lobang

From Malay lubang (“A hole, opening or gap”), commonly misspelled and pronounced in Singapore as lobang.

So long as these men have a lobang they will raise money in order to pay their debts, otherwise the European merchants are the sufferers.

1889 September 23, “Capital in the Straits”, in The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, page 362

The first article consisted of [...] an obvious attempt to make a lobang for some vet. as an officer in charge of the abattoirs.

1900 February 22, “Amusing plagiarism”, in The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, page 11

The prosecution's last witness, Harun, testified that Yasin and another man approached him in early April 1972, saying that there was a "lobang" (opportunity) on Pulau Ubin.

1977 May 12, “Labourer to Make his Defence on Rape Charge”, in The Straits Times

any1 got lobang in getting fake rolex watches????pls reply in this newsgroup....thanks!

With the ever-expanding job market here in the region, we have started a section on the job offering. If you have any job lobang, feel free to post it here for the community to forward to their acquaintances.

Being in Singapore, we are always looking out for sales lobang. It also doesn't hurt to save a few dollars, especially with the current economic situation.

2008 December 13, “8 Ways to be a Recessionista”, in TODAY

anybody got lobang for basketball coach? Need to get one for my girls team. Preferably if you know the person personally and the coach is trustworthy and good:) Thanks!

2011 April 13, pesspgde_05/06_yr2 (Usenet)

(Singapore, colloquial) A good deal or opportunity; pertaining to job offers, business opportunities or sales.


PTE

(Singapore) Initialism of private company.


dabao

From Cantonese 打包 (daa2 baau1, “to pack and unpack”).

Moreover, they don't go for lunch but "Da Bao" and keep working during lunch break.

1999 September 27, sg.jobs.offer (Usenet)

xiaoyang: though one thing - can we move the place to bedok instead? all the famous hawker food in katong kind of close at night, but bedok block 85 bak chor mee + sambal stingray + orh luah + aboling only open at night. anyone strongly objects to that? Joseph Heng: tapao something for me?

2008 July 30, Joseph Heng, “pre-departure food outing (yay!)”, in Hopkins4U, retrieved 2018-10-28

This isn't meant to shame people, just to kind of remind them (and the audience) that sometimes, little things like take-aways from the canteen aren't always necessary, and that by not da-baoing for a change, we can make a positive contribution to the environment (decreasing the demand for logging/deforestation for paper!).


kelong

(Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia) A wooden offshore platform for fishermen found in Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore.


SAF

Singapore Armed Forces
w:Singapore Armed Forces

(Singapore, military) Initialism of Singapore Armed Forces.


KK

(Singapore) Initialism of Kandang Kerbau.


JB

2018 December 12, Choo Yun Ting, “JB side of Causeway to close in early hours tomorrow”, in The Straits Times, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2018-12-12, title

2018 December 6, Shannon Teoh, “Singapore rebuts Mahathir's claim over JB port limits”, in The Straits Times, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2018-12-07, title

He immediately reported the incident to both police authorities in JB and in Singapore.

2019 January, “Singaporean finds his car missing at a mall in Johor Bahru, regrets not having insurance”, in The Independent, archived from the original on 2019-01-03

(Malaysia, Singapore) Initialism of Johor Bahru.


give way sign

(British, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Nigeria, Nepal, Jamaica, Barbados, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Pakistan, India, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Fiji, Ghana, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Kenya, Malta, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe) a road sign which instructs road users to give right of way to other traffic

Bermuda; Ghana; Isle of Man; Solomon Islands; Tanzania; Bermuda; Ghana; Isle of Man; Solomon Islands; Tanzania


half-past-six

Presumably related to "half past six" meaning 6:30 a.m. or p.m. (0630 or 1830), but the origin and explanation is unknown; speculations exist online.

Whatever Mahathir's shortcomings were, he cannot be accused of being a half-past six leader. The problem with Pak Lah[…]is that all the kings’ horses and all the kings’ men cannot prove that he is not one.

2006 June 15, pluto, “mkl= Pak Lah must prove he’s not ‘half-past six”, in soc.culture.malaysia (Usenet)


chialat

en-adj

chialat (comparative more chialat, superlative most chialat)

more chialat (comparative)
most chialat (superlative)

Borrowed from Hokkien 食力 (chia̍h-la̍t, “to be exhausting”).

bor+

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial) Alternative form of jialat


jialat

en-adj

jialat (comparative more jialat, superlative most jialat)

more jialat (comparative)
most jialat (superlative)

[ˌt͡ɕjɑ(ː)˨ˈlɐt̚˦]

Borrowed from Hokkien 食力 (chia̍h-la̍t, “to be exhausting”), with spelling influenced by Mandarin Pinyin.

wah lao...... jialat ahhhh you.

1997 October 19, Thye Hoon Lin, “Singapore Ties to Heroin Traffickers: News Release”, in soc.culture.malaysia (Usenet)

None of the economists polled expect the economy to contract - be it a technical recession or a real recession - and hit the alamak and jialat ranges.

2015 December 17, Kelly Tay Soon Weilun, “The Singapore economy, colloquially speaking”, in Business Times, →OCLC


siao

siao (comparative more siao, superlative most siao)

more siao (comparative)
most siao (superlative)

[…] Then why am I labelled mad, siow, crazy, mental, psycho, cuck-… and not you?

1993, Haresh Sharma, Off Centre, Prologue, page 2, lines 18–20


suay

suay (comparative more suay, superlative most suay)

more suay (comparative)
most suay (superlative)

You want to seem like you've actually read all 3 books, but — damn suay — even The New Paper is too 'cheem' for you. Neh'mine!

2003 December 12, jay, “tolkien would turn over in his grave.......”, in soc.culture.malaysia (Usenet)


buay song

From Hokkien 𣍐爽／𫧃爽 (bōe-sóng, “unhappy”).


confirm plus chop

Shortened from confirm plus guarantee got chop. Here confirm is simply an intensifier, while guarantee got chop suggests that any paperwork will be approved without an issue.

These include announcements on, say, duty-free sales: "Later we'll also be coming around for duty free. If you haven't buy from the airport yet, then you can buy from us lah. All same price, confirm plus chop".

2016 August 2, Jeremy Koh, quoting Jetstar, “Singlish in the skies on Aug 9? Must be Jetstar, lah”, in The Straits Times

5 basic bro-type handphone addicts you can confirm plus chop find in S'pore

(Singlish, now rare) Absolutely, definitely, guaranteed


sibeh

From Singapore Hokkien 死爸 (sí-pē, “very; quite”, literally “die father”), from Singapore Teochew 死爸 (si² bê⁶, “very; quite”, literally “die father”), in the sense of being to the extent that one’s father dies. The spelling is influenced by Mandarin Pinyin.

der

It does seem to be a pity, though, to let go of an identity that we have formed at last, something we have had printed in posters, something we can point to and say, "Wah, sibeh Singaporean, lah".

2015 November 22, Denise Chong, “Pinning down the elusive S'pore identity”, in The Straits Times

The netizen above, Bruce Wee, shared a screenshot of Ho Ching’s footwear during her official visit to the US last year and commented, “Not again? Sibeh Sia Suay!”

2017 October 26, Jewel Stolarchuk, “Ho Ching’s sloppy sandals make an appearance during official US trip once again”, in The Independent, archived from the original on 2019-04-20

I'm sibeh damn rich / I'm very very rich / I can buy anything when Limpeh happy

2021, Namewee (lyrics and music), “You Know Who Is My Father?”, in Ghosician

(Manglish, Singlish) An intensifier word, very


boh koleng

en-adj

boh koleng (comparative more boh koleng, superlative most boh koleng)

more boh koleng (comparative)
most boh koleng (superlative)

[bo²¹ kʰo²⁴ leŋ²⁴]

Borrowed from Hokkien 無可能／无可能 (bô-khó-lêng) in Malaysia and Singapore.

Touch your heart and ask yourself, pirate. Do you think you can legislate $1k min wage for all sectors, "across sectors"? Bo Ko Leng, right?!

2015 September 4, jetsetter, “Re: General Election 2015”, in KiasuParents

Yah lor...boh koleng leh.

2003 April 4, Assassin, “Possible future upgrade for Lester ?”, in MyCarForum, archived from the original on 2019-12-31


departmental store

en-noun

departmental store (plural departmental stores)

AEON Co (M) Bhd, the operator for the Japanese-owned hypermarket chain, had downsized its departmental store areas in several locations and refurbished the stores to concentrate on food items.

2019 July 15, Shaheera Aznam Shah, “Hypermarkets face a bleak future on waning appetite”, in The Malaysian Reserve

The liquidator of the famed Robinson's departmental store has vehemently rebutted any inappropriate retrenchment of its employees, following the closing of its business, recently.

2021 January 26, Adrian David, “Robinson's liquidator rebutts inappropriate retrenchment allegations”, in New Straits Times

(India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei) department store


TOA-CAH-SOH

Inversion of SOH-CAH-TOA, nearly homophonic with Hokkien 大跤嫂 (tōa-kha-só, literally “middle-aged woman with huge feet”).

der

(Singapore, mnemonic, trigonometry, humorous) Synonym of SOHCAHTOA


make noise

en-verb

make noise (third-person singular simple present makes noise, present participle making noise, simple past and past participle made noise)

makes noise (present singular third-person)
making noise (participle present)
made noise (participle past)
made noise (past)

(Malaysia, Singapore) to scold, condemn, or criticise very harshly.


next time

(Malaysia, Singapore, informal) In the future.


oily rice

(Singapore) A kind of oily, flavourful rice prepared with fat, stock, ginger, garlic, and pandan leaves.


xia suay

en-adj

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

more xia suay (comparative)
most xia suay (superlative)

(Singapore, colloquial) Alternative form of sia suay


alamak

Borrowed from Malay alamak, see it for more.

“Aiyo! Nearly langgar leh! So scary ah! Alamak! Why you go so fast!” he is heard exclaiming to a companion in his car.

2019, Cherlynn Ng, “Near-collision with Mercedes going against traffic during rain in Yishun: 'So scary ah!'”, in AsiaOne

(colloquial, Malaysia, Singapore) Oh dear (expression of shock or dismay)


or not

Influenced by Chinese 是不是 (shìbùshì, “whether or not”), forming a question, and similar interrogative expressions with 不, 無／无, 唔 and other dialectal synonyms.

der

You want to go see snow or not, Ma?

2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, Act I, scene ii

Can or not ?

2020 January 26, JustGreat, “I ordered Pizza Hut”, in SG Talk

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial) Final interrogative particle, forming a yes/no question from a declarative statement.


tio boh

(Singapore, colloquial) Alternative spelling of tio bo


tio bo

Borrowed from Hokkien 著無／著无 (tio̍h bô, “right?”, literally “correct no?”).

bor+

You can drive tio bo?

(Singlish) Right?, is that right? (checking agreement or seeking confirmation)


laugh die me

Calque of Cantonese 笑死我 (siu3 sei2 ngo5, “very funny”, literally “making me laugh to death”).

calque

really laugh die me! Coma patient wakes up to turn off YPAP video playing on smartphone

2014 May 16, atwee, Singapore Rolex Club

Laugh die me @CGTNOfficial

"Doctor" laugh die me

2019 November 25, XxBananaLordxX, Reddit, r/HongKong

(Hong Kong, Singapore, Chinglish) very funny


O$P$

2024 March 18, “Teen arrested for locking Chai Chee flat, leaving O$P$ note”, in The New Paper:

(Singapore) Abbreviation of owe money, pay money: an admonition to debtors, especially by loansharks (Ah Longs).


group representation constituency

en-noun

group representation constituency (plural group representation constituencies)

group representation constituencies (plural)

(Singapore, politics) A type of parliamentary constituency with multiple representatives from the same political group, at least one of whom must be from an ethnic minority.

集選區

Singaporean parliamentary constituency with multiple elected members


letter of composition

letter of composition (plural letters of composition)

From an obsolete sense of composition, “payment to settle an obligation”: see composition fee.

Recently I received a letter of composition of $20 from the Car Parks Division, Urban Redevelopment Authority, for parking my broken down car in Keong Siak Road where it joins Sago Street and Sago Lane.

1978 May 27, “Parking Victim”, “Need for ‘no parking’ signs”, in The Straits Times, page 17

I have been away from Singapore for more than 15 years, and imagine my surprise on receiving a scanned copy of a "failure to file return" […] This the the first letter from the IRAS after more than 15 years and it is a letter of composition and penalty - for Pay and Pay?

2008 January 2, Soojenn, “Singapore - A Police State”, in Singapore in General (blog)

[…] about 300 foreign companies did not file their tax returns with IRAS. Letters of composition were issued to these companies.

2013, OECD, Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information Tax Purposes Peer Reviews: Singapore 2013, page 32

(Singapore) Official notice of a composition fee (a fine).


Ah Huay

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


Ah Seng

(Malaysia, Singapore, derogatory, ethnic slur) Synonym of Ah Beng


Ah Lian

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 woman in Singapore associated with a stereotype of having little education or sophistication and operating within secret societies and street gangs.


CMI

(colloquial, Singapore) Initialism of cannot make it.


Ah Long

/ˌɑː ˈlɔŋ(˦)/


Ah Kong

[ˌɑː˨ ˈkɔŋ˦]

(colloquial, slang, Singapore) The government


Ah Soh

(Singapore, Malaysia, slang) sister-in-law (elder brother's wife)

(Singapore, Malaysia, slang) older middle-aged woman


Ah Chek

[ˌɑː˨ ˈt͡sek̚˧˨]

(colloquial, Singapore) Uncle (father's younger brother)

(colloquial, Singapore) Older middle-aged man


Ah Mm

/ˌɑː˨ ˈm̩˦˨/

(colloquial, Singapore) Paternal aunt (wife of father's elder brother)


Ah Pek

[ˌɑː˨ ˈpeʔ˧˨]

(colloquial, Singapore) Paternal uncle (father's elder brother)


Nyonya

(Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia) A female Peranakan


kampung spirit

/ˈkʌmpɔːŋ ˈspɪɹɪt/

/ˈkʌmpɔŋ ˈspɪɹɪt/

/ˈkʌmpɔŋ ˈspɪɹɪt/

From kampung + spirit. Kampung is borrowed from Malay kampung (“village; community”).

In the [Malayan] Union, kampong people have the kampong spirit, and in rural Singapore villagers must have the village spirit in order to improve their living condition.

1946 November 16, R. B. Ooi, “Village Life in Singapore”, in The Malaya Tribune, Singapore: Malaya Tribune Press, →OCLC, page 4, column 5

These [Housing and Development Board housing estates] must be the core areas where the concept of neighbourliness and the friendly smile and greeting can and must be promoted and the kampung spirit of 'gotong royong' preserved. [Quoting an editorial in the National Youth Leadership Training Institute Alumni's newsletter.]

1978 December 7, “The good S’porean urged to set an example”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings, →OCLC, page 26, column 10

The old kampung spirit of volunteerism is useful. But volunteers need to be organised so that in a fire outbreak, for example, they can carry out their specific roles, calmly, before help from supportive services arrive.

1983, The Mirror: A Weekly Almanac of Current Affairs, Singapore: Ministry of Culture, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 12, column 2

Some of that kampong spirit still survives in the clean, orderly HDB estates today. But for the most part, Malay-Muslim families depend on their own immediate members.

1994, Zuraidah Ibrahim, Muslims in Singapore: A Shared Vision, Singapore: Published for Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura [Islamic Religious Council of Singapore] by Times Editions, page 34

Attempts to re-ignite the kampong spirit of community were evident at every turn.

2006, Neil Humphreys, chapter 1, in Final Notes from a Great Island: A Farewell Tour of Singapore, Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, page 14

Everyone needs someone. When the kampong spirit is in evidence, nobody needs to feel alone or abandoned.

2013, Josephine Chia, “Foreword”, in Kampong Spirit, Gotong Royong: Life in Potong Pasir, 1955 to 1965, Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, page 11

This constant engagement and interaction was the foundation of the kampung spirit.

2014 April 14, William Wan, “It’s time to update the kampung spirit”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2016-09-30

“If we fixate on the conventional idea of the kampung spirit, then we are not going to find much of it in the modern environment. So while we may not associate the same acts of neighbourliness with the traditional kampung spirit, it is not to say that we have completely forgotten how to be neighbourly,” he added.

2015 July 18, Kelly Ng, quoting William Wan, “‘Kampung spirit’ still alive in modern Singapore, but evolving”, in Channel NewsAsia, archived from the original on 2015-07-19

He [Chua Beng Huat] says the talk about kampong spirit is worse than nostalgia. "If it's only nostalgic, you just feel romantic about it and you're done with that."

2018, Simon Vincent, “The Liberal’s Nightmare: Chua Beng Huat”, in The Naysayer’s Book Club: 26 Singaporeans You Need to Know, Singapore: Epigram Books

(Singapore) A sense of social cohesion in a community and a willingness of neighbours to co-operate with each other.


Eng Choon

Different clans formed their own associations; for example the Hokkiens from the County of Eng Choon of Fujian Province formed the Eng Choon Association as far back as 1800.

2004, The Guide to Melaka, Malaysia: Essential Information for Business and Pleasure in the Heart of South-East Asia, →OCLC, page 50

Lee was born in 1939 in Jeram, Kuala Selangor, north-east of Kuala Lumpur and his ancestral roots are from Eng Choon district of Fujian Province in China.

2012, “Lee Sin Cheng”, in Leo Suryadinata, editor, Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Singapore: ISEAS Publishing, page 544

Father was from the third generation of the Gunn family whose patriarch hailed from Eng Choon county in the Chinese province of Fujian. (In Mandarin, this county is known as Yongchun.) Many of the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia had come from Eng Choon.

2020, Gunn Chit Wha, chapter 1, in Waves of Independence: Memoirs of a Malaysian Doyenne, Singapore: Epigram Books, →OCLC, page https://books.google.com/books?id=djfsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT15

(chiefly Malaysia, Singapore) Synonym of Yongchun


vertical kampung

vertical kampung (countable and uncountable, plural vertical kampungs)

vertical kampong
vertical kampong#English

(Singapore) Alternative spelling of vertical kampong


kampong chicken

kampong chicken (plural kampong chickens)

From Indonesian ayam kampung or Malay ayam kampung.

(Singapore) A free-range chicken raised in a village.


ajinomoto

monosodium glutamate
monosodium glutamate

(Singapore, India, Myanmar, Brunei, Malaysia, Pakistan) monosodium glutamate


chap chye

From Hokkien 雜菜／杂菜 (cha̍p-chhài). Doublet of japchae.


RCEP

(East Asia, trade, law, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand) Abbreviation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

East Asia; trade; Southeast Asia; East Asia; trade; Southeast Asia


gostan

Borrowed from Malay gostan, from English go astern.

(colloquial, Malaysia, Singapore) To go backwards; to reverse (a vehicle).


Mangkali

(Singapore, ethnic slur, derogatory) An Indian person.


Cheena

Alteration of China based on Malay Cina.

(Singapore, derogatory) A Chinese national


eh Tiong

From Hokkien 阿中 (a-tiong), 中國／中国 (Tiong-kok, “China”).

(Singapore, derogatory, offensive) A Chinese national.


Lions

(Singapore) Singapore national football team


bakkwa

Borrowed from Hokkien 肉乾／肉干 (bah-koaⁿ, “dried meat”).

bor+

(Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) A Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky.


close one eye

en-verb

close one eye (third-person singular simple present closes one eye, present participle closing one eye, simple past and past participle closed one eye)

closes one eye (present singular third-person)
closing one eye (participle present)
closed one eye (participle past)
closed one eye (past)

"It's also a distinctly Singaporean trait to carry on with whatever you can get away with," he added. "As long as the authorities close one eye."

2019 November, Stella Ko, “Photographer subverts Singapore's 'sterile' reputation by capturing dream-like images of the city-state”, in CNN

(Malaysia, Singapore, idiomatic) to look the other way, to deliberately ignore or overlook (a mistake or transgression).


Chinese helicopter

en-noun

Chinese helicopter (plural not attested)

The story goes that a recruit, when asked what school he came from, answered ‘Chinese helucated’, which went down in the army annals as Chinese helicopter.

(Singapore, derogatory) A Singaporean who was educated in a Chinese-medium school and is not well versed in English.


wakaf

(Singapore, Malaysia, Islam) Alternative spelling of waqf


Hokchiu

From Hokkien 福州 (Hok-chiu). Doublet of Foochow.

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore) Fuzhou language (a linguistic variety of Eastern Min under Min Chinese of the Sinitic family)


Hokchiu

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore) a person who traces his/her ancestry to Fuzhou or the surrounding region


Hokchiu

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore) of or relating to the Fuzhounese language


Hokchia

Soon afterward, there arrived a twenty-year-old migrant named Liem Sioe Liong, from the port of Fooching. Folks there speak Hokchia, a subgroup of the Hokchiu. When Hokchia speakers go overseas, they tend to cluster.

1995, Sterling Seagrave, Lords of the Rim: The Invisible Empire of the Overseas Chinese, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 191

Fuzhou is the dialect of those from around Fuzhou city in the northern tip of Fujian, Hokchia is the closely related dialect of those from the area around nearby Fuqing, and Henghua is the dialect of those from the Putian area, also in northern Fujian

2001, Michael Backman, Asian Eclipse: Exposing the Dark Side of Business in Asia, Rev. edition, John Wiley & Sons, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 197

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore) Fuqing dialect (a linguistic variety of Eastern Min under Min Chinese of the Sinitic family)

Members of these groups can be found everywhere but most of Southeast Asia’s Fuzhou Chinese are to be found in Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak, and most of the Hokchia are to be found in Indonesia.

2003, Michael Backman, Charlotte Butler, Big in Asia: 25 Strategies for Business Success, Palgrave Macmillan, →OCLC, page 27

In 1990, for the first time since leaving in 1981, He went back and, together with his younger brother, who had remained in Fuqing, invested in an electric wire company. He stresses that he was one of the first to invest in Fuqing after the investments made by Liem Sioe Liong, the Indonesian Hokchia tycoon.

2004, Frank N Pieke et al., Transnational Chinese: Fujianese Migrants in Europe, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 161

Grandfather and another man built the first Hokchia School on grandfather's section of the Hokchia settlement.

2017, Stephen Ling, Growing Up Chinese, Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 15

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore) a person who traces his/her ancestry to Fuqing or the surrounding area


Hokchia

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore) of or relating to the Fuqing dialect


Henghua

From Hokkien 興化／兴化 (Heng-hòa). Doublet of Xinghua.

In 1911 there was another influx of Chinese Methodists, when a missionary called Brest brought a large party of Henghuas.

1960, Steven Runciman, The White Rajahs: A History of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, Cambridge University Press, →OCLC, page 209

The Kotak Association, mentioned above, is an example. Its membership was overwhelmingly Henghua (96%).

1976, D. E. Brown, Principles of Social Structure: Southeast Asia, Duckworth Books, →OCLC, page 155

Between Foochow and Amoy they speak Henghua.

1995, Sterling Seagrave, Lords of the Rim: The Invisible Empire of the Overseas Chinese, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 113

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) Alternative form of Hinghwa

Apparently, a Henghua immigrant named Yeow in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, who had apprenticed himself to an agent for British cycles, learned the business thoroughly, left his employer, and established his own shop. Inevitably, his own (Henghua) employees hived off likewise so that within half a century the Henghua had established thousands of bicycle shops in Singapore, Malaya, and Indonesia. In Singapore, the Henghua were joined by Henghua-speaking Hokchia who later branched out into spare-parts, motorcycle, trishaw, and taxicab business.

2009, Philip A. Kuhn, Chinese Among Others: Emigration in Modern Times, Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, page 48

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) a person who traces his/her ancestry to Putian or the surrounding region


Henghua

Road development greatly motivated the Henghua people to expand their control of the transport business, with which no other dialect group was believed to be familiar.

1983 December, T'IEN Ju-K'ang, “The Chinese of Sarawak: Thirty Years of Change”, in Southeast Asian Studies, volume 21, number 3, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2019-04-30, page 280

Originally from Henan, the Henghua people migrated to Putian, part of the Fujian province after the civil war before coming to Malaysia.

2016 November 4, Samantha Khor, “The Origins Of The Hokkien, Cantonese, And Other Chinese Dialect Groups In Malaysia”, in SAYS.com, archived from the original on 2017-11-07

"It seems Henghua people have all the while been very proud," Mr Lim said, noting that this pride might come from their long association with scholarly achievement.[...]"I think youngsters are getting interested in nostalgia, and heritage food," said Mr Ho, who remembers watching Henghua puppet shows outside the restaurant when it was still located in Sungei Road.

2017 April 6, Toh Wen Li, “At a loss for words? Try Henghua”, in The Straits Times, archived from the original on 2017-04-06

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia) of or relating to Puxian Min of Min Chinese of the Sinitic family


Khek

From Hokkien 客 (Kheh, literally “guest people”).

bor

And the names of a Khek family, illustrating the custom among Khek people of giving an identical middle name to both sons and daughters:[...]

1959, Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, →OCLC

He gave up a relationship with a Khek woman whom he considered unbeneficial for his business and married instead another woman who was socially well-connected in business.

1994, Kwok Bun Chan, Stepping Out: The Making of Chinese Entrepreneurs, →OCLC, page 120

The Khek speak Akha (or Hakkah), which is the language spoken by the Akha people of southern China Yunnan Province. The Khek were driven out of their lands into the inhospitable highlands of the Yunan in south-west China by the Han Chinese some two thousand years ago, but they spread father south beyond the frontiers of China into Kentung Shan of Burma, into northern Laos, Thailand, North Vietnam, and of course Malaya. Ioka is the name of the guardian spirit of the Khek community. The Khek shamans are believed to be in direct contact with the Ioka. In the Akha language, the word of this shaman is tumo. The Khek are a very superstitious people.

2020, Vincent Hancock, Legends of the Dragonfly: Fighting the Communists During the Malaya Emergency, 1947-1960, →OCLC

The dialect of the first child, born in 1978 in a government hospital, was already omitted in her birth certificate. However, the dialect of the next three children born in private hospitals was registered as Khek (Hakka).

2015, Jessieca Leo, Global Hakka: Hakka Identity in the Remaking, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 182

More than half of respondents in Khek family usually use the address terms in the Khek language, while the other offspring in Hokkian family use the address terms in the Hokkian language.

2019, Antonius Suratno, editor, Sociolinguistics Research in the Journey of Time, Semarang, Indonesia: Soegijapranata Catholic University, page 125


aeroplane mode

en-noun

aeroplane mode (countable and uncountable, plural aeroplane modes)

(UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia) Alternative form of airplane mode


ngeow

en-adj

ngeow (comparative more ngeow, superlative most ngeow)

more ngeow (comparative)
most ngeow (superlative)

From Teochew 貓／猫 (ngiao¹, “cat, stingy”).


goondu

From Tamil குண்டு (kuṇṭu, “fat person”).


goondu

goondu (comparative more goondu, superlative most goondu)

more goondu (comparative)
most goondu (superlative)


japalang

japalang (comparative more japalang, superlative most japalang)

more japalang (comparative)
most japalang (superlative)

(Malaysia, Singapore) Alternative form of chapalang


Hokkien mee

(chiefly Malaysia, Singapore) A typical Hokkien noodle dish

(chiefly Malaysia, Singapore) type of noodles (typically used in Hokkien cuisine)


lanjiao

From Hokkien 𡳞鳥／𡳞鸟 (lān-chiáu). Compare Cebuano lansyaw. Doublet of lanciao. Spelling influenced by Hanyu Pinyin.

(Malaysia, Singapore, colloquial, vulgar) penis


Deepavali

Borrowed from Tamil தீபாவளி (tīpāvaḷi), from Sanskrit दीपावलि (dīpāvali, literally “row of lights”). Doublet of Diwali.

der

(South India, Malaysia, Singapore) Diwali; the Hindu "festival of light" observed in October and November


kway teow

From Hokkien 粿條／粿条 (kóe-tiâu). Compare Malay kuetiau, Indonesian kwetiau.

(Malaysia, Singapore) a type of flat rice noodles, commonly used in Hokkien and Teochew cuisine.


garang

en-adj

garang (comparative more garang, superlative most garang)

more garang (comparative)
most garang (superlative)

(Singapore, colloquial) bold, daring, fearless

(Singapore, colloquial) imposing, impressive; manly (of appearance)


agaration

/ˌɑɡɑˈɹeɪʃən/

From Malay agak (“to estimate”) + -ation. The r is epenthetic.

Free of dents and scrapes so far, any wrong move or salah agar-ation will mar the car’s flawless paintwork.

2000 December 28, Samuel Lee, “Life! This Weekend”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, page 6


agar-ation

(Singapore) Alternative spelling of agaration


Shitney

(Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, colloquial, vulgar, humorous) The city of Sydney, Australia.


stylo milo

stylo milo (comparative more stylo milo, superlative most stylo milo)

more stylo milo (comparative)
most stylo milo (superlative)

“Wah, I such a stylo milo one!” Alana said with a wink at Ling Ling, who gave her a darn right high five in return.

2015, Poppy Inkwell, Torment and Trickery, page 276

During the tea break, I remember seeing this exotic petite tanned beauty with a stylo milo leather jacket on and damn was she gorgeous.

2021, Cassius Ribhkus, Touchful, page 22

(Singapore, informal) Stylish; fashionable.


POFMA

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Leader of the House has instructed the Pofma Office to do so.

2022 February 12, Sue-Ann Tan, “Pofma office issues correction direction to Wake Up, Singapore over COP statements”, in Straits Times

2020 January 27, “SPH Magazines complies with Pofma correction order on false HardwareZone post”, in Business Times:

The ICJ has previously highlighted how POFMA on its face is not compliant with international law and standards protecting the right to freedom of opinion, expression and information.

2021 October 4, “Singapore: ICJ calls on government to repeal or substantially amend the POFMA, two years after it entered into force”, in International Commission of Jurists

w:Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019

(Singapore) Initialism of Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, a controversial Singaporean law aiming to suppress fake news


POFMA

en-verb

POFMA (third-person singular simple present POFMAs, present participle POFMAing, simple past and past participle POFMAed or POFMA-ed)

POFMAs (present singular third-person)
POFMAing (participle present)
POFMAed (participle past)
POFMAed (past)
POFMA-ed (participle past)
POFMA-ed (past)

When you POFMA someone, it draws attention to what the person said in the first place.

2023 August 2, Koh Ewe, “A Wave of Scandals Is Testing the Singaporean Government's Ability to Take Criticism”, in Time

(transitive, informal, Singapore) To accuse someone of spreading falsehoods online under the same law.


arrestable offence

en-noun

arrestable offence (plural arrestable offences)

From arrestable + offence. First defined and introduced in English law by the Criminal Law Act 1967 (c. 58).

(criminal law, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, historical in UK) a criminal offence such that the offender may be arrested without warrant.

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005


Teoh

Borrowed from Hokkien 張／张 (Tiuⁿ, Tioⁿ). Doublet of Teo, Tiu, and Tio.


ORD

(Singapore, military) Abbreviation of operationally ready date, the date when a national serviceman finishes his service.


outrage of modesty

outrage of modesty (countable and uncountable, plural outrages of modesty)

(criminal law, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Pakistan) molestation; indecent assault, especially against women


rilek

en-verb

rilek (third-person singular simple present rileks, present participle rileking, simple past and past participle rileked)

rileks (present singular third-person)
rileking (participle present)
rileked (participle past)
rileked (past)

(Singapore, intransitive) To relax; to chill, doing nothing in particular.


subsidiary legislation

en-noun

subsidiary legislation (usually uncountable, plural subsidiary legislations)

secondary legislation
secondary legislation#English

(law, Hong Kong, Singapore) Synonym of secondary legislation


air stewardess

air stewardess (plural air stewardesses)

(offensive, dated outside Malaysia and Singapore) A female flight attendant.


air steward

(Malaysia, Singapore, aviation) A male flight attendant


Sook Ching

Borrowed from Cantonese 肅清／肃清 (suk1 cing1).

(Singapore, historical) the systematic massacre of Singaporean Chinese by Japanese occupation forces from 18 February to 4 March 1942


kee chang

[ˈkiː˨ t͡säŋ˩]

(Singapore) Alkaline zongzi (a Chinese dessert, sometimes filled with a sweet paste)


mee sua

From Hokkien 麵線／面线 (mī-soàⁿ). Compare Malay misoa, Indonesian misoa, Tagalog miswa.

(Malaysia, Singapore) Misua; a very thin variety of salted Chinese noodles made from wheat flour.


birthday noodle

birthday noodle (plural birthday noodles)

(Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, chiefly in the plural) A Chinese yi mein noodle of a kind eaten on birthdays to celebrate a long life.


oyster omelette

oyster omelette (plural oyster omelettes)

(Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia) An omelette filled with oysters, originating from Southern Fujian or Chaoshan.


no eye see

Calque of Cantonese 冇眼睇 (mou⁵ ngaan⁵ tai²).

calque

(Hong Kong, Singapore) To be unable to bear (the sight of) something anymore; to refuse to be involved further; to be disinclined to continue caring about.


siah

(Singlish, Manglish) Alternative form of sia


AYE

Ayer Rajah Expressway
w:Ayer Rajah Expressway

(Singapore, in road signs) Abbreviation of Ayer Rajah Expressway.


KPE

Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway
w:Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway

(Singapore, in road signs) Abbreviation of Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway.


BKE

Bukit Timah Expressway
w:Bukit Timah Expressway

(Singapore, in road signs) Abbreviation of Bukit Timah Expressway.


MCE

Marina Coastal Expressway
w:Marina Coastal Expressway

(Singapore, in road signs) Initialism of Marina Coastal Expressway.


KJE

(Singapore, in road signs) Abbreviation of Kranji Expressway.


half-boiled

(Malaysia, Singapore, of a boiled egg) cooked to a soft consistency with the yolk still runny; soft-boiled


la la

From Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la), a reduplication of 蜊 (lâ, “clam”).

For good measure, a serving of "la la" clams adds decoration and a pleasant brininess.

2017 September 18, Jaime Ee, “Fresh seafood delights from farm to fork at Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong”, in The Straits Times

(informal, Singapore, Malaysia) Venus clams (as food)


see hum

/ˌsiː˧ ˈhɐm˦/

See Hum should go with Laksa!! - Idiot!!

2009, AleXX, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

(informal, Singapore, Malaysia) Blood cockles; ark clams (as food)


lao hong

/ˈlaʊ˦˨ ˈhɔŋ˦/

(Singapore, Malaysia, informal, intransitive, of food, especially biscuits) To go stale or turn soft from exposure to air.


Ali Baba bag

A reference to the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, in which the thieves hide in large oil jars; perhaps based on the idea that the bag is large enough to fit a person. Compare senses of Ali Baba related to large containers.

Each enlistee leaves.. with items packed into a duffel bag more commonly known as the ‘Ali-Baba’ bag.

2015, Martin Choo, editor, The Singapore Armed Forces, 1981, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English

To the young recruit who is already carrying a civilian bag packed with his belongings and spare civilian clothing, the Ali Baba bag is a man-size load.

2015, Mickey Chiang, Fighting Fit: The Singapore Armed Forces, 1990, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English

Upon completion, you can redeem a mini Ali Baba bag! My goodness, I’ve been waiting for so many years to get rid of that bag, and now my wife and kids are trying to get a few more Ali Baba bags….

2007 May 21, laokokok, “BMT to ROD”, in Times of My Life, retrieved 2023-04-16

(Singapore military slang) A soldier's duffel bag.


Yoyo

* (female given name): From the propensity of female Chinese given names to reduplicate a syllable, resulting in a reduplicated syllable in the coining of an English given name not originating as a Chinese name.

(Hong Kong, Singapore) A female given name


orh

(Singapore, colloquial, mildly dismissive) Oh, OK; expression of understanding or acknowledgment.


jelak

Unadapted borrowing from Malay jelak (“bored”).

ubor

Wah this Mee Rebus damn jelak sia

(colloquial, Singapore, Malaysia, Singlish, Manglish) Food which makes one feel satiated, disgusted, because the taste is too overwhelming.


calefare

Originally from Hong Kong Cantonese 茄哩啡 (ke1 le1 fe1, “extra; background actor”), a loanword from English carefree.
Popularized by the 2008 comedy series of the same name.

bor

And since the producers decided to spell it as “Calefare”, we, the calefare, are sticking with it.

2008 July 30, “Are you sure this is how you spell calefare?”, in Calefare (blog), Singapore

(Singapore, slang) An extra (actor playing a minor role)


rabak

en-adj

rabak (comparative more rabak, superlative most rabak)

more rabak (comparative)
most rabak (superlative)

From Malay rabak (“ragged; in tatters”).

(Singlish, of a person or situation) Out of control; messed up


die-die

/ˈdaɪ˦ ˈdaɪ˦/

/ˈdaɪ˥ ˈdaɪ˥/

When we’ve something to say.. we will die-die find the most compelling way to say it to our intended audience.

2004 December 12, Colin Goh, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page L14

[O]nly about 100 [hawker] stalls got his highest ranking of “die, die must try”.

2006 August 13, Teo Pau Lin, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page L24

If GCT said die die Punggol 21 must go on, can HDB say no ?

2003, kilometric, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

(Singlish) No matter what, absolutely, even if one dies trying; emphasizes urgency, necessity or commitment.


kancheong

(Singlish, Manglish) Alternative form of kan cheong


kan cheong

kan cheong (comparative more kan cheong, superlative most kan cheong)

more kan cheong (comparative)
most kan cheong (superlative)

[ˌkän˧ ˈt͡ʃjɔŋ˦]

From Singaporean Hokkien 緊張／紧张 (kán-chiong, “nervous; stressed”), from Cantonese 緊張／紧张 (gan² zoeng¹).

bor

I was so ‘kancheong’ (Cantonese for worried) about his tests that I woke him up at 5:30 am to remind him not to make mistakes.

2002 August 13, Michelle Ho, quoting Diana Liaw, The Straits Times, Singapore, page L8

I wasn’t always this kan cheong about elections.

2008 November 2, Colin Goh, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 14

[…] they will just become more kan cheong and think that all the mata and SCDF kena nuked or something […]

2004, The Void Deck, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

(Singlish, Manglish) Nervous, anxious, keyed up


zi char

[ˌt͡sɯ̟˨˦ ˈt͡ʃʰa˦˨]

[ˌt͡sz̩˨˦ ˈt͡sʰa˦˨]

Borrowed from Singaporean Hokkien 煮炒 (chír-chhá, literally “cook and fry”), with Pinyin-influenced spelling.

Just three shops away, there’s another zhi char (restaurant-style coffee shop) place.

2006 December 31, Teo Pau Lin, quoting Benjamin Seck, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page L28

The places I raved about weren’t the posh, fine-dining restaurants, but the declasse zhi cha joints, preferably with seating in an alleyway next to a longkang.

2008 October 5, Colin Goh, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 13

Once synonymous with comfort, home-style food, zi char (cooked food in Hokkien) eateries are becoming the hot bed of innovative, if not haute Singaporean cuisine.

2008 November 23, Huang Lijie, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 24

(Singapore, Malaysia) Affordable homestyle or restaurant-style Chinese dishes, from stalls commonly found in hawker centres and coffee shops.


leceh

en-adj

leceh (comparative more leceh, superlative most leceh)

more leceh (comparative)
most leceh (superlative)

(colloquial, Singapore) Alternative form of leh chey


chee bye

(Singapore, colloquial, vulgar) Alternative form of cibai (“cunt”)


cheebai

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial, vulgar) Alternative form of cibai (“cunt”)


lao kui

lau kui (comparative more lao kui, superlative most lao kui)

lau kui (canonical)
more lao kui (comparative)
most lao kui (superlative)


leh chey

leh chey (comparative more leh chey, superlative most leh chey)

more leh chey (comparative)
most leh chey (superlative)

[ˈleː˧.t͡ʃeː˦]

Some of the hawkers are not very cooperative. When it comes to paying the salary, they find it ‘leceh’ (troublesome).

1978 October 4, Mohamed Shariff, The Straits Times, page 7

[A friend] was puzzled as to why the [Central Provident Fund] Board with its marvellous computerised accounting facilities couldn’t design a less lecheh (convoluted, troublesome) way of dealing with savers who already have enough to take care of rainy flat-on-their-back days.

1987 February 28, Tan Sai Siong, The Straits Times, page 21


lau kui

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

more lau kui (comparative)
most lau kui (superlative)

[ˈlaʊ˦˨ ˌkʰui˩]

Borrowed from Hokkien 落氣／落气 (làu-khùi, “to lose face”).

bor

You think you are going for a vacation izzit? No wonder our athletes thought like this and we lost miserably. So lau kui.

2004, Bukit Ho Sweerean, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

(colloquial, Singapore) Embarrassing, shameful


cai png

[ˈt͡sʰaɪ˦˨ ˌpŋ̍˨]

[…] walk right to the end of the cheerfully decked-out café and pick your dishes as you would at a cai png (economy rice) stall.

2004 October 11, Karman Tse, Today, Singapore, page 27

(colloquial, Singapore) Economy rice (rice sold with a combination of other dishes).


show colour

en-verb

show colour (third-person singular simple present shows colour, present participle showing colour, simple past showed colour, past participle shown colour)

shows colour (present singular third-person)
showing colour (participle present)
showed colour (past)
shown colour (participle past)

May be derived from show one's true colors, but referring to showing one's bad behaviour through their anger.

Do not show colour to me!

(transitive, idiomatic, Malaysia, Singapore, colloquial) To get angry, to scowl.


NSman

national serviceman
national serviceman#English

(Singapore, military) Abbreviation of national serviceman.


national serviceman

en-noun

national serviceman (plural national servicemen)


From the 11 basic information recorded on the identity card.

NSmen just have to present their SAF Identity Card (commonly known as 11B), or don their uniforms at stores displaying the "We Support NS" decal.

2019 June 29, “Fact Sheet: "We Support NS" 2019”, in Ministry of Defence

“This won’t happen to us,” I thought to myself. We have red passports and I have a 11B.

2021 May 15, “Let’s Talk About The CECA Racism & Xenophobia”, in Kopi

Currently, upon enlistment in the SAF for national service, NSFs are required to exchange their civilian IC for a military IC, also known as the 11B.

2022 May 9, “NSFs, regulars no longer need to surrender civilian ICs when enlisting”, in Straits Times

(Singapore military slang) A national serviceman's identity card, as opposed to the civilian identity card.


socmed

Pacquiao, who is currently in the United States for his upcoming fight with welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., said he is determined to hold the socmed trolls accountable for spreading lies about him hoping that this would empower more Filipinos to rise up against the irresponsible and reckless use of the social media.

2021 August 4, Javier Joe Ismael, “Pacquiao asks PNP to probe socmed trolls”, in The Manila Times, archived from the original on 2021-08-07

Hanis, 27, made a statement on her socmed account which implied that Indian music maestro AR Rahman's concert at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil "must be smelly".

2023 February 9, Jugjet Singh, “Hanis to lose her perks for racial slur”, in The Straits Times, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-02-12

As of yesterday, one can already read socmed posts on taking hours to traverse short stretches of highways north and south.

2023 April 11, Nigel Paul Villarete, “Cebu's worsening traffic congestion”, in The Philippine Star, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-07-17

(Philippines, Singapore) Abbreviation of social media.


thosai

Borrowed from Tamil தோசை (tōcai). Doublet of dosa.

Thosai is usually eaten with coconut chutney and sambar.

2006, Naleeza Ebrahim, Yaw Yan Yee, Singapore, Marshall Cavendish, page 132

“Uncle Raju,” he said, as he climbed up on my knees. “You will make me thosai? Mum says you make the best thosai in all Malaysia.” We all laughed. “Uncle Raju gets a break from cooking today,” said Mr Murugan. “Mum is cooking instead."

2013 November 1, Marc de Faoite, TROPICAL MADNESS, Buku Fixi (Fixi Novo)

Keep an eye on the heat and make sure the thosai doesn't burn on the bottom.

2017 May 4, Prakash K Sivanathan, Niranjala M Ellawala, Sri Lanka: The Cookbook, Frances Lincoln

(Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore) Dosa; a crepe made from fermented lentils and rice originating from South Indian cuisine


leng zai

Borrowed from Cantonese 靚仔／靓仔 (leng³ zai², “handsome”).

bor+

Even hardened gangsters teasingly addressed him as leng zai or 'pretty boy' and told him to marry their daughters so they would have grandchildren as cute as he was.

2019 June 27, Ovidia Yu, The Paper Bark Tree Mystery, Constable

'So, you got talk to the leng zai or not?' 'I talked to all of them. They're all —' But Auntie Fong had only one of them on her mind. 'So that leng zai, you think he's chup or not?' 'Which one ah?' 'The tall one lah! Sound like ang moh.'

2022 September 1, Julianne Cheah, The Death of Sally Song, Monsoon Books

(Malaysia, Singapore) good-looking man, pretty boy


leng zai

en-adj

leng zai (comparative more leng zai, superlative most leng zai)

more leng zai (comparative)
most leng zai (superlative)

And whenever he visited he'd bring food from the kopitiam next door, and Mrs Wong would laugh and say aiyoh, leng zai, so sweet.[…]He could see her mother's mouth widen with laughter as she called him leng zai, could just about picture the colour on her painted nails as she passed around the lo mai gai he'd bought for the other aunties to eat.

2021, Daryl Qilin Yam, Lovelier, Lonelier, Epigram Books

S2: then i plan lah maybe thirty minutes later lah i will go then the invigilator is too too leng zai {cantonese: handsome} ah i don't dare to ask you know

2022 January 19, Ian Walkinshaw, Pragmatics in English as a Lingua Franca: Findings and Developments, Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

(Malaysia, Singapore) handsome; good-looking (of a man)


spoil market

spoil the market
spoil the market#English

(Singapore, colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of spoil the market


spoil the market

en-verb

spoil the market (third-person singular simple present spoils the market, present participle spoiling the market, simple past and past participle spoiled the market)

spoils the market (present singular third-person)
spoiling the market (participle present)
spoiled the market (participle past)
spoiled the market (past)

Instead of working with each other, they bicker and say things like, if you do that, you’ll spoil the market.

2006 September 22, Lydia Lim, Keith Lin, Ken Kwek, quoting Alvin Tan, The Straits Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited

(Singapore, informal, idiomatic) To set higher standards by overachieving, so others look inferior or unmotivated in comparison.


gone case

gone case – something that cannot be saved (eg. he’s a gone case).

1991 August 9, Valerie Tan, w:The Straits Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, →OCLC, section 3, page 19

That ex-lecturer-to-be confirm gone case liao.

2006, DanielS, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

don't worry, it is already a gone case, and nothing u can do about it but just watch.

2006, Kantian [pseudonym], soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

(Singapore, India, idiomatic) Someone or something that is deemed irredeemable, hopeless and beyond help; a doomed person or thing.


cheeminology

(Singlish) Alternative form of chiminology


chiminology

From cheem + -ology, the former from either Hokkien 深 (chhim, “deep”) or Teochew 深 (cim¹, “deep”). Patterned after words like criminology and terminology.

You've been talking chiminology on about fuck knows what for, God knows how long.

2001, Elangovan, Buang Suay and Other Plays, page 91

So you can have chiminology, it means you're trying to be very erudite and talk in a very academic way...

2012 March 3, The cultural backdrop of English (radio), spoken by Sandra McKay, via ABC Radio National

(Singlish, rare) Speech or writing marked by overly complex vocabulary.


karang guni

en-noun

karang guni (plural karang guni or karang gunis)

karang guni (plural)
karang gunis (plural)

(Singapore) Alternative form of karung guni


karung guni

karung guni (plural karung guni or karung gunis)

karung guni (plural)
karung gunis (plural)

/ˈkɑːɹəŋ ˌɡuːni/

From Malay karung guni (“gunny sack”); guni is derived from Sanskrit गोणी (goṇī). Doublet of gunny.

[…] Madam Wong Ah Hua, 76, said the karung guni man stopped making his rounds in her estate a few months ago.

1994 January 12, Jennifer Tan, w:The New Paper, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 6

The karung guni uncle below my block has been asked to move … By the very people he was making life easy for.

2004 November 8, Andrew Wood, Today, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, →OCLC, page 16

karung guni，報紙，舊衫褲，歹le-lio，電視機 [Hokkien, trad.]
karung guni，报纸，旧衫裤，歹le-lio，电视机 [Hokkien, simp.]

karung guni, newspapers, old clothes, broken radios, TV sets

karung guni, pò-chóa, kū saⁿ-khò͘, pháiⁿ le-lio, tiān-sī-ki [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

(Singapore, Malaysia, metonymically or attributively) A traditional scrap dealer or rag-and-bone man who visits residential zones to collect unwanted items.


mama shop

/ˈmɑːmə ʃɒp/

[…] Mr S Gunashekaran, […] took over the running of the “mama shop” which was owned by his father at a void deck in Yishun Ring Road.

2011 August 31, Carolyn Quek, Today, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, →OCLC, page 24

(Singapore) A small owner-operated corner shop sometimes found in void decks under high-rise apartment blocks.


cannot make it

A noble effort but somehow the only words that came to mind were “cannot make it, lah”.

2006 July 20, Zul Othman, Today, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, page 37

[…] “it never ended preliminarily at ‘he cannot make it’, […] it was always ‘let's do this or that to help him’.”

2023, Dan Goodley, Kuansong Victor Zhuang, Meng Ee Wong, Not Without Us: Perspectives on Disability and Inclusion in Singapore

(Singapore, colloquial, stative, idiomatic) Cannot reach satisfactory or expected standards or do something competently; describes someone in a hopeless situation.


oreddy

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

Pronunciation spelling of already, representing Singapore English.


Gurkhali

(Singapore) Alternative form of Gorkhali


rmb

(Hong Kong, Singapore, chiefly text messaging or Internet slang) Pseudo-acronym of remember.


kaopeh

From Hokkien 哭爸 (khàu-pē, “to cry as if one has lost their father”).


yan dao

Borrowed from Hokkien 緣投／缘投 (iân-tâu, “handsome”); spelling influenced by Mandarin's Hanyu Pinyin romanization. Compare Tagalog yantaw.

bor+

(Singapore, informal) handsome; pretty boy


bo chup

en-adj

bo chup (comparative more bo chup, superlative most bo chup)

more bo chup (comparative)
most bo chup (superlative)

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰap̚³²/

From Hokkien 無插／无插 (bô-chhap, “indifferent; to not care about”).

zh-l

1991, Tan Ooi Boon, The Straits Times, 15 April
p. 17 I guess many people will just act bo chap (don’t care). Nobody wants to confront a criminal and get into trouble.

1994, C.S. Chong, NS: An Air-Level Story
p. 127 People simply bo chap their looks in what was, after all, an all-male working domain.
p. 135 bo chap. Simply don’t care.

2000, Leong Liew Geok, “Forever Singlish” in Women without Men
p. 130 No class Singlish here to stay, / No big shot can have his way / With how people talk, what people say. / Rules are rules: our bo chap mouth refuse / To listen, follow or to choose!

2000, Clarissa Oon (quoting Jeffrey Tan), The Straits Times (Life!), 23 September
p. 5 When you ask for feedback, there is a certain bo-chap-ness (apathy).

2000, Jessica Tan, The Straits Times (Life!), 29 December
p. 8 Desperately in need of a makeover, these two not-so-gorgeous but talented damsels definitely bag the most bochap (can’t be bothered, in Hokkien) look prize.

2003, The Straits Times, 17 October
H6 [A] recent Gallup poll.. found that many workers here have a bo chap (don’t care) attitude towards work.

2004 Dharmendra Yadav (quoting Goh Chok Tong), Today, 19 May
p. 3 In March, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong reflected about the ‘bo-chap’ (can’t be bothered) attitude of young Singaporeans.

2005 Sue-Ann Chia, The Straits Times, 11 March
H9 Companies that are “boh chap” about safety face stiffer penalties.

2006 Elgin Teo (quoting He Shuwei), The Sunday Times, 30 July
p. 10–11 ‘Bochap’? Not us, say teens [title].. [A]re Singaporean youths really so “bochap” (indifferent in Hokkien)? .. “We are not ‘bochap’. We are aware of issues concerning Singapore’s progress; it’s just that there’s nothing we can actually do at this stage,” opines Shuwei.

(Singapore, informal) indifferent; not caring about something; unbothered.


buay tahan

From Hokkien 袂／𫧃 (bōe, “cannot”) + Malay tahan (“endure, withstand, bear”); rendered in Hokkien as 袂打限 (bōe tá-hān). The equivalent expression in Malay is tak boleh tahan.

Cannot wait already, buay tahan already. I hope she doesn’t complain to anyone.

(Singlish, Manglish, generally intransitive, of someone) Cannot endure or stand something any longer.


KNN

Abbreviation of kan ni na, from Hokkien 姦恁娘／奸恁娘 (kàn-lín-niâ / kàn-ní-nâ).

bor

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial, vulgar) Abbreviation of kan ni na.


KNNB

Abbreviation of kan ni na bu, from Hokkien 姦恁娘母／奸恁娘母 (kàn-lín-niâ-bú / kàn-ní-nâ-bú).

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial, vulgar) Abbreviation of kan ni na bu.


kan ni na

From Hokkien 姦恁娘／奸恁娘 (kàn-lín-niâ / kàn-ní-nâ).

(Singapore, Malaysia, colloquial, vulgar) fuck your mother; fuck.


kan ni na bu

From Hokkien 姦恁娘母／奸恁娘母 (kàn-lín-niâ-bú / kàn-ní-nâ-bú). The variant kan ni na beh likely results from a shortening of the last two syllables in 姦恁娘母的／奸恁娘母的 (kàn-lín-niâ-bú-ê, “fuck your mother's”) from bú-ê to be̍h.


FPDA

Five Power Defence Arrangements
Five Power Defence Arrangements#English

(British, UK, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, politics, military) Initialism of Five Power Defence Arrangements (“British-backed multilateral joint armed force between British commonwealth countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania”).


Five Power Defence Arrangements

en-proper noun

the Five Power Defence Arrangements pl (plural only)

the Five Power Defence Arrangements (canonical plural)

(British, UK, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, politics, military) the British-backed multilateral joint armed force between the British commonwealth countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania (mainly Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom).


where got

[ˈwɛː˦ ɡɔt˨]

[ˈwɛː˦ ˈɡɔt˦˧]

Compare Hokkien 佗落有 (tó-lo̍h ū, “how is it […] ?”, literally “where is there”). 有 (“have; there is”) is rendered as got in Singlish.
Also compare Malay mana ada and dialectal Mandarin 哪裡有／哪里有 (nǎlǐ yǒu).

calque

— Let’s not do this one. Looks damn scary.
— This ride where got scary one? ― I don’t see how this ride is supposed to be scary.

Used to challenge the validity of an assertion.


Hailokhong

en-proper noun

Hailokhong (countable and uncountable, plural Hailokhongs)

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) Alternative form of Hai Lok Hong


Hai Lok Hong

Hai Lok Hong (countable and uncountable, plural Hai Lok Hongs)

Possibly either Hailufeng Min 海陸豐／海陆丰 or Teochew 海陸豐／海陆丰. Compare Indonesian Hailokhong, Dutch Hailokhong. Doublet of Hailufeng.

bor

Teochew 海陸豐／海陆丰

[…]Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Chaouzhou, and Hainanese, are the most widely recognized. The Min dialect of Hailokhong (Mandarin Hailufeng) is closest to the Zhangzhou subgroup in vowel reflexes but in initial nasals is close to Chaozhou, a conservative feature. Hailokhong is noteworthy for being the only current SM dialect preserving a distinction between e and ei as in be³ 'horse' 馬 and bei³ 'buy' 買. (More information on Hailokhong is given in Bodman 1982b pp.620-21. The Min dialect must be distinguished from the Hakka dialect of Hailu[…]

1985, Veneeta Acson, Richard L. Leed, editors, Oceanic Linguistics Special Publication, Issue 20: For Gordon H. Fairbanks, University of Hawaii Press

[…]and the Hinhua did not seem to have leaders of such calibre. The situation in Sumatra was probably more telling. There were few Hokchia moneylenders in the east coast of Sumatra as the occupation was dominated not by the Chinese but by the Chettiar. But Chinese plantation workers of the Hailokhong dialect group (administratively classified under the Teochew) and other dialect groups intermarried with Indonesians.144 Though less conspicuous, intermarriage also took place between totok petty traders and Indonesian[…]

1998, Peck Yang Twang, The Chinese Business Élite in Indonesia and the Transition to Independence, 1940-1950, Oxford University Press

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) Haklau Min (a linguistic variety of Southern Min under Min Chinese of the Sinitic family)

[…]Hai-Lok-Hong sinkhehs ( a composite term for the Hai Hong and Lok Hong districts in Kwangtung province ) to pay back twice the amount of their real debt.2 The Labour Code of 1895 limited verbal contracts to thirty days and laid down[…]

1968, Emily Sadka, The Protected Malay States, 1874-1895, Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press

[…] For instance, the Kelang Lama area (Fig. 3) was initially inhabited by Hakkas growing tapioca; the Teochius particularly from the Teoh Yeoh District (潮陽縣), 300 to 400 strong, occupied Keladi, and the Hailokhong (海陸豐) were located in the Belakang Tebok, both practising mixed-farming and pig-rearing. In the case of the contracted labourers, although the working conditions had been improved under British rule, abuses and harsh exploitations on the part of the[…]

1973, 南洋大學學報, volumes 7-9, Singapore: 新加坡南洋大學 [Singapore Nanyang University]

[…]the Chinese community in Medan. He had left a wife behind in China and married a peranakan girl from Penang. After the death of this second wife, he married another peranakan girl whose father was a Hai Lok Hong, descendants of Southern Chinese fighters and pirates. This girl who was to be Queeny's mother had a rebellious character, but proved to be a good choice to help him to entertain his distinguished guests which included the Sultan of Deli and the high officials from the Dutch community.[…]

1983, Archipel, volumes 25-26, SECMI - Société pour l'étude et la connaissance du monde insulindien, Association Archipel, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France), Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales, École des hautes études en sciences sociales

A Hailokhong is boisterous, hot-tempered and flares up easily; Keh and Macao calmer and more forbearing although more inclined to kill anyone they hate, or to make plans for doing so. The Hailokhong is usually considered to be the best cultivator, is stronger and better able to do heavy work than the other clans who, on the other hand, are more careful and […]

1989, Jan Breman, Taming the Coolie Beast: Plantation Society and the Colonial Order in Southeast Asia, Oxford University Press

[…] Pangkalan Brandan was the most difficult and the least enviable. The Chinese in that region were mostly Hai Lok Hongs, descendants of Southern Chinese fighters and pirates, unruly and fearless; but grandfather Lim, himself a Hai Lok Hong, had them well under control.

2016 May 15, Queeny Chang, Memories of a Nonya, Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) a person who traces his/her ancestry to Hailufeng or the surrounding area


Hai Lok Hong

Teochew 海陸豐／海陆丰

[…]Wong Ying (Captain Macao), Hin Sam (Captain Kheh), Lam Sam (Kheh), Lam Be (Hai-lok-hong). The Gi-Hin Kongsi has existed in the town of Klang from the year Jini Ngo, corresponding to the English year 1862, when Hin Sui was Captain. The Gi-Hin Kongsi house was at Ampang. The men who established the[…]

1955, Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, page 134

[…]principalities, eighty-eight Britons, forty Swiss, twelve Frenchmen, eleven Austrians, and twenty-four men from seven other nationalities. Clerks and overseers included Overseas Chinese, Euro-Chinese, and Sinjos (of mixed origin). The workers included Chinese who were Hailokhong, Keh, or from Macao; Indians who were Klings and Bengalese; Siamese, Tamils, and Malays from the multiethnic Straits Settlements; Bataks from Sumatra and Malayan Gajoes, Alas, and Mandailingers; Beweanese and Bandjeranasin from other islands-in addition to local peoples. Colonial societies were multicultural and hierarchical.

2002 November 21, Dirk Hoerder, Cultures in Contact: World Migrations in the Second Millennium, Duke University Press, page 437

(Southeast Asia, chiefly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) of or relating to the linguistic variety under Southern Min under Min Chinese of the Sinitic family and its speakers or people of heritage from Hailufeng


OTOT

own time, own target
own time, own target#English

(Singapore, slang) Initialism of own time, own target: at one's own pace.


own time, own target

[ˌoːn˦ ˈtaɪm˦ ˌoːn˦ ˈtɑː˧.ɡet˦]

Own time, own target. Army use: To perform a task at one’s own leisure or by using one’s discretion. Civilian use: Ditto. Example: This assignment doesn’t have an urgent deadline, so own time, own target.

2005 June 19, Hong Xinyi, The Sunday Times, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited

[…] it’s at your own time and own target. And you can have fun with your friends.

2023 December 12, Christine Tan, quoting Tedrick Tay, “Festival showcases card and digital games on social issues, including mental health”, in The Straits Times, Singapore

(Singapore, slang) Without hurry or urgency, at one's own pace.


geh kiang

en-adj

geh kiang (comparative more geh kiang, superlative most geh kiang)

more geh kiang (comparative)
most geh kiang (superlative)

From Singaporean Hokkien 假勥 (ké-khiàng, literally “fake cleverness”).

[O]ne never knows how such unsolicited advice might be taken. The owner might just ask me not to be too ‘keh khiang’ (clever by half) and to mind my own business, just as he was so successfully minding his.

2005 December 10, Philip Lee, The New Paper, quoted in Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited

(Singapore, Singlish) Overconfident and pretending to be clever.


geh kiang

[…] Who ask you? Geh kiang lah. Think you so smart, […]

2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, Act I, scene ii

(Singapore, Singlish) To act overly clever and end up making reckless or unwise decisions without careful consideration.


chee cheong fun

[ˈt͡ʃʰiː˦ ˈt͡ʃʰjɔŋ˨˩ ˈfan˨˦]

[- ˈt͡ʃʰɔŋ˨˩ -]

Borrowed from Cantonese 豬腸粉／猪肠粉 (zyu1 coeng4 fan2).

The air was filled with the “tock tock” of the mee seller and the distinctive cries of hawkers selling meatball soup, wanton mee, mee hoon, chee cheong fun, char kway teow, yong tau fu, rice porridge, herbal teas, red bean soup, pau and dim sum, and so on in endless variety.

2002, P. Lim Pui Huen, Wong Ah Fook: Immigrant, Builder, and Entrepreneur, Singapore: Times Editions, page 57

(Malaysia, Singapore) A variant of cheong fun where the noodle is tightly rolled, plain and without filling.


LCZ

(Singapore) Initialism of liquor control zone.


LKY

It flourished in a world order that is decomposing. (LKY's all-too-prescient speech to Congress urged America to uphold free trade).

2024 May 18, Janan Ganesh, “What can and can't be learnt from Singapore”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 20

(Singapore, politics) Initialism of Lee Kuan Yew, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore.


Four Floors of Whores

Chosen for the rhyme between floor and whore. So called because a brothel before 2023 was situated on the first four floors of the Orchard Towers.

Built in 1975, the 18-storey office building is notorious for its assortment of girlie bars, massage parlours and seedy nightlife that occupy four storeys, earning it the nickname “Four Floors of Whores”.

2018 July 1, P. Silvam, “Sex, spas, sleaze: what Orchard Road of Singapore hides in plain sight”, in South China Morning Post

Orchard Towers, sometimes known as the "Four Floors Of Whores", belongs to what many would dub the seedier side of town.

2019 July 13, Andrew Koay, Tanya Ong, “I went clubbing at Orchard Towers. I felt slightly out of place, but then again, not really.”, in Mothership (website)

2023 July 4, Marielle Descalsota, “Nightclub doors at Singapore's ‘4 Floors of Whores’ are closing for good in less than 30 days.”, in Business Insider:

(Singapore, slang) The Orchard Towers, which was known for its rampant prostitution.


ACRA

w:Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority

(Singapore, business) Abbreviation of Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.


STAR

w:Special Tactics and Rescue (Singapore)

(Singapore, law enforcement) Acronym of Special Tactics and Rescue (Singapore).


MPAJA

Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army
w:Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army

(Malaysia, Singapore, historical) Initialism of Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army.


Tekong

(Singapore, colloquial, slang) Synonym of Pulau Tekong


MNLA

Malayan National Liberation Army
w:Malayan National Liberation Army

(Malaysia, Singapore, historical) Initialism of Malayan National Liberation Army.


siong

siong (comparative more siong, superlative most siong)

more siong (comparative)
most siong (superlative)

Oh well, it was xiong, but overall OK, lah.

1994, C. S. Chong, NS: An Air-Level Story, Singapore: Times Books International, page 58

(Singapore, Singlish) Very tough, challenging.


NCMP

non-constituency Member of Parliament
w:Non-constituency Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament

(Singapore) Abbreviation of non-constituency Member of Parliament, a Member of Parliament who performed as one of the best losers following a general election


NMP

nominated Member of Parliament
w:Nominated Member of Parliament

(Singapore) Abbreviation of nominated Member of Parliament, a non-partisan Member of Parliament who is nominated by the President of Singapore