade must be conducted before, and during, training. In a water parade, soldiers line up and drink water.

1987, Chua Chin Chye, “The Straits Times”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 1

New training regulations which stipulate rest periods for soldiers and water "parades" at which soldiers must drink water before, during and after training.

1997, Thomas Lee, “The Straits Times”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page Home 40

Water parades alone can make up half or more of a day's total intake of water. One would think that it would inculcate an awareness of adequate hydration, with or without physical activities, and make you drink more water, but no leh!

2008, Wong Renhao, “How did NS change you?”, in Tech Attack

When working in hot environments, each worker should be encouraged to quench their thirst all the time and consume at least to 500 ml of water every hour. Supervised drinking or “water parades” can help ensure this.

2010, Workplace Safety, Health Council, “Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines: Managing Heat Stress in the Workplace”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 10

Do you know that every recruit undergoing Basic Military Training (BMT) has to drink eight to 10 litres of water during 'water parades' to prevent dehydration?

2011, Chen Wen Li, ““Water parade” at Raffles Place”, in cyber pioneer

A water parade was held for the kids before a hike and when my son who has a small stomach couldn’t, he was told that if he didn’t finish, he was not allowed to complain even if he showed signs of heat exhaustion like headache and fever.

2015, Khoo Boo Kian, “Army Camp School (ACS)”, in The Online Citizen, archived from the original on 2016-01-03

Construction workers are also given personal water bottles and "water parades" - similar to those in military training where soldiers are told to drink lots of water - are also conducted.

2016, Benjamin Tan, “The Straits Times”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Home

(Singapore) A water drinking session that is carried out to prevent individuals from dehydration.


sia suay

sia suay (comparative more sia suay, superlative most sia suay)

more sia suay (comparative)
most sia suay (superlative)

Most of those who sing these songs are too drunk to be stopped. Sia suay (Hokkien for bringing shame to the entire clan) only.

1989 November 2, “From love songs to 'pai kia' tune. Karaoke is BIG business.”, in The Straits Times, Singapore

Later so sia suay lah

2000 November 9, Daniel S, “Is YOUNG MING married???”, in Google Groups, Singapore

GUys, cannot break up like this SO SIA SUAY!

2011 February 14, peebrain, “~FUNNY ~ 阿莲Ah Lianz break up with Ah Beng 阿成. On Valentine Day cos he nebber listen up!”, in YouTube Video, Singapore

Xiaxue not so 'sia suay' after all?

2015 March 23, S M Ong, “Xiaxue not so 'sia suay' after all?”, in The New Paper, Singapore, archived from the original on 2015-03-25

(Singapore, colloquial) Causing embarrassment or disgrace to others.


sia suay

Kenna hantam until nothing to say in the old thread then start a new one to get ppl oin your side without your old posts to sia suay you.

2007 November 21, Daniel S, “Only Queen's English.... in this forum..Singlish is banned ?!”, in Google Groups, Singapore

Sending such ugly women to international pageants will "sia suay" Singaporeans.

2000 December 4, vignette, “Singapore Miss World SUCKS!!”, in Google Groups, Singapore

In other words, I think what Mr Ha means is that Xiaxue had “sia suay” their industry.

(Singapore, colloquial) To disgrace; to cause embarrassment for others.


lauyah

lauyah (comparative more lauyah, superlative most lauyah)

more lauyah (comparative)
most lauyah (superlative)

It's not that becoz their servers are lauyah, it's becoz some TMnet staffs maintain some "kind" of attitude that makes the customers mad.

1998, Nicky, "https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/tmnet.communities/lauyah/tmnet.communities/1aiMtuiQ3Rs/YqJQ7qhLZZEJ", tmnet.communities, 12 Feb


lup sup bar

/ˈlʌp ˈsʌp ˈbɑː/

From Cantonese 垃圾 (laap6 saap3) + bar (“rubbish; garbage”).

af

2005 December 12, Master Cartwheeler, 7 years later.., blog entry
All that is lacking is some mamasans walking in with some bar girls holding XO bottles in their hands (would like to clarify that I've never been to a lup sup bar.. but i think this is how it looks like, right?) http://sevenyrslater.blogspot.sg/2005/12/first-time-at-lup-sup-bar-oops-i-mean.html

2013 February 17, unnamed, Singapore Exposed: Singapore Sleaze - Da Lu Music Lounge , blog entry
Locals will normally refer to this place as a "Lup Sup Bar", meaning a bar that provides sexual services. While the bar is a legal business entity, the sexual services that are offered are under table and illegal http://www.sgexposed.com/2013/02/singapore-sleaze-da-lu-music-lounge.html

2014 June 5, The Guru, The Guru Project, blog entry
7 in 10 guys* these days are familiar with the term “LapSap Bars”. It refers to establishments where girls from neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Philippines masquerade as hostess. https://theguruproject.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/fw1sp0/

2014 November 2013, CowBoy Johnny, Redwire Times: REVEALED: What Goes on in Singapore’s Seedy KTV Bars, An Ex-Bouncer and Lup Sup Bar Hopper Talk to Redw, online
Redwire spoke to one bar-hopper who used to frequent lup sup bars in Duxton when, in his words, it was still an area known for cheap pinoy prostitutes, Chinese pei jiu mei (drinking kaki girls) and high-class ang moh callgirl http://redwiretimes.com/cow-beh-cow-bu/revealed-goes-singapores-seedy-ktv-bars-ex-bouncer-lup-sup-bar-hopper-talk-redwire/

(Singapore) A seedy bar found in Singapore that offers prostitution.


gian peng

en-adj

gian peng (comparative more gian peng, superlative most gian peng)

more gian peng (comparative)
most gian peng (superlative)

[ɡiɛn⁴² pŋ̍²²]

Romanization from Hokkien 癮飯／瘾饭 (giàn pn̄g, “greed for rice”), from 癮／瘾 (giàn, “a craving for something”) + 飯／饭 (pn̄g, “rice”).

1998 May 29, Drew, “Hello” Ticket for sales , Google Groups https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/gian$20peng/sg.marketplace/zzfTmuj0n74/ZpX3K7N4zRkJ
wah lau, you damn 'gian peng'.singtel give free, you want to sell.

2009 August 27, FeedMeToTheFish,, SGian Png" Temasek Needs Retail Investors? , blog entry http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.sg/2009/08/gian-png-temasek-needs-retail-investors.html
For the benefit of those who do not understand the Hokien dialect, "Gian Png" literally means "hungry for rice" or if I may, "needs more money to survive".

2015 September 30, Snap Snap Eat Editor, Snap Snap Eat , online http://www.snapsnapeat.com/uncategorized/gian-peng-tips-best-credit-cards-in-singapore/
The author is a very Gian Peng person always eyeing for promotions, freebies, etc.

2015 December 27, Timothy Tan, HardwareZone:Channel 8 news show the gian peng gian sai people.. , online http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/channel-8-news-show-gian-peng-gian-sai-people-5268127.html
If you not so gian peng, you no need to wait the 15 minutes... See that auntie / uncle use lame excuse to say like they die die must wait 15 minutes….

(Singlish, derogatory) Greedy and always on the lookout for cheap deals and freebies.


yam cake

en-noun

yam cake (countable and uncountable, plural yam cakes)

zh-l

芋頭糕／芋头糕 (yùtougāo)

Let me hazard a guess: Yam cakes are made from yam, something that grows underground like a potato.

1995 April 11, Seetoh Wai Keong, “What’s ‘Yam cake’”, in rec.food.veg (Usenet)

Many regulars also come for his delicious chwee kueh (steamed rice cakes topped with preserved radish), here sold in generous bowl-sized portions rather than our usual dainty morsels, and steamed yam cake topped with golden fried shallots, chopped spring onions and sliced chillies.

2010 September 4, “The best Nonya kuehs in KL”, in The Straits Times, Singapore

This recipe can be adapted to make yam cake. Replace the daikon with 300 g (11 oz) peeled taro. Skip Step 4 and instead steam the taro unitil just soft, then break it roughly into chunks and small bits while it is still hot. Stir it into the batter with the sausages and dried prawn mixture in step 5 and proceed with the recipe as above.

2012, Christopher Tan, Amy Van, Chinese Heritage Cooking (Singapore Heritage Cookbooks), Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, page 68

The defining features of this yam cake are its garnishing and sauce, which are always part of the dish.

2014, Ng Lip Kah, edited by Audrey Yow, Dim Sum: A Step-by-step Cookbook (Cooking Classics), Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, page 75


GSS

In yesterday’s GSS supplement, we ran an article on Water Sculptures, a series of dance and music performance by Lifeskills & Lifestyle at People’s Association.

2001 June 9, Today, “Great Singapore Sale supplement amendments”, in NewspaperSG

The offer price lasts till the end of the GSS so hurry. .

2009 July 8, Mr Brown, “Dahon Curve SL special offer”, in Mr Brown.com

The total amount spent during the two-month GSS was US$1.4 billion this year, up US$1 million from the US$1.3billion in the same period last year.

2012 August 10, Rchia, “Shoppers spend $1.74b this GSS using their MasterCards”, in Asiaone.com

Stay vigilant while shopping during GSS: Police.

2013 May 31, Natalie Kuan, “Stay vigilant while shopping during GSS: Police”, in The Straits Times

But shoppers do not have to wait till the GSS starts to go bargain hunting.

2015 May 25, Rebecca Tan Hui Shan, “No need to wait for Great Singapore Sale: Guide to the sales already on at retailers around town”, in The Straits Times

During the GSS, retailers here offer steep discounts, sometimes up to 70 per cent off their original prices.

2016, YourSingapore, “The Great Singapore Sale”, in YourSingapore.com

(Singapore) Great Singapore Sale: An event organized annually by the Singapore Retailers Association to promote Singapore’s tourism industry, with stores and malls having price reductions.


mee chiang kueh

[ˌmi˩ ˌt͡ɕjäŋ˨˧ ˈkwe˦˨]

From Teochew 麵煎粿／面煎粿 (min⁷ ziang¹ guê²), from 麵／面 (min⁷, “noodle”) + 煎 (ziang¹, “pan fried”) + 粿 (guê², “rice cake, pastry-like snack”).

zh-m

Before we left Tiong Bahru, whose stall holders are all ethnic Chinese, we tasted further evidence of the Asian genius for making a lot from a little, in the form of mee chiang kueh, a thick pancake filled with coconut and peanuts crushed before our eyes in an ancient heroically clanking and banging contraption.

2003 10 September, R. W. Apple Jr., “ASIAN JOURNEY; Snacker's Paradise: Devouring Singapore's Endless Supper”, in The New York Times

(Singapore, Malaysia) A thick, sweet pancake, usually with a filling of peanut, coconut or red bean.


parking coupon

/ˈpɑːkɪŋ ˈkuːpɔn/

/ˈpɑːkɪŋ ˈkuːpɒn/

Some Singaporeans still do not know how to fill in parking coupons under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s coupon parking system despite a three-month introductory period.

1980 3 May, Jalean Han, “Highly-charged day at URA car parks”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 8

A saleman did not tear off the date tabs of four parking coupons worth $ 4.40, making the coupons re-useable, a district court heard yesterday.

1992 24 May, “$1,000 fine for parking coupon cheating”, in The Straits Times Home, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 15

Alternatively motorist should be allowed to mail in their old coupons and ask for a refund or exchange for new parking coupons.

2002 7 September, Kilometrico, “Another screw up by URA new parking coupon”, in soc.culture.singapore, Singapore: Google Groups, retrieved 2016-03-30

A parking coupon displayed on the windscreen of the car showed that he parked the car on 29 April at 6.15 p.m.

2006, “Investigating Groupwork”, in Insight History S1 Activity Bk S/e, Pearson Education South Asia, Investigating (Groupwork), page 9

What makes this worse is taxis parking at the car park without displaying parking coupons, some with the engines running, while the drivers are resting or meeting at the nearby taxi hut.

2007 4 June, Thomas Lee Zhi Zhi, “Convert some parking bays to semi-season lots”, in The Straits Times ST Forum - Online Story, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited

However, an Urban Redevelopment Authority spokesperson said the new “high-value coupons cut down the number of parking coupons needed”.

2009, Peter H. L. Lim, Chronicle of Singapore, 1959-2009: Fifty Years of Headline News, illustrated, reprint edition, Editions Didier Millet, page 165

It has a section that looks like a parking coupon on each page and you can tear out the tabs.

2012 1 July, Cheryl Faith Wee, “Singlish Keepsake”, in The Straits Times Live, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 2

Each parking coupon allows a driver to park his car for half an hour.

2013, Thomas Bond and Chris Hughes, “Approach I - rate”, in Singapore PSLE Mathematics Teacher’s Reference, Singapore: Yellowreef Limited, page 22

The cards had pre-cut curves above each number, so all you had to do was to push them in and fold - just one step shy of tearing the date and time tabs on a parking coupon.

2014 21 December, Clara Chow, “Bingo, a great way to bond”, in The Straits Times Lifestyle, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited

(Singapore) One of a booklet of punch-out coupons, available in various denominations, used by vehicle owners to pay for a parking space.


PSLE

One father was asked, “If your child pass PSLE, would you allow her to go to a secondary school?” The reply was, “Even if she passes I don’t think I could afford the fees to send her to a secondary school. Anyway what could secondary school do for her? I need her to earn a living right now”.

1970, Yee Hean Gwee, Education and social change, page 84

MOE may also consider giving parents the option of exempting their child with special needs from the Primary 6 PSLE and allowing these pupils to proceed directly to NorthLight School or a vocational school.

2010, Yeo Lay See, Maureen Neihart, Chong Wan Har, Vivien Huan, Inclusive Education in Singapore Primary School Classrooms, page 2

What is the significance of it? Well, employers of Singapore-based companies are particularly focussed on PSLE, GCE 'O' and 'A' levels score for recruitment, so a high PSLE T-score could get you a better job next time.

2011, Importance of PSLE: My two-cents worth (online forum)

The PSLE is one of our most important examinations or at least, many parents think that the PSLE is one of our most important examinations. Because it is not just a report of the student’s performance in primary school, but parents think that this determines the student’s future.

2014, Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally 2013 (speech)

(Singapore) Primary School Leaving Examination: A national examination taken at the end of the final year of primary school. Regarded as a high-stake examination determining the ability to enter a secondary school of choice.


Dai Di

Clipping of Cantonese 鋤大弟／锄大弟 (co4 daai6 di2).

I would have tot everyone would know about the card game Chor Dai Di

2002 July 25, roychang, “most playable games on the palm”, in SPUG.sg/forums, retrieved 2016-04-03

A round of Chor Dai Di in College

2009 January 15, Gavan Chua, “Chor Dai Di @ College”, in YouTube

The mobile card game is based on the traditional Chinese card game called ‘big two’ (or ‘choh dai di’ Cantonese) which is similar to poker.

2013-09-26, Lester Wong, “Become a Chinese poker grand master with Big Dai Di’s new global leaderboard”, in techinasia, retrieved 2016-04-03

Big Two(大D; jyutping, co4 daai6 di2) is a card game similar to Assholes, Crazy Eight and other shedding games

2015, Kian J. Fraser, Total card games! The biggest and best collection of solo & group card games, page 388

A Chinese card game where the number two cards are the most powerful in the deck.


sarpork

en-verb

sarpork (third-person singular simple present sarporks, present participle sarporking, simple past and past participle sarporked)

sarporks (present singular third-person)
sarporking (participle present)
sarporked (participle past)
sarporked (past)

Respelling of English support to indicate Singlish pronunciation. Compare Cantonese 十卜 (sap6 pok1).

As long as she is happy, I will support her or should I say SARPORK!!

2007 14 October, Denny Koh, “I ish Sarpork!!”, in Honey-den (blog), Singapore, retrieved 2016-03-30

They quite poor ting what. If can sarpork, sarpork lor…If can give, give.

2009 20 January, TehJarVu, “Mouth & Foot Painting Artists' Greeting Cards”, in Sgforums (forum), retrieved 2016-03-25

Dont sarpork fake ramen shop in sg like ramen-ten, ramenplay, ken noodle house, also ippudo, ajisen, tampopo are still ok but getting more and more china-fied.

2010 21 April, TheMasquerade, “Best ramen in Singapore”, in Hardwarezone Forum (forum), retrieved 2016-03-26

2011 25 November, Eyke, “Pls sarpork Singapore Children's Society Fundraising!”, in My car forum (forum), retrieved 2016-03-23

Only one day left. Can one la! I shall mentally sarpork you! Hehe!

2012 22 October, Koh Jing De, Twitter (Twitter), retrieved 2016-03-26

Someone who thinks he/she has a sense of humour. Yes, we sarpork you too.

2014 3 June, Martino Tan, “Check out some of the names who contributed to CPF blogger’s $72k crowdfunded legal fees”, in Mothership.SG (online), retrieved 2016-03-27

Even if they don't win the champion, I'll still sarpork and love them!!!

2014 14 July, Joanne Ng, “Germany is MY Champion!!!”, in Joanne-says.com (blog), retrieved 2016-03-25

Should we sarpork such a person and vote him into Parliament?

2015 6 June, BabuSingh, “Should we sarpork LTK given that he twisted facts about Punggol East TC account?”, in SgTalk forum (forum), retrieved 2016-03-25

Wa chio bu alert must sarpork!

2015 9 October, Tong Cai Sheng, “All Singapore Stuff's Timeline”, in Facebook (Facebook), retrieved 2016-03-25

I never watch long long time ago but my Tutee is acting in LLTA2 and his mum just asked me to go for the GALA tmr to sarpork him.

2016 22 March, Himeko Ong, Twitter (Twitter), retrieved 2016-03-25

(transitive, Singapore, informal) To provide encouragement or to stand by someone or something.


BTO flat

(Singapore) A build-to-order apartment under a scheme of the Singapore government, built according to demand determined by the number of applicants and their down-payment.


paktorlogy

Paktology: the name of the dating game, from “pak tor” (Cantonese) to “go steady, smooch and whatever turns you on”. https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=cM3hBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT24&lpg=PT24&dq=paktology&source=bl&ots=HerE0jTxM&sig=PsE1zlaXjnwNKkw1cO1jSHp610E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi16YK8jvTLAhULUY4KHcTZAOg4ChDoAQgjMAM#v=onepage&q=paktology&f=false

2010, Sylvia Toh Paik Choo, The Complete Eh, Goondu!

2012, June 14, Jia Yiing Ho, Paktology Lesson 1: Communication, blog entry
I welcome you to be my Paktology coursemate via email http://jiayiing87.blogspot.sg/2012/06/paktology-lesson-1-communication.html

2015, February 13, Unnamed, First Vday together? Then stay away from These 5 Movie types, online
Years of research in the scientific field of 'paktohlogy' have shown that horror movies are the best to watch on a date. http://www.hitz.fm/Features/Trendings/Trending-on-hitz/First-Vday-Together-Then-Stay-Away-from-These-5-Mo

2016, May 9, Gwee Li Sui, SinGweesh on Wednesday: Horrigible, online
So “paktorlogy” is the science of courtship – simple, right? https://web.archive.org/web/20160410201423/http://themiddleground.sg/2016/03/09/singweesh-22-horrigible/

(Singapore, colloquial, humorous) the study of dating, courtship.


kee siao

en-adj

kee siao (comparative more kee siao, superlative most kee siao)

more kee siao (comparative)
most kee siao (superlative)

[kʰiː˨˦ sjaʊ˦˨]

From Hokkien 起痟 (khí-siáu, “to go mad”).

1999, September 7, Panda on Skates, Singlish Poem, Google Groups
Teacher mark your paper also kee siao. http://www.sgexposed.com/2013/02/singapore-sleaze-da-lu-music-lounge.html

"He's a kee siao guy," Ridhuan said. https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=sGZKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT535&dq=kee+siao&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGtIui8PbLAhWEGo4KHVOQA4UQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=kee%2520siao&f=false

2015, March 7, limteh, Singapore is a big prison…, forum
that's why many getting kee siao...http://sgtalk.org/mybb/Thread-Singapore-is-a-big-prison

“Wah piang! I’m shocked, are these Japanese kee siao or what?” said Mrs Elaine Ong, a mother of two from Sungei Kadut.

2015 July 7, “Japanese AV industry turns to Singapore to find new male talent”, in The Batty Post, archived from the original on 2016-03-30


BTO

2016, Peter Lin, Asia One (Singapore), Should you apply for a HDB flat if you’re single and just turned 35?, 22 May (online).
In 2013, over a decade after the BTO flat system was introduced, singles were finally allowed to buy subsidised flats directly from the HDB, but only two-room flats.

2017, Angela Tan, The Business Times (Singapore), Young couples can soon get their homes in Singapore sooner: HDB, 19 July (online).
HDB will start construction of selected BTO projects ahead of their sales launch to cut the waiting time for young couples buying their first homes.

(Singapore) Initialism of build-to-order.


laoya

laoya (comparative more laoya, superlative most laoya)

more laoya (comparative)
most laoya (superlative)

From Hokkien 老爺／老爷 (lāu-iâ, “old-fashioned”).

I noticed standards here are super duper laoya.

2006, missqi, "http://sgforums.com/forums/12/topics/194857?page=2", sgforums, 12 June 2006

I tried their sample cleanser, my face was popping pimples like mad and their nail polish, so laoya! So I thought their products very lousy...

2010, lurvecakes, "http://singaporemotherhood.com/forum/threads/2007-03-march-2007-mtbs.521/page-3848", SingaporeMotherhood Forum, 9 June 2010

My Hokkien definitely cannot make it. Very laoya. Haha!

2010, mmqq, "http://singaporemotherhood.com/forum/threads/2007-03-march-2007-mtbs.521/page-3912", SingaporeMotherhood Forum, 11 July 2010

Her eyes flashed defiantly, then moisted over as she sobbed, “Men are really very suay. My laoya husband has sold away our precious child!”

2012, The Amah Story, "http://www.singaporememory.sg/contents/SMB-cd8d1482-0ff1-4e5d-984b-1617ef528eae", Singapore Memory, 4 July 2013

My school closed down already. My wife's school also sibei laoya one. Sigh.

2013, lala91, "http://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2649824-any-bro-from-hokkien-huay-kuan/page-4", MyCarForum, 4 July 2013

At first, I thought is my laoya computer got problem because I keep getting disconnected or server error messages since Friday.

2014, no987654321, "http://www.viwawa.com/forums/event-i-m-a-true-gunner.28736.html&page=10", Viwawa Forum, 11 July 2010

(Singapore, informal) Lousy; useless; worthless.


lau yah

lau yah (comparative more lau yah, superlative most lau yah)

more lau yah (comparative)
most lau yah (superlative)

Well I made noise with ANZ corporate and two managers replied saying sorry, they don't have the information and will get back to me again. Gee, so lau yah man ANZ!

2011, dintigger, "http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/credit-cards-line-credit-facilities-243/unsuccessful-credit-card-application-wtf-3260943-2.html", HardwareZone Forum, 12 June 2011


killer litter

(Singapore) Unwanted items thrown from high-rise apartment buildings, posing a danger to pedestrians below.


HDB

Housing and Development Board
w:en:Housing and Development Board

(Singapore) Initialism of Housing and Development Board.


teh tarik

/ˈteɪ ˈtɑːɹɪk/

[ˈteː˦ ˈtä˧ɹeʔ˦]

Borrowed from Malay teh tarik (literally “pulled tea”).

bor

(Malaysia, Singapore) An Indian-style hot drink made from black tea with condensed milk or evaporated milk, poured back and forth between two vessels to give it a frothy top.


sandwich class

en-noun

sandwich class (plural sandwich classes)

Originated in the 1980s, from the perception of being "sandwiched" (or "squeezed") between the lower and upper classes.

Although the conditions were generally poor, the rent was extremely low. In the 1970s, for example, the Home Ownership Scheme was introduced to help the middle-income group (sometimes called the "sandwich class").

2003 August 29, Kui-Wai Li, Capitalist Development and Economism in East Asia: The Rise of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, Routledge

He proposed a new middle-class housing scheme to make it easier for the "sandwich class" to buy their own home.

2005 November 1, Joseph Y. S. CHENG, The July 1 Protest Rally: Interpreting a Historic Event, City University of HK Press, page 341

Designed for the ‘sandwich class’ of Singaporeans, ECs are developed and sold by private developers, yet they are classified as public housing. They offer their first batch of buyers the chance to enjoy condo-style facilities like swimming pools at a subsidised price.

2021 August 17, “All 66 Completed Executive Condos (ECs) in Singapore and Where You Can Find Them (Prices Included)”, in Yahoo Finance

(Singapore, dated in Hong Kong, informal) The middle class; specifically those who are too wealthy to qualify for welfare schemes but not rich enough to afford non-subsidized housing, access further opportunities or maintain lifestyle expectations.


swee

A finch of species Coccopygia melanotis, found in sub-Saharan Africa.


swee

en-adj

swee (comparative more swee, superlative most swee)

more swee (comparative)
most swee (superlative)

From Hokkien 媠 (súi, “pretty”). Compare Tagalog yasuwi.

When it comes to charity, Irene will make sure everything is ‘swee swee’ (Hokkien for perfect).

2011 April 3, Yeoh Wee Teck, quoting Harry Yew, The New Paper, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, pages 10–11

“Sweee!” and “Gooaaal!” That’s the familiar cry heard throughout the neighbourhood. It’s English Premier League and there’s no greater equaliser ground than the kampung coffeeshop in uniting Singapore’s football fans and followers.

2014 January 26, Sylvia Toh Paik Choo, The Sunday Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 3

(Singlish) Great, neat, nice, excellent.


tahan

"Many local artists cannot tahan me," he says, using the Malay word for "tolerate". "If you live next to Picasso, can you tahan or not?"

2017, Wong Kim Hoh, It Changed My Life: What Tan Swie Hian wants - a free mind, The Sunday Times

2017, Zhangxin Zheng, Here’s why you shouldn’t be alarmed by pictures of “flooding” in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Mothership.sg
The 3.2km meandering naturalised river at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park used to be a 2.7 km long straight concrete Kallang channel in the past, which would not otherwise have been able to tahan as much rainwater as it now does.

If you’re buying a new car, especially a better one than your previous, it’s gonna be able to tahan your need for speed. Step on the pedal only la, why so kancheong?

2017, 8 Things Malaysians Immediately Do When They Get a New Car... Which One Have You Done?, CILISOS (Current Issues Tambah Pedas)

(colloquial, Malaysia, Singapore) To endure; to bear.


chicken feet

(Singapore, erroneous) Alternative form of chicken feed (“A simple or easy task”)


Ah Beng

/ˌɑː(˨)ˈbeŋ(˨˦)/

Borrowed from Hokkien 阿明 (a-bêng), which is a common Chinese male name.

Among the ah bengs and ah lians, the mats and the minahs, the young expats and the backpackers, he stood out like a dozen guys on a male-only dance floor singing Dancing Queen (I'll never forgive Blur for ruining my 21st birthday).

2012 April 15, Neil Humphreys, “From Cool Dude to Sad Old Man”, in The New Paper, page 34

(Malaysia, Singapore, derogatory, ethnic slur) A young Chinese man in Singapore, associated with a stereotype of having little education or sophistication and operating within secret societies and street gangs.


la-la

From Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la), from 蜊 (lâ, “clam”).

(Singapore, Malaysia) Alternative form of la la (“clams”)


ang pow

From Hokkien 紅包／红包 (âng-pau, literally “red packet”). Doublet of hong bao.

However, if you come across kids of the really mercenary kind, then you wish you could snatch back the ang pow from their greedy hands. A kid is supposed to receive an ang pow, thank the giver, then put away his ang pow immediately.

1996, Su Kim Lee, Malaysian flavours: insights into things Malaysian, page 88

A traditional and popular gift, ang pow is given at a house warming, during the tea ceremony to a bridal couple, at a farewell, on a birthday, in return for a favor or a donation, and on other occasions. A symbolic ang pow is given to a prospective client by a coffin maker upon the former exiting his premises, regardless of any transaction.

2010, Ooi Keat Gin, The A to Z of Malaysia, page 19

After the scrumptious dinner, which I had never before eaten so much, came to an end, it was customary for the parents to hand out red packages or ang pow to the children and unmarried adults.

2014, Bryan Paul Lai, The Joy of Life: The Land Below The Wind, page 87

I wrote the amount on each ang pow. When Chinese New Year came, just after the Alzheimer's diagnosis, I thought all Ma could do was hand out the ang pows.

2016, Wong Chai Kee, Even When She Forgot My Name: Love, Life and My Mother’s Alzheimer’s

(Malaysia, Singapore) Synonym of red envelope (“hongbao”)


AMK

What are the iconic features of AMK? What are some of the must try food places in AMK?

2013, Keng Onn, “Ang Mo Kio GRC & Sengkang West SMC Heritage & Food Trail”, in kebun-baru-youth-club (Usenet)


Haji

Islamic/Arabic surname, from حج (“pilgrimage to Mecca”).

(Malaysia, Singapore) title used to address a male Muslim who has completed the hajj


Teo

Borrowed from Hokkien 張／张 (Tiuⁿ, Tioⁿ) via Malaysia and/or Singapore. Doublet of Chang. Compare Tagalog Tiu / Tio.


otak-otak

en-noun

otak-otak (countable and uncountable, plural otak-otaks)

Borrowed from Malay otak-otak, plural of otak (“brain”), from the resemblance in appearance.

(Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) Grilled fish cake wrapped inside a banana leaf; a popular snack food in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore.


mamak

To the untrained eye, any dish that’s labelled ‘rojak’ looks like a hot mess. However, you can’t make your way to Singapore without having a taste of authentic Mamak Rojak [...]

2022 December 29, Jocelyn Tan, “A guide to the best Indian rojak stalls in Singapore”, in Lifestyle Asia

(Malaysia, Singapore) A roadside stall selling Muslim Tamil or Malay cuisine; by extension, a restaurant that sells similar foods.

(Malaysia, Singapore) A person who owns or works in such an establishment


FIR

FIR (countable and uncountable, plural FIRs)

first information report
w:first information report

(South Asia, Singapore, law enforcement) Initialism of first information report.


powderful

en-adj

powderful (comparative more powderful, superlative most powderful)

more powderful (comparative)
most powderful (superlative)

When someone uses bad English, a normal speaker would reply sarcastically: "Wow, your English is so powerful".
But a true Singlish speaker would retaliate: "Wah, your England very powderful ah?"

2016 May 13, Heather Chen, “'Chinese helicopter': Singlish OED entry baffles Singaporeans”, in BBC News

(Singapore, humorous, of one's language skill, now uncommon) Skilful; fluent; good.

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(Singapore, humorous, in general, now uncommon) Pronunciation spelling of powerful.


aiyo

Mainly borrowed from Tamil ஐயோ (aiyō) and Sinhalese අයියෝ (ayiyō). Common in Dravidian languages; compare Telugu అయ్యో (ayyō), Kannada ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō), Malayalam അയ്യോ (ayyō), Tulu ಅಯ್ಯೋ (ayyō). Alternatively from Chinese 哎喲／哎哟 (āiyō) in Malaysia and Singapore.

'Are you crying for your father?' 'Aiyo, aiyo!' wailed the girl. 'I shall never see him again!'

Aiyo! aiyo! My little Podi Sinho!

1913, L. Woolf, Village in Jungle ii. 28

'Aiyo its our Kalu' they all cried.

Aiyo! Never thought our beloved principal will come to this end.

1982, R.K. Narayan, Tiger for Malgudi (1984) 119

Vijaya touched Rajam's forehead and exclaimed, Aiyo. She is running very high temperature.

2009, S. Manickavasagam, Power of Passion 218

(South India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, informal) expressing distress, regret, fear


Yeoh

From Teochew 楊／杨 (ion5) or Hokkien 楊／杨 (iôⁿ). Compare Tagalog Yu.

(Malaysia, Singapore) A surname from Chinese.


appom

However, the Prata stall owners or the push-cart hawkers selling foodstuffs like thosai and appom were mainly Malabar Muslim immigrants from Edna village in Kerala.

2011, Jayati Bhattacharya, Beyond the Myth: Indian Business Communities in Singapore, page 59

(Singapore) A type of sweet fried flat bread made from rice flour.


grassroots leader

en-noun

grassroots leader (plural grassroots leaders)

/ˈɡɹɑːsɹuːts ˈliːdə/

Compound noun formed with English elements. Compare U.S. English (grassroots) A rank used to describe a political party of bottom-up management structure.

Grassroots leaders still play a key role in the Government’s efforts to reach out to the people even with the setting up of the Feedback Unit.

1985, Low Mei Mei, The Straits Times (Singapore), page 12

Can grassroots leaders really help improve our lives or are they just running dogs of the PAP.

1999, Cocoa Man, “Google Groups: Grassroots leaders can help improve our lives.”, in Online

Our grassroots leaders decided to upgrade it into a modern CC to serve residents better.

2000, Mohamad Maidin Bin PAcker Mohd, Singapore Government Media Release, page 2

Members of the public will be able to better identify their grassroots leaders and district councillors with the implementation of the new PA identity card.

2010, People's Association (Singapore), (Online)

2017, Lim Yangchen , Straits Times, 7 Oct (Online) Bishan East-Thomson Constituency grassroots leader Edmund Lim said: "This is a way of educating our younger generation... to be aware of the importance of caring for our elderly."

(Singapore) A government-appointed volunteer who serves in an organisation with the main purpose of bridging the gap between the Singapore Government and the people.


taxi uncle

From taxi + uncle; a respectful form of address to an older man.

2000, May 15, soc.culture.singapore, Taxi driver, in Google Groups
pretty interesting to yak with these taxi uncles...sometimes they can also give you tips on where and when the traffic police ambush with their speed detectors

2003, May 13, soc.culture.singapore, Do you want to drive a Taxi ?, in Google Groups
I think you better get feedback from the taxi uncles....they complain the company sometime delay payment, refuse those with illegible/corrected amount even though coutersigned....etc

2008, Politikus, Taxi fare hike, drastic drop in demand., in Google Groups
I talked with a taxi uncle who has been driving a cab since 1982.

“Taxi Uncle,” said Valli, coming to her senses, “can't you take another route?”

2009 May 12, Preeta Samarasan, Evening Is The Whole Day, page 131

“Then I will call the taxi uncle to take us back to the hospital,” she says and starts to walk down the road. I grab her hand and bring her back to face me. “Shh! Don't make a noise,” I whisper to her. “I don't have money for the taxi uncle. I have to ...

2009 July 21, Ru Freeman, in A Disobedient Girl: A Novel, page 254

Would a taxi uncle know the exact location if I tell him Sungei Buluh R&R?

2011, Andy Leong, “Latest Trip's programe & Map to the Restaurant.”, in Google Groups

A taxi uncle will, more often than not, have a strong opinion as to where the best laksa/chicken rice/kway teow is to be had. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/11076166/Why-getting-to-know-a-Singapore-taxi-uncle-is-an-expat-essential.html

2014 September 5, Rowena Michaels, “Why getting to know a Singapore 'taxi uncle' is an expat essential”, in The Telegraph (United Kingdom)

In Singapore, taxi drivers are more familiarly known as “Taxi Uncles”…The Taxi Uncle is notorious for cutting lanes without signalling, violent braking at the road shoulder to pick up / drop off passengers, reckless driving, changing shifts, …

2015 June 16, Ludger Hovestadt, Vera Bühlmann, A Quantum City: Mastering the Generic, page 183

He is experienced and knows the best spots to pick up passengers, as well as the unspoken rules for managing difficult customers, but Mr Dai is not what you’d call a “taxi uncle”.

2016 March 11, Kenneth Lim, "Freedom, flexible hours drive younger Singaporeans to taxi industry", in Today Online (Singapore)http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/freedom-flexible-hours-drive-younger-singaporeans-taxi-industry?page=1

In recent years, a new breed of taxi drivers has emerged-these folks are much younger than the stereotypical "taxi uncle"

2016 May 13, Joanne Poh, “3 popular jobs for Singaporeans who want to be their own boss”, in AsiaOne (Singapore)

You chance upon a rather talkative taxi uncle who is very interested in your lifestyle… Understand that the taxi uncle is just showing an interest…

2016 September 15, Kelly Jackson-Nash, CultureShock! Singapore

With more than three decades of driving under his belt, this "taxi uncle" has seen the changes in one of Singapore's most iconic professions, which began in the 1930s, and is facing its greatest disruption now with competition from ride-hailing apps.

2017 August 17, Adrian Lim, “The Live They Live: From taxi uncle to Grab drive”, in The Straits Times (Singapore)

(Singapore) A male taxi driver in Singapore.


chap lau chu

chap lau chu (plural chap lau chus or chap lau chu)

chap lau chus (plural)
chap lau chu (plural)

Singapore, original Hokkien pronunciation

[t͡säp̚˩ lɑʊ˩ t͡sʰuˑ˩]

Borrowed from Hokkien 十樓厝 (cha̍p-lâu-chhù, “ten-storey house”). Originating in the 1960s, with the building of pioneering HDB satellite flats.

zh-l

Now empty, Singapore's chap lau chu in Commonwealth are the highlight of a quirky showcase… A group of recent Nanyang Technological University (NTU) graduates have zoomed in on the chap lau chu, Singapore's first 10-storey flats, built in 1962 by the Housing Board in Commonwealth Drive. … While the chap lau chu were not the tallest flats ever built - the Singapore Improvement Trust, the predecessor of the Housing Board, built the now- demolished 14-storey Forfar House in Queenstown in the 1950s

2014 July 6, Kezia Toh, “Ghost town in Commonwealth Drive comes alive”, in The Straits Times (Singapore)

Even as the years go by, chap lau chu still binds me to my childhood friends, many of whom have moved away to start their own families.

2015 August 20, Aw Cheng Wei, “My fond memories of 'chap lau chu'”, in The Straits Times (Singapore)

The cluster of 10-storey blocks of flats also referred to as Chap Lau Chu, while not aesthetically pleasing in the context of today’s public housing designs, served as the face of the HDB’s public housing efforts and were featured on the backs of the new nation’s very first one dollar currency note.

2015 October 2, Jerome Lim, “Goodbye to the $1 flats”, in OMY

The chap kau chus were very alluring to everyone who passed by the dilapidated estate, attracting long gazes and inducing slower footsteps.

2015 November 5, Bryan Chua, “A Forgotten Past: Bidding Farewell To Commonwealth Drive Blocks 74 to 79”, in The Smart Local

The seven blocks of brown and beige-coloured flats were the country's first 10-storey flats, and were colloquially known as chap lau chu...

2017 October 5, Fabian Koh, “Normanton Park sold en bloc: Singapore's old housing estates that are going, going, gone”, in The Straits Times (Singapore)

(Singapore, colloquial) A ten-storey housing flat built by the Singapore Housing and Development Board (HDB) in the 1960s (now mostly vacated).


cafe-hopping

It is this uniqueness that draws curious coffee and food lovers, and inspire them to go cafe-hopping to savour a different experience at each.

2011 October 26, “Let's go cafe hopping to indulge in caffeine and pastries”, in SoShiok, retrieved 2015-11-19

So come on, follow me on my café-hopping journey.

2012 August 28, Natalie Koh, “Café Hopping in Melbourne”, in ladyironchef, retrieved 2015-10-31

Café-hopping in Chinatown.

2014 October 14, Lee Jian Xuan, “Café-hopping in Chinatown”, in The Straits Times, retrieved 2015-10-31

(chiefly Singapore) Patronising a number of different cafes on a single outing.


bus captain

There is hardly any justification for a fare hike just to pay for and retain the bus captains, which was what SBS's Mrs Cheng had used as a justification.

2001, Sintercom, Not ST Forum: Bus fare hike, Google Groups

The bus captain informed her that the journey cost $1.60.

2011, Ruth Cheng, TODAY (Singapore), page 13

This includes an annual wage supplement and a year-end annual variable bonus in place of the initial ex-gratia and sign-on bonuses given to Chinese bus captains on two-year contracts like the one He was on.

Go-Ahead Singapore, the country’s fourth public bus operator, has raised the basic starting pay of its local bus captains by about 4.6 per cent, in a move that comes on the back of recent pay hikes announced by two of its rivals.

2016, Kenneth Cheng, TODAY (Singapore) 1 July (Online)

The 34-year-old started his training to be a bus captain in February and has been driving with SBS Transit since April this year.

(Singapore) A bus driver who also functions as a bus conductor along with other duties such as ensuring proper care for the bus.


zhng

From Hokkien 裝／装 (chng). Spelling influenced by Mandarin Pinyin.

Go zhng 'em laptops.

2010 November 10, HackerspaceSG (Usenet)

(Singapore, colloquial, transitive) To modify (a gadget or vehicle).

[…] I've 'zhng-ed' the graphics and so it looks more like how it feels in my mind […]

2009 February 11, Stephie’s Shop Mailing List (Usenet)

(Singapore, colloquial, transitive, by extension) To embellish or redecorate.


Ah Tiong

/ˌɑː˨ ˈtjɔŋ˦/

Borrowed from Hokkien 阿中 (a-tiong), where 中 (tiong) is a clipping of 中國／中国 (Tiong-kok, “China”).

Any Ah Tiong and Tan Sri could have solved the problem in a civil manner in a few hours but you have an irrational leader on one side and absent leaders the other...

1998 August 3, soc.culture.malaysia (Usenet)

If is she both Singaporens and Ah Tiong, how is that possible?

2011 August 14, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

So the moment he cannot employ cheap Ah Tiong slaves from PRC he decides to close shop.

2012 November 7, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

Volvo cars now Ah tiong brand[.]

(Singapore, Malaysia, derogatory, colloquial, ethnic slur) A mainland Chinese person.


ah pui

From Hokkien 阿肥 (a-pûi), from 阿 (a, “particle placed before names to express familiarity”) + 肥 (pûi, “fat”).

The comic duo [Wang Sha and Ye Feng] were Singapore’s own Laurel and Hardy, and their Ah Pui and Ah San (The Fat and the Thin) show was enjoyed by young and old alike.

1998 January 19, The Straits Times, Singapore

Melinda, diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia, remembered her uncle and aunt calling her “Ah Pui”- meaning “stupid, fat girl”.

2009, Esther Rothblum, Sondra Solovay, The Fat Studies Reader, page 131

She treated the cries of “Ah pui ah!” and “Fatty bombom!” as cosmic background radiation, and learned to drift quietly into sharp imaginings when her classmates babbled in the impassably alien tones of Mandarin as though she was not there.

Lim was also called Ah Pui ("fatty" in Hokkien) by his friends, encouraging him to do something about how others perceived him.

2016 November 14, The New Paper, Singapore

(Singapore, informal, chiefly derogatory) fatty (a fat person)


zero fighter

/ˈzɪəɹəʊ faɪ.tə(ɹ)/

I was a zero fighter too before November last year. My dad installed a doorway bar and every time I did lots and lots of assisted pull-ups. A week later, I could pull one and could reach 4 by the end of the year.

2004 October 30, “Help on Pull up!!!”, in SgForums (site), retrieved 2017-10-18

I used to be a zero fighter, which meant my chin-ups count was a mere zero – I couldn’t lift up my 72kg body up the bar when I first enlisted.

2010 January 10, Sithu, “Chin up: How to increase your chin up reps?”, in NS'S DIGEST (blog), retrieved 2017-10-18

Whether you are a zero fighter (you cannot do a single chin-up) or someone who can do enough to meet the IPPT gold standard, you will find a chin-up style suited to your current level of fitness.

2010 November 2, “The Complete Chin-Up Guide”, in Men's Health, Singapore (site), archived from the original on 2017-06-15

Being physically not so fit since young, I struggled myself during my Basic Military Training time, without being able to pass my IPPT or SOC. I was a zero-fighter for chin-up during IPPT (i.e. I couldn’t do any).

2013, “NDP 2013 - Singapore My Story Competition Submission”, in Singapore Memory Project, Singapore (blog), retrieved 2017-10-18

If you’re a ‘zero-fighter’, the underhand grip makes it easier for you to earn your first rep.

2014 June 18, “Over- or Underhand: The Best Way To Clear The Pull-up Station”, in Men's Health, Singapore (site), archived from the original on 2017-10-03

I stared in awe as my army mates did 20 pull-ups at one go. I decided that I had to work on my fitness again. The memory of being mocked as a "zero fighter" still haunts me and motivates me to push the limit.

2015 August 4, Joan Chew, The Straits Times, Singapore, retrieved 2017-10-18

(Singapore, usually military) A person who is unable to perform a single pull-up or chin-up.


ninja van

From ninja, referring to the way they stealthily appear + van.

When you are in the middle of a godforsaken exercise area, dying of heat and sick of combat rations, the Ninja Van with its supply of cold canned drinks, junk food, and beehoon is like seeing an oasis.

2010 September 9, “Hitler Finds Out about his NS Recognition Award: Comments”, in The Mr Brown Show (blog), retrieved 2017-10-18

The arrival of the ninja van, with its fried bee hoon, nasi lemak and soft drinks, was perhaps the best consolation in an otherwise boring range where sections of trainees sat on long wooden benches waiting for their turns.

2013 May 1, “Once in Our Life, Two Years of Our Time”, in Remember Singapore (blog), retrieved 2017-10-18

Not sure if your unit/exercise involves you being in the mountains, but if it does, there are these food vans that we called "ninja vans", because they turn up out of nowhere; you don't find them, they find you.

2014 August 12, “I am going to Taiwan for NS! Advice please?”, in Reddit Singapore (site), retrieved 2017-10-18

For any Singaporean who has been conscripted for National Service in the Singapore Armed Forces, the phrase ‘ninja van’ should immediately conjure up images of a pop-up food stall on wheels, stealthily appearing out in the field when tired bodies are in need of sustenance.

2015 September 25, Colin Tung, “Four hours of sleep is enough, there is never nothing to do: Ninja Van CEO”, in Yahoo! News (site), retrieved 2017-10-18

Stocked with snacks and drinks, the ninja van is a welcome sight for any soldiers doing outfield activities.

2017 May 31, “Ninja Van: A snack-laden van which always shows up when we need it the most”, in SAFRA SG Instagram (blog), retrieved 2017-10-18

(Singapore, informal, military) A pop-up food van that appears during field training to sell food and drinks to soldiers.


pa chew cheng

[ˈpʰa˦˨ t͡ʃʰjuː˦ t͡sʰeŋ˩]

From Hokkien 拍手銃／拍手铳 (phah-chhiú-chhèng, literally “to shoot or fire one’s gun”).

bor

2001, Anonymous, Worst Job in Singapore, Google Groups, 07 Aug (online).
In Hokkien it is of course to pa chew cheng or to fire the handgun and in psycho young bates is of course to master-bate, a deliberate choice of name.

2004, 2004Lancer, sgforums.com: WARNING:- To Those Who Par Chew Cheng (masturbate) Alot!!!, sgforums.com, 09 Sep (online).
Guys....try not to pa chew cheng too much ok....

2009, Balderdash, gssq.blogspot.sg: On "Pah Chiu Cheng" (PCC), and its feminine equivalent, Blogspot.sg, 16 Aug (online).
For some reason, I was wondering the other day what the female equivalent of pah chiu cheng (to masturbate aka pak ciu ceng aka pak chew cheng aka PCC) was.

2010, Bald Eagle, Papist in no win against Alan Shadrake, Google Groups, 02 Aug (online).
In Singapore, justice is like call girl, got money got justice, no money no justice, use plenty sarboon (soap) to pak chew cheng.

2015, Benson, Sgclub.com forum, 04 Jul (online).
M'sian man pah chiu cheng, PCC, into a hotel female's staff water bottle.

2017, Chuichi Koshiramaru, sgforums.com, What stands for PCC?, 15 Feb (online).
Someone just told me it's to pak chiu cheng, meaning 'to masturbate'.

(Singapore, colloquial) Of a man: to masturbate.


complain king

These days, local online portals have become complaint hotspots that aggregate the ‘word on the street’, from the mouths of Complain kings and queens themselves.

2015 August 9, “Complain Kings – Icons of SG”, in SG50, retrieved 2017-10-23

Social conditioning being what it was, it wasn’t surprising that I also grew up as a complain king too.... However, we mustn’t join the complain kings…so what makes the Swiss so happy? They pay taxes, they have immigrant problems too.

2015 October 7, Joan C. Guyll, “Stories SG50 Icons of Singapore #37 – Complain King (Singapore)”, in Sg Overseas Singaporean Unit, archived from the original on 2018-04-18

hoganrock: Who's the number 1 Complain King/Queen here? Are you a Complain King/Queen? What do you usually complain about?

2004 May 29, “'Are you a Complain King/Queen? – SgForums.com (Singapore)”, in SGFORUMS, retrieved 2017-10-23

Are we really complain kings and queens? Some academic from New Zealand said that we are a nation of moaners in Straits Times. Sure, we complain about lots of stuff, but everyone does it, not just Singaporeans. I don't think it's fair. Besides what else can we do...its not easy living here...the prices are sky-rocketing, everything is expensive , from owning a box of space in the air to the cars on the streets, and the govt is not helping. And I don't think we moan, we are just giving feedback. Some people think we're being petty cos we have a good life. So should we just keep our dissatisfaction to ourselves? What's wrong with complaining any.

2000 October 5, squig...@my-deja.com, “Are we really complain kings and queens?”, in soc.culture.singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-11-01

(Singapore, colloquial) A dissatisfied male who always grumbles or rants, and reports on others’ faults usually to someone in authority or the media, with or without ill intentions.


paktor

[ˈpʰɑʔˈtʰɔː]

Borrowed from Cantonese 拍拖 (paak³ to¹, “to date, or be dating someone”).

He adds that he goes there with his children once every two months. "A lot of memories. First time I paktor (dated) with my wife was there."

1994 November 20, “The scattering of Satay Club”, in The Straits Times (Leisure), page 32

Some youngsters paktor with girlfriends also stroll slowly across the roads.

1998 November 7, tcbeez, “Eyes sore at traffic light junction”, in soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

When Miss Doris Low and Mr Bobby Chua were 'paktor-ing' (dating) they ate at the carpark stalls at least twice a week.

2004 July 10, “Nostalgia? More like costalgia' to me”, in The New Paper (Singapore), page 10

Spending time with the family will always be important. We want to paktor (meaning "go dating" in Cantonese) too.

2014 June 11, “Having a backup fund for retirement”, in My Paper(Singapore), page A18

My wife joins me whenever I train, so it's our time to paktor ("go dating" in Cantonese).

2015 May 5, “DOING GOOD IN THE LONG RUN”, in The New Paper (Singapore), page 17

That shares the spotlight with Lautner, who plays Cam, a bicycle courier looking to "paktor" (Cantonese slang for "court") with parkour hottie Nikki (Marie Avgeropoulos).

2015 February 27, “Parkour caper is purely a star vehicle for Lautner”, in The Business Times (Singapore), page 37

(Singapore, Malaysia, informal) To go out on a date with someone whom one is romantically involved with.


no horse run

/ˈno ˈhɔːs ˈɹʌn/

Calque of Hokkien 無馬走／无马走 (bô-bé-cháu, literally “no horse can outrun”), originally used within the context of horse racing to describe a competitor far ahead in the field.

calque

I always advocate that you can buy any laptop except Acer. Toshiba. no horse run.

2005 July 21, Ironm@n, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

No need all those musical instruments lar. my vocal no horse run

2006 April 18, yansimon52, soc.culture.australian (Usenet)

But our students' TIMMS and PISA are best in the world, our education no horse run

2016 December 8, the inquirer, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

(Singapore, colloquial) Exceptionally good


telekung

en-noun

telekung (usually uncountable, plural telekungs)

The third type [of scarf] is the tudung dakwah or mini telekung (religious scarf).

1984 January 9, A. Rahim A. Latiff, “Well covered:The scarves”, in The Straits Times, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

A survey done in Universiti Kebangsaan (National University) showed that the percentage of female students wearing telekongs had shot up to 80 per cent from 15 per cent in 1973-1974.

1984 December 2, Frieda Koh, “Pas-Umno fight changes people's ways”, in Singapore Monitor (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

Bukit Tinggi's Pasar Tingkat (market with many storeys): embroided bedsheets for $55 each at half Singapore's prices, decorative banana plants made of plastic, batik shirts, scarves and embroided telekung (prayer gowns).

1989 March 26, “Indulging a pasar passion”, in The Straits Times, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

In the case of the gifts for the bride, the items that undergo marvellous transformations are the four-metre lace or silk dress material, songket sarong, cotton telekung (prayer garb), selendang (scarf), towel and the woolen or synthetic fibre prayer mat.

1989 March 14, Mardiana Abu Bakar, “Malay-style origami for wedding gifts”, in The Straits Times, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

When everyone is ready, Faridah, who dons a telekung (prayer wear), and her family position themselves to face the kiblat (direction of Mekah).

2013 August 8, Mei Fung Lee, “Daily struggles not a barrier to fasting”, in The Jakarta Post, Indonesia (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

Daily necessities include women’s clothing, telekung (a prayer robe for women), men’s clothing, children’s clothing and school bags.

2015 February 23, Hassanal Harries, “Finding meaning through helping others”, in The Brunei Times, Brunei (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

KUALA TERENGGANU: A 56-year-old trader lost about RM40,000 when her stall was broken into by thieves who carted away telekung that was for sale and cash on Saturday.

2015 July 27, Zarina Abdullah, “Woman loses RM40k after thieves break into telekung stall”, in New Straits Times, Malaysia (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

The telekung, worn by Muslim women to pray, traditionally comes in white.

2017 March 15, Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup, “Fashion ambivalence”, in New Straits Times, Malaysia (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

(Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei) A prayer garment, usually worn by Southeast Asian Muslim women, consisting of two pieces: a loosely-draped one-piece hijab that extends to the knees and a long skirt that hides the feet.


pineapple tart

The past two years, she silkscreened her outfit with quirky prints of festive favourites such as pineapple tarts and kuih lapis.

2017 June 25, “She weaves festive favourites into her outfit”, in The Straits Times, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 ― The humble Malaysian pineapple tart, a local favourite during festive seasons, has now been offered in the luxury department store chain Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.

2016 October 29, “How Malaysian pineapple tarts became a HK luxury treat”, in The Malay Mail Online, Malaysia (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

One of them was Susan Yeoh, an entrepreneur, who said she would sell a jar of her home-made pineapple tarts, chocolate chip cookies or cashew nut cookies at RM15.

2014 January 23, Ivan Loh, Cheryl Hew, “The recent price hike is affecting small traders of Chinese New Year snacks”, in The Star Online, Malaysia (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

Pineapple tarts and cookies are popular in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

2013 February 15, Patricia Tanumihardja, “Indonesian-style pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Indonesia (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

Store-bought pineapple tarts can cost $20 for 25 pieces and mini spring rolls $10 for 250gm, but the prices are justified, some home bakers said.

2010 February 12, Shaffiq Alkhatib, “Home bakers: Higher prices justified”, in Today, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

Showing off a serrated pineapple tart mould at the hefty price of $50, Asmond says: "This is my idea, but the mould is designed and cut by computer."

1983 February 8, “Traditional tinsmith”, in Singapore Monitor, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

There was no stinging on ingredients particularly in the pineapple tart, which was a deliciously rich short crust pastry bursting with a sweet pineapple jam filling.

1981 March 4, “Is the taste as good as the home-made?”, in New Nation, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

Madam Yu Yoon Gee, instructor for Indonesian cake-making at the Adult Education Board, will give a talk-cum-demonstration in Mandarin on making pineapple tarts and kueh-la-la at the lecture hall of the Toa Payoh Branch Library on Jan. 22 at 7.30 p.m.

1975 January 16, “Pineapple tart making”, in The Straits Times, Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-10-29

(Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) A bite-sized buttery, crumbly pastry filled with pineapple jam and served during festivities in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei.


kuih tart

From kuih + tart, the former word from Malay kuih, from Hokkien 粿 (kóe, “rice cake”).

Certain households prefer to stick to the old and traditional, serving popular nonya cakes and cookies such as kueh tart (pineapple tart), kueh bangkit, kuih Belanda (loveletters), kueh bolu or desserts such as agar-agar (jelly).

1977 February 6, “How can you serve something different from the traditional”, in The Straits Times, retrieved 2017-10-29

Kueh Tart (Pineapple Tart), Kueh Belanda, Kueh Bangkit, Kueh Bulu(sic), Kueh Lapis, are typical examples.

1978 January 29, “How you can get these goodies done right...”, in The Straits Times, retrieved 2017-10-29

Kueh tart - 25 cents each.

1984 January 15, “Start the year sweet”, in The Straits Times, retrieved 2017-10-29

The art of making rich pastries is exemplified in diminutive Singaporean kuih tarts[.]

2011, Andrea Nguyen, Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More

(Singapore, Malaysia) A bite-sized buttery, crumbly pastry filled with pineapple jam and served during festivities in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei.


lokun

From Hokkien 老君 (ló-kun), from Malay dukun (“shaman or medicine man”). Doublet of dukun.

What they say about the doctors, generalist and the specialist: […] The specialist(aka tua lokun) knows more and more about less and less until eventually he knows everything about nothing.

2006 October 30, kaupehkaubu, “Malaysia A Police State? Is Mahathir Serious?”, in Sangkancil (Usenet)

Anything more than SGD$30, they would complain: “Wah, this lo kun (doctor) jing qwee (very expensive)!”

2012 October 31, Chang Mei Bin, “The Testimony of the Late Dr Richard Teo, the Singaporean Millionaire Plastic Surgeon”, in SacredHeart1984 (Usenet)

The lo-kun stared steadily at the computer screen, his finger still, uncertain what to do, unable to understand if some tragic meaning lay behind that long coughing fit.

2015, Gwee Li Sui, Singathology: 50 New Works by Celebrated Singaporean Writers

(Singapore and Malaysia, informal, colloquial) doctor; physician


build-to-order

2007, Jose Hong, The Straits Times (Singapore), Smart showers to be fitted in 10,000 BTO flats from next year, 10 Oct (online).
The installation of smart shower systems in 10,000 new Build-To-Order (BTO) Housing Board flats will begin early next year, national water agency PUB said yesterday.

Firstly, at that time MBT said that it was built because they based on projection of demands and not based on the build-to-order process.

2010 May 6, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

A build-to-order flat is the cheapest public housing type in Singapore, but entails a long waiting time, as its name suggests.

2016, Andrew Robertson, Michael Tilbury, editors, The Common Law of Obligations: Divergence and Unity, page 71

2017, Cara Wong, The Straits Times (Singapore), BTO first, propose later: Young couples don’t regret applying for flat first, 4 June (online).
With an average wait of three to four years for the completing of a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat – often the most affordable option for young couples – planning far ahead has long been the norm.

(Singapore) Of or relating to a public housing system whereby flats are built according to demand.


complain queen

Complain – Mcdonald’s new Flurry Flavour – Chendol (TOO SWEET AHHH!) I know Chendol should be sweet and all – but this is just way too much. I did not manage to finish the whole cup as much as I wanted to (not cheap, leh!)… McFlurry actually has a great potential – but I just feel it can be better if the sweetness can be reduce...Posted by SG Complain Queen’s rants at 10:00.

2017 September 9, Catherine Jaevans, “Singapore’s Complain Queen”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), retrieved 2017-11-01

Pasir Ris woman files six complaints in eight years against neighbours. On March 9, she called the police, claiming that several children from the flat above had placed dead bees outside her unit. In the last eight years, ... had filed six complaints at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC), so much so that those neighbours have dubbed her as the “complain queen” of Pasir Ris, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

2012 March 22, Rennie Whang, “Pasir Ris neighbor fought with three neighbours”, in The New Paper, retrieved 2017-11-02

Watwheels: Women in my mum’s generation are much stronger and tougher dan today’s complain queens. Imagine they had to endure non-aircon and bumpy bus-rides either sitting or standing to reach their destinations.

2008 July 4, “Another complain Queen on MRT!”, in MyCarForum of SgCarmart, retrieved 2017-11-02

hoganrock: Who's the number 1 Complain King/Queen here? Are you a Complain King/Queen? What do you usually complain about?

2004 May 29, “'Are you a Complain King/Queen? – SgForums.com (Singapore)”, in SGFORUMS, retrieved 2017-10-23

Are we really complain kings and queens? Some academic from New Zealand said that we are a nation of moaners in Straits Times. Sure, we complain about lots of stuff, but everyone does it, not just Singaporeans. I don't think it's fair. Besides what else can we do...its not easy living here...the prices are sky-rocketing, everything is expensive , from owning a box of space in the air to the cars on the streets, and the govt is not helping. And I don't think we moan, we are just giving feedback. Some people think we're being petty cos we have a good life. So should we just keep our dissatisfaction to ourselves? What's wrong with complaining any.

2000 October 5, squig...@my-deja.com, “Are we really complain kings and queens?”, in soc.culture.singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-11-01

(Singapore, colloquial) A woman who is constantly dissatisfied and always grumbles or reports faults of others to authorities or the media, with or without ill intentions.


paper general

/ˈpeɪpɚ ˈdʒɛnəɹəl/

To distract undue public scrutiny of the paper general, SAF officers – regular and otherwise -- were instructed to use their military rank before their names.

2003 September 25, Ah Seow, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

now, the cheebye-kia paper general (parasite-puppet) is parroting the old mother-f. so, is the mother-fugging paper general smart?

2011 July 4, decoy, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

Whenever Singaporeans talk about the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the focus on our military leader's lack of real combat experience never fail to arise. Moreover, with the mediocrity of our paper generals on display for all to see, there is little wonder why Singaporeans doubt their capabilities.

2014 February 13, “The Unseen Singapore #20: Singapore's War Veterans”, in The Unseen Singapore

What’s worse about our system is that all the generals do not have any combat experience. These paper generals have been fast-tracked because of their stellar academic results and nothing else.

2015 January 7, “Paper Generals Should Be Left Out Of Politics”, in Rilek1Corner

So instead of calling out the nitty-gritty of political blunders by pinning the blame on the military, it’s time we look at the bigger picture and judge our paper generals on actual policy work.

2017 October 4, Benjamin Lim, “It Makes Perfect Sense that Generals Become Ministers”, in Yahoo Lifestyle

(Singapore, derogatory) A person who, upon completion of a government scholarship to study in a university, is promoted to a high rank in the military despite the lack of combat experience.


bell curve god

/ˈbɛl kɜːv ˌɡɒd/

He who prays to the Bell Curve God, will be granted the luck to pass the exams!

2011 November 28, Alvin Lim, ““Bell Curve God” Surfaces In Local University”, in Alvinology Media (AM) (blog), Singapore: Alvinology Media, retrieved 2017-11-01

Some students in a local university who are sitting for their final examinations have reportedly resorted to and set up shrines to pray to a so-called 'Bell Curve God' for help.

2011 December 1, STUMPBO, “Who is this Bell Curve God?”, in Life of Lopsided 8 (blog), Singapore: Blogger, retrieved 2017-11-01

It seems desperate undergraduates at a local university are willing to do whatever it takes to help them in their exams - including giving offerings to the “Bell Curve God.”

2012 January 25, Ng Kang Rui, “Desperate Undergrads Pray to 'Bell Curve God'”, in Kangaroo’s Corner (blog), Singapore: Blogger.com, retrieved 2017-11-01

Upon exploring the Singaporean bell curve on the internet, I came across this comical photo of food offerings of oreos, noodles, and other goodies given to the "Bell Curve God". The paper on the image to the right reads: CURSED is he who enters without a food offering to the Bell Curve God!

2013 April 12, Amanda, “加油! Adding Oil to the Ominous Bell Curve”, in 12 Time Zones Away (blog), Singapore: Blogger, retrieved 2017-11-01

This website is a tribute to the famous but elusive Bell Curve God that everyone has heard of but has never seen.

2013 July 31, Orbital: Project Gemini, “Bell Curve God”, in Orbital: Project Gemini (blog), Singapore: National University of Singapore, archived from the original on 2017-09-18

Sign up for random events, meet new people, set up a bell curve God altar, skip classes, tell your professor you dislike the country he comes from (just kidding), sleep overnight in the library, party on Wednesdays when you have a Thursday morning class etc.

2014 March 17, Joshua Goh, “10 Things Every Singaporean Should Do Before Graduating University”, in The Smart Local Singapore (blog), Singapore: The Smart Local, retrieved 2017-11-01

Haha! altar to the almighty bell curve god in NTU! - good luck to uni students for your exams!

2014 November 25, Hana Wong, ““Bell Curve God””, in SGAG (blog), Singapore: Facebook, retrieved 2017-11-01

Even the Bell Curve God can’t grant your wish.

2015 May 16, Kintan Andanari, “5 “stunned like vegetable” reactions by young S’poreans as SIM forces exam retake”, in Mothership Singapore (blog), Singapore: Mothership, retrieved 2017-11-01

"As students, we are subject to the omnipotent, inscrutable force that is the Bell Curve God. He is the arbitrary being that decides our grades," Dylan Lee Soon Yoong explains.

2016 March 3, Jody-Lan Castle, “Top 10 Exam Rituals from Stressed Students across Asia”, in BBC News, Singapore: BBC News

The Bell Curve God is characterised as capable of granting “blessings” to those who worship and pray to it. Students pray for its intervention to not have their grades classified in the lower end of the curve. They pray for “deliverance” and seek reward in the form of grades “sustenance”.

2016 October, Lily Kong, “Mimicking Religion as Coping Strategy: The Emergence of the Bell-Curve God in Singapore.”, in Material Religion, volume 12, number 4, Singapore: Taylor & Francis (Routledge), →DOI, page 533

Do you feel lost? Dejected? Are you worried about your upcoming tests and exams? Do you require the spiritual guidance of Our Lord the Bell Curve God, in His wisdom and beauty and everlasting Grace? Then close your eyes and chant this prayer, and all your troubles will be answered by Our Lord the Bell Curve God and washed away: Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy bell curve. Thy midyears come. Thy will be done in O’s as it is in A’s. Give us this day our daily A. And forgive us our subpasses. As we forgive those who give poor peer grading marks to us. Lead us not into them F9s, but deliver us our A1s, GPA 4.0. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

2017 May 15, “Singapore’s Very Own Bell Curve Prayer”, in Reddit Singapore (Usenet), retrieved 2017-11-01, message-ID <doctorwhybother98>

In the end, the bell curve is not something within your control. However, with appropriate studying habits, you can secure a favourable position on the bell curve for yourself. Most importantly, stick to your study plan; put in consistent effort; and do your utmost. There is no replacement for hard work and practice, not even praying to the ‘bell curve gods’. So long as you put your best foot forward, the curve's always beatable, your desired results reachable.

2017 July 21, Geraldine Lee, “What Exactly is the Bell Curve? And How to Beat It.”, in Yodaa, Singapore: Yodaa.co, retrieved 2017-11-01

And what of the nightmare that’s known as the exam period? When students are huddling by their textbooks and praying fervently to the bell curve god?

2017 September 15, Joey Lee, “Foodpanda Study Reveals Boom in University Food Delivery – Here’s What Students Love to Order”, in Business Insider, Singapore: Business Insider Singapore

(Singapore, humorous) A notional deity having power over the bell curve grading system in which grades are adjusted to fit a normal distribution.


mai tu liao

[ˈmaɪ˦˨ tʰuː˨˦ ˈljaʊ˦˨]

From Hokkien 莫躇了 (mài thû liáu, “don't hesitate”).

bor

So "mai tu liao"! Come and write news stories about Singapore once more, we promise not to gazette your publication and limit your circulation too often!

2002, 6 January, Dionne, Google Groups: soc.culture.singapore [internet]

What’s amazing right from the start of this mail is that, we don’t have to provide any account no, or mailing address and the money or cheque will reach you eventually. Quick before I take all the money. So send to as many as you can! Mai tu liao!

2006, 25 September, Huu Vinh Nyugen, Google Groups: Dien - Dien Tu K96 [internet]

2016, 1 August, , Jetstar Asia takes Singlish to the skies - not a joke this time, AsiaOne
The airline is telling passengers on flights to Singapore on National Day to let them know if they want Singlish on their flights. So if you happen to be on a flight to Singapore that day, mai tu liao!

2017, 31 January, Celine Tan, Local Enough For You? What To Buy At New Designer Pop-Up, 庄Zhuang, 8 Days
The pop-up will be there till April. Mai tu liao!

(Singapore, colloquial, imperative) Do not hesitate; take action immediately.


Thai disco

When I was 1st introduce to a Thai Club, I thought the whole idea of giving a Garland to a girl as tips was silly. Why do I want to pay $30 for a flower Garland just for the girl? Later I know it's because the girls get to trade it in for cash value. Depending on the venue, some takes a cut as much as 50% - even 70% of it.

2014 May 22, Smith Leong, “Thai Club Culture in Singapore”, in SMITHANKYOU, SMITHANKYOU, retrieved 2017-11-02

He was banned from a Thai disco club after a spat with the club's manager.

2015 June 25, Rei Kurohi, “Man jailed for revenge attack with chopper”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: The Straits Times

If you grew up in the early 2000s, your first experience with a Thai Disco probably came at the now defunct Club Nana at Magazine Road in Singapore. Amidst the varicolored lights, cigarette fumes, and wet floors, one could get a gentle introduction to the ubiquitous hang-flower-mechanics that are now a part of Singapore club culture. Since then, Thai Discos have sprouted up all over the island. From dodgy looking bars with frosted Dester Beer decals on the front door, to giant, bastardised symbols of Thai culture the likes of Club Neverland.

2016 November 30, RICE, “The Secret Business of Thai Disco Agents”, in Rice Media, Rice Media, retrieved 2017-11-02

Similar to Thai discos – better known as siam dius – these flower joints are mainly entertainment venues that open through the night on most days of the week, not just the weekends. While hostesses at Thai discos are mainly of Thai origin, those working at flower joints come from a variety of countries such as Taiwan, China and Korea.

2017 May 14, Audrey Kang, “Singapore's 'flower joints': Where men buy sashes, garlands in return for ‘love’”, in Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore (blog), Singapore: Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, retrieved 2017-11-02

Tucked in the basement of the building is Diva Disco, a siam diu or Thai disco, where the majority of the patrons are Singaporeans. Singers entertain patrons with song and dance, sometimes in the form of a variety performance.

2017 June 22, Aaron Chan, “Singapore Talking: Thriving Thai-speaking community”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: The Straits Times

He’s a musician in a Thai Disco, a “flower joint” where girls from poor neighbouring countries sing, dance and mingle for a garland or two. Garlands don’t come cheap, yet if you’ve been before, you’ll know that garlands fly off the rack very quickly.

2017 September 1, Mitchell Pereira, “The Singapore Thai Disco: A Glimpse Into The Different Facets Of A Siam Diu”, in Hype & Stuff, Hype & Stuff, retrieved 2017-11-02

(Singapore) A Thai-themed nightclub with Thai hostesses.


siam diu

From Siam (“historical name of Thailand”) and Cantonese 吊 (diu3, “to hang”), referring to the flower garlands.

So first time when i met her, i spend 180 hanging flowers and buying shots for her. / Everyday i just feel like seeing her, / So went to that particular siam tiu just to see her. / Flowers, shots to impress her, / But she refused to have further relationship other than customer and siam bu.

2014 April 7, rachelmon, “falling in love with a siam bu, no money”, in Sam’s Forum, retrieved 2017-11-04

Siam Bu exclusively refers to girls working in Siam Tiu, not referring to all Thai girls.

2014 April 15, Steph Leong, “How Not To Treat A Girl”, in MIANBAOBREADPAN, WordPress, retrieved 2017-11-02

There's a DJ and an emcee, just like zouk except there were table everywhere so it's like a club/siam diu(Thai Disco).

2015 April 6, Jaslyn Wong, “Let's Run Away to the Land of Smiles”, in JSLYNWNGX, Blogger, retrieved 2017-11-02

We have these clubs colloquially called "siam diu" loosely translated as a sort of disco where the girls there are basically there to accompany/drink/play games/entertain the customers at their tables/sofas. And in-exchange you have to tip them via "flowers" or "banners" starting from $50 being hung around their heads when they perform on stage, be it dancing or singing. They are mostly from Thailand, China or Vietnam. More exotic ones would be Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea.

2015 August 29, The Dream Factory, “[FR] Hot Korean girls, Language barrier, and Cock blocks”, in Reddit, r/seduction, retrieved 2017-11-04

It’s the place to be if you’re looking to impress that Thai Girl you picked up at the siam diu bar.

2015 October 26, Nicholas Chen, “10 Affordable Thai Food Places in Singapore that Taste Like Bangkok [Affordable Thai Food in Singapore]”, in Eatbook Singapore (blog), Singapore: Eatbook, retrieved 2017-11-04

Tonight, my agenda was simple: To experience first-hand the “siam tiu” culture so loved by many party-goers. Thai clubs and discos, often referred to as “siam tiu”, isn’t exactly a world apart from the other drinking holes one might be familiar with. To put things in perspective, these “siam tius” combine the casual drinking vibes of a bar with the singers and hostesses of a KTV pub.

2017 May 14, Samantha Francis, “Curious Thoughts From My First Visit To A Thai Disco Aka “Siam Tiu” [Uncovering a bustling secret world where affection is traded for flower garlands]”, in Weekender Singapore (blog), Singapore: Weekender Singapore, archived from the original on 2017-09-29

When we think of Thai discos or siam dius, we associate it with blaring EDM music, flower garlands and scantily-clad women playing drinking games with men over towers of beer.

2017 August 17, Cheryl Chiew, “Why Some Singaporean Men Date Thai Disco Girls Instead Of Local Girls”, in ZULA (blog), Singapore: ZULA, retrieved 2017-11-02

But in the murky underground of Singapore’s Thai disco (siam dius) scene, the generalisation of Thai disco girls (siam bus) often carries a certain stigma.

2017 August 18, Cheryl Chiew, “Singaporean Girls Speak Their Minds About Local Men Who Date Thai Disco Girls”, in ZULA (blog), Singapore: ZULA, retrieved 2017-11-02

(Singapore) A Thai-themed nightclub or disco at which people dance to music and pay a hostess to talk to or drink with them by buying her a flower garland.


mao shan wang

/ˈmaʊ ʃʌn wʌŋ/

From Malay musang (“civet cat”), via Chinese 貓山王／猫山王 (māoshānwáng).

To make sure a seller isn't passing off a lesser durian as a Mao Shan Wang, look for prominent seams radiating from the base of the durian.

2008, July 13, Rebecca Lynn Tan, How to pick a durian, The Straits Times, page 4

Prized for its bright yellow, bittersweet flesh, Mao Shan Wang was a best-selling durian this year.

2008, 5 September, Tan Hsueh Yun, PURR-FECTLY YUMMY, The Straits Times, page 21

There are several different types of durian, with names such as Mao Shan Wang (Cat Mountain King), Hong Xia (Red Prawn), Mon Thong (Golden Pillow), or simple numbers such as D24, D1, D13 and D100.

2009, Marianne Rogerson, In Singapore: 60 Fabulous Adventures in the City, Times Printers Pte Ltd, page 157

The coveted Mao Shan Wang, or Cat Mountain King, is a premium breed known for its creamy and sticky texture and bittersweet taste.

2010, 1 August, Kelvin Lim, The Durian Express, The Sunday Times, page 10

A popular variety like Mao Shan Wang (Musang King), which sold for as little as $12 per kg earlier this month, now costs at least $16 a kg.

2016, 30 August, Melissa Lin, Durian prices up as harvest peak ends, The Straits Times, page B4

Mr Shui, who has been in the business for more than 30 years, brings in about 10 durian varieties from both Johor and Penang – including the highly sought-after Mao Shan Wang.

2017, 9 July, Lee Si Xuan, Durian Doldrums, The Sunday Times, page A4

(Singapore, Malaysia) A premium variety of durian, characterized by its bright yellow flesh, bittersweet taste and creamy texture.


internet brigade

/ˈɪntənɛt bɹɪˈɡeɪd/

/ˈɪn(t)əɹˌnɛt bɹɪˈɡeɪd/

Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if you're just another one of the PAP internet brigade.

2008 October 21, jeff goh, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

This so-called “PAP Internet Brigade” was also accused of creating multiple monikers in various internet forums such as the once-popular Sammyboy Alfresco Coffeeshop forum and disrupting threads critical of the PAP by engaging in flame wars, personal attacks, defamatory statements, and impersonations.

2009 January 11, “Has the PAP Internet Brigade lost its teeth?”, in Sgpolitics, archived from the original on 2016-05-29

Some of these comments could be done deliberately by people in the "Internet brigade" with the sole intention of creating trouble for Alex Au.

2013 January 5, TheInquirer, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

The papist Leegime has an internet brigade that wrack havoc on the internet. They disrupt discussion, sending virus to critics, downing websites critical of the government and very often posting rubbish and plain lies.

2014 June 8, Harry, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

It is known that there are a bunch of people whom we know as the PAP Internet Brigade (IB) who act as insurgents to spread the PAP’s propaganda and attack the opposition and activists online (this was reported in The Straits Times in 2007).

2016 July 7, Ng E-Jay, “Internet brigade continue to game Facebook's algorithm to get activists banned and censored”, in The Independent (Singapore)

Like China, the Singapore government activated a team of internet brigade to defend Lee Hsien Loong’s embarrassing interview featured on BBC Facebook page.

2017 March 1, “Government hires internet brigade to defend Lee Hsien Loong on BBC Facebook”, in States Times Review, Singapore: States Times Review, archived from the original on 2017-11-02

Saying ‘PAP IB’ is the most common and fastest insult. The moment you disagree, you become a PAP IB.

2021 August 7, “IN FOCUS: ‘Boomer, snowflake, oppie, pappie’ - unpacking the growing social media polarisation in Singapore”, in Channel NewsAsia, Singapore: Chanmel NewsAsia, retrieved 2023-12-21

(Singapore, derogatory) A group or groups of activists or members of the People's Action Party (PAP), the current ruling political party in Singapore, who post comments in social media, Internet websites, blogs or forums etc without giving away their true identities to defend the establishmentarian agenda and/or attack Opposition parties and sympathisers. Can also refer to individual members or activists of such groups. Also "PAP Internet Brigade".


win liao lor

/ˈwɪn ljaʊ˨˩ ˌlɔː˦/

From win, Hokkien 了 (liâu, “already”, perfective aspect and change of state marker) and 啰 (lor, final particle used to express resignation).
See liao, lor.

Wah this type of response, win liao lor, typical singaporean hehe.

1997 November 28, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

Win liao lor… Continue also cannot… Stop also cannot… How?

1999 May 1, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

And who says that should a policy holder of an annuity dies before the principal sum is exhausted, the balance is forfeited? Like that all insurance companies win liao lor.

2007 August 21, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

Said the spokesman: "In Singapore, some of the top sticker sets are Singlish sets with illustrations depicting phrases such as bojio (You did not invite me!), win liao lor (when you grudgingly concede to an argument) or kan cheong spider (an anxious person).

2016 October 18, Indonesian artist's series of Line stickers is popular

(Singlish) Grudging admission of defeat in an argument.


heck-care

[ˈhɛk˦ ˌkʰɛː˦]

From heck + care, based on expressions such as "doesn't care a heck" and "care a heck of a lot".

Some students have a heck-care attitude towards their studies.

Okay, being heck-care about how you look doesn't mean you'll end up looking like this. But that doesn't mean it's all right to be heck-care.

THEY may look like "heck-care" young punks who hang out at Harajuku, but their powerful music is serious stuff.

, “Spreading like wildfire: Dragon Ash”, in The New Paper, page 35

The "heck-care" attitude ignores the fact that using a handphone while driving could distract a driver's attention and cause a serious accident.

2005, David Leo, Life's so like dat, page 73

This burden of responsibility is behind motorists' frustrations with the "heck-care" attitude of reckless jaywalkers.

2008 March 2, “Motorists' burden"”, in The Straits Times

Local actress and director Michelle Chong took to Facebook on Saturday night to express her frustration with the “heck care” attitude she’s come across multiple times in her line of work.

2017 July 23, Jovi Ho, “Michelle Chong: Singaporeans “Don’t Care About What They Do"”, in popspoken

(Singapore) Having a dismissively indifferent attitude; nonchalant.


chapalang

en-adj

chapalang (comparative more chapalang, superlative most chapalang)

more chapalang (comparative)
most chapalang (superlative)

From Cantonese 雜崩冷／杂崩冷 (zaap⁶ bang¹ lang¹).

Marketing executive Kei Yamada is a self-confessed “chapalang” shopper who shops anywhere and everywhere, from popular fashion chains to second hand bazaars and online stores.

2010 May 28, Jamie Nonis, “Digging in for the best deals”, in The Straits Times

My English is very chapalang (random mix) and I often had to add some gestures to convey what I mean.

2014 September 18, Foo Jie Ying, “American CEO breaks down in front of contractor day before leaping to death”, in Asiaone

How about using a "japalang" language like Singlish?

2014 December 13, Zanzibar, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

2015 July 15, Melissa, The Hidden Gems of Joo Chiat Complex, Hungry Bird
“Chapalang shops” are common everywhere, you know, the sort which sells lithium batteries, fly swats and air fresheners

the equality star tells the ideal of a peaceful society where different races, languages and religions live together in harmony... this star might just be the most rojak/chapalang star of all.

2015 August 7, Mothership Admin, “Here are our five stars rising out of Marina Bay”, in Mothership

Other parts of the exhibition have a "chapalang" (mixed bag) feel.

2015 December 1, Clarissa Oon, “National Gallery Singapore has a tough job to explain and curate art”, in The Straits Times

2017 August 30, singaporecoconutcompany, Instagram
Never imagined such overwhelming love for SG in this #chapalang shop.

(Malaysia, Singapore, colloquial, slang, sometimes derogatory) A mixture of various elements, mostly at random. can refer to abstract concepts, things or people.


Pioneer

Now they are trying hard, working hard, in trying to "give back" […] to the older people classified as "pioneer generations" […]

2014, Zanzibar [pseudonym], soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

As someone from the Pioneer Generation, I have experienced much hardship […] from the scourge of water-rationing in the 1960s […]

2017 March 15, Jeffrey Law Lee Beng, “Saving water is everyone’s moral duty”, in Today, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, →OCLC, page 40

(Singapore) A person born on or before 31 December 1949 and possessing Singapore citizenship on or before 31 December 1986, given this status and certain benefits to recognise their contributions to Singapore's early development.


heartlander

(Singapore) A citizen of Singapore who maintains the local culture and customs of the country.

(Singapore) A resident of Singapore who lives or works in the heartlands, in a district or planning area that is outside of the central region of the country, places which are lesser known to tourists.


mee hoon

(Singapore, Malaysia, cooking) Alternative form of bee hoon


RSAF

Republic of Singapore Air Force
w:Republic of Singapore Air Force

(Singapore, military, aviation) Initialism of Republic of Singapore Air Force.


off service

(Singapore) Of a public transport vehicle, not in service.


planning area

(Singapore) One of the various administrative divisions of Singapore.


Little Red Dot

From the appearance on maps indicating the position of Singapore, being a red dot position marker, that completely covers all of Singapore on such maps. Originally a derogatory term coined by 3rd President of Indonesia and 7th Vice President of Indonesia Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie in 1998.


agak agak

en-verb

agak agak (no third-person singular simple present, no present participle, no simple past or past participle)

/ɑˈɡɑ(ʔ)ɑˈɡɑ(ʔ)/

From Malay agak-agak, a reduplication of agak (“to estimate”).

I am only trying my very best to recall what my granny did.....not agak agak, best of luck!!

1998 August 23, chong, “Tapai (fermented tapioca)”, in soc.culture.malaysia, retrieved 2018-09-05

We fail to estimate how many are present in a HUGE UM*NO roadshow...and we fail to agak-agak the number ppl in and outside of cars crying "repom" slogans on a NOT SO LONG road as Jalan TAR.

1998, EyEwItNeSs, soc.culture.malaysia, retrieved 2018-09-05

When cooking, for example, if asked how much sugar you put in, you could reply 'I just agak-agak.'

1999, Adam Brown, Singapore English in a Nutshell, Singapore: Federal Publications, page 3

"Don't agak agak or we may end up on the wrong road."

2004, Uncle Yap, “Star: Damn chun blur sotong kena hantam kau kau”, in soc.culture.malaysia, retrieved 2018-09-05

Then we should ensure that they have the necessary quantitative skills so they could think with some degree of precision and not merely agak agak (wild guesses).

2018, M. Bakri Musa, “Opening Minds Through Education”, in Seeing Malaysia My Way, retrieved 2018-09-05

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial) To estimate or guess.


attap

en-noun

attap (countable and uncountable, plural attaps)

(Malaysia, Singapore) Thatch made from leaves of the nipa palm.


Rafflesian

From Raffles, the surname of Sir Stamford Raffles (1781–1826) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives or nouns meaning ‘belonging to, relating to, or like’).

suffix

But Philip Liau was always in the thick of Rafflesian life and he made his impact in much more subtle and direct ways. His closeness to his teachers was exemplified by the fact that he regarded them with respect and allowed no one to take them for granted.

1989, E[ugene] Wijeysingha, The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon: The Story of the Raffles Institution 1823–1985, Singapore: Pioneer Book Centre, page 272

Raffles Junior College, which is 11 years old, is part of the Rafflesian family, and so falls under the umbrella of the Old Rafflesian Association.

1992, Singapore Bulletin, Singapore: Publicity Division, Ministry of Culture, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 2

RGS [Raffles Girls’ School] gave me a very good education academically. It taught me there were no limits to what I could achieve, if I only tried hard and had talent. […] Many of us have a deep-seated urge to achieve, whether in school or at work or in our persona life. […] Rafflesian girls are assertive[…].

2003 November 16, Chua Mui Hoong, “Laments of a girl from RGS”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, page L16; quoted in Michael D. Barr, Zlatko Skrbiš, “Sorting the ‘Scholars’ from the ‘Commoners’: Secondary School and Junior College”, in Constructing Singapore: Elitism, Ethnicity and the Nation-building Project (Democracy in Asia; no. 11), Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 2008, page 199

(Singapore) Of or relating to an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles.


Rafflesian

By 1961 the first Yang di Pertuan Negara (a former Rafflesian) of self-governing Singapore, Enche Yusof bin Ishak, addressed the school on founder's day – one of the grandest of all founder's day celebrations in the school's history.

1976, Ray [K.] Tyers, Singapore, Then & Now, volume 1, Singapore: University Education Press, →OCLC, page 170, column 2

One does not, of course, have to read this article to know the character of this old boy [David Saul Marshall]. Many a praise is yet sung by the school and its pupils of this old Rafflesian.

1989, E[ugene] Wijeysingha, The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon: The Story of the Raffles Institution 1823–1985, Singapore: Pioneer Book Centre, page 139

Zaibedah Ahmad comes from a family of distinguished Rafflesians. It is indeed rare to find four members of the same family having made significant contributions to the nation in their different professions – diplomacy, aviation, the judiciary and academia. They are outstanding examples of the Rafflesian diaspora who have found fame abroad.

2008, Tan Guan Heng, “First Career Woman Ambassador: Zaibedah Ahmad”, in 100 Inspiring Rafflesians: 1823–2003, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co., page 7

(Singapore) A current or former student of an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles.


catch no ball

Calque of Hokkien 掠無球／掠无球 (lia̍h bô kiû, “to not understand”, literally “catch no ball”).

calque

Being someone who doesn't understand Hokkien, I catch no ball as to what you say :-).

1992 March 19, soc.culture.asean (Usenet)

From the way he described population trend, he may well be right. He mentioned something about expo something function. Boy, we all catch no balls.

1993 October 15, soc.culture.malaysia (Usenet)

Ah! I see the problem. Fearless is only semi-literate. In which case, I can understand why he catch no ball. I guess we must ALL show patience to the slow-witted.

1999 April 29, soc.culture.malaysia (Usenet)

"Infini... what? Sorry, I catch no ball. Again, please."
"Infinitessimal - small, small winnings, Chin," said Clarence...

2000, Chong Yen Chung, Clarence Plays the Numbers: A Novel, page 83

"The sense of meaning halal should debated on either symbolic reminder of hygiene also define the level of hygiene to the level of a stomach ache or death that is what make sense!"
Huh? What kind of English is this? Catch no ball....LOL.

2005 March 23, soc.culture.malaysia (Usenet)

THE ‘CATCH NO BALL BUT WILL KEEP TRYING’ AWARD INCEPTION Only the incomparable Christopher Nolan, after reviving the superhero genre, could have had the cojones to convince a tightfisted big movie studio to greenlight a movie as ridiculously convoluted and richly layered as this.

2010 December 15, “The 'catch no ball but will keep trying’ award Inception”, in TODAY

"And now you cry...go lah...sleep with that old man...for what? Nothing! Totally liak Bo Kiu!...catch no balls!" Meaning her action was incomprehensible.

2012, Regina Long, Singapore and the Supernatural: The Weight of Fate Rests Great on Those Who Must Relate, page 55

Catch no ball of what you're talking and saying in your content. Talking and saying, and writing are different ways of expressions. They are not the same.

2013 August 14, soc.culture.china (Usenet)

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial) To fail to understand something; be unable to comprehend what others are saying.