lol

Are you really that bad lol?

(Internet slang, text messaging) Neutralises the tone of a message; denotes that a message is light-hearted or casual.


um

He um Growling Bear. He um heap big chief.

“me heap brave—me talk to um white man so[…] me good injun, like um white man, mebbe so, ugh!”

1871, “Grand camp meeting on Bear River”, in The Keepapitchinin, volume III, page 3:

(dated, sometimes humorous, often offensive) An undifferentiated determiner or article; a miscellaneous linking word, or filler with nonspecific meaning; representation of broken English stereotypically or comically attributed to Native Americans.


yeah

Colloquial form of yea or yes. Compare nah.

—You wanna get pizza for dinner? —Yeah, all right.

—You wanna get pizza for dinner? —Yeah, I think I'm gonna have leftovers instead.

(colloquial) Used to express acknowledgment of what was previously said.

I was walking down the road, yeah, and you know what I saw, yeah? A dog wearing a dress!

(colloquial) Used to ascertain the continued attention of the listener.


know

Make sure you water the plants, know…

(Singlish) Used at the end of a sentence to draw attention to information the speaker thinks the listener should keep in mind.

(Singlish) Used at the end a declarative sentence to emphasize it.


fuck

Flen flyys
Slate.com
University of Minnesota Press
fuck

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ-
Proto-Germanic *fukkōną
Old English *fuccian
Middle English *fukken
English fuck
From Middle English *fukken, probably of Germanic origin: either from Old English *fuccian or Old Norse *fukka, both from Proto-Germanic *fukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“to strike, punch, stab”). Compare windfucker and its debated etymology.
Possibly attested in a 772 C.E. charter that mentions a place called Fuccerham, which may mean "ham (“home”) of the fucker" or "hamm (“pasture”) of the fucker"; a John le Fucker in a record from 1278 may just be a variant of Fulcher; compare Fucher, Foker, etc. The earliest unambiguous use of the word in a clearly sexual context, in any stage of English, appears to be in court documents from Cheshire, England, which mention a man called Roger Fuckebythenavele (possibly tongue-in-cheek or directly suggestive of a depraved sexual act) on 8 December 1310. It was first listed in a dictionary in 1598. Scots fuk or fuck is attested slightly earlier, probably reinforcing the Northern Germanic/Scandinavian origin theory. From 1500 onward, the word has been in continual use, superseding jape and sard and largely displacing swive. See windfucker and fuckwind for more information.
A range of folk-etymological backronyms, such as "fornication under consent of the king" and "for unlawful carnal knowledge", are all demonstrably false.
Sense 10, from related sense feck.

der

People complainin' "Monday again"... course it's Monday; fuck you thought came after Sunday? Sunday Jr.?
What the fuck did you think came after Sunday?

Of course it's the mailman. Fuck you thought it was?
Who the fuck did you think it was?

(vulgar, slang, especially African-American Vernacular) Used as a shortened form of various common interrogative phrases.

take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut

the fucking you get isn't worth the fucking you get


o

I lift my soule to thee o Lord
mee, o Iehovah, heare
In thee, o Lord, I put my trust

2007, The Bay Psalm Book, Cosimo Classics, published 1640, p.37, 41 & 46:

(nonstandard) alternative form of O (vocative particle)


one

Analogous to several senses of Hokkien ê and Mandarin 的 (de, declarative particle, nominalizer, etc.). This semantic loan might have stemmed from the apparent similarity between one as a prop-word and 的/-ê as a nominalizer (e.g. 青色的 (“the green one”)). Compare Cantonese 嘅 (ge³).

sl

see for numerical forms in other scripts

Got almonds one. ― There are almonds in it.

How come so heavy one ah? ― Why is it so heavy?

Can easily get lost one, know? ― You can easily get lost here/there.

'My boyfriends very possessive one. They don't allow me to wear clothes I want, do things I want,' she laments.

2000 February 14, Patricia Mok, The Straits Times (Life! section), Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings, →OCLC, page 5:

Why so special one?

2004, Ethical Egoist, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

Used at the end of a sentence to highlight the characteristics of someone or something.

My friend send one. ― It was sent by my friend.

Who say one? ― Who said so?

He ask one, not I ask one. ― It wasn’t me who asked, it was him.

ooooooooooar! you own self admit one har! i never say one har!

2011, Singrish King, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

Used at the end of a sentence to highlight the originator of something.

The sell fruits one go home already. ― The fruit seller went home.

A nominalizer used to form a noun phrase without a head noun.


for

From Middle English for, from Old English for (“for, because of”), from Proto-Germanic *furi (“for”), from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-.
Cognate with West Frisian foar (“for”), Dutch voor (“for”), German für (“for”), Danish for (“for”), Swedish för (“for”), Norwegian for (“for”), Icelandic fyrir (“for”), Latin per (“by, through, for, by means of”) and Romance language successors (e.g. Spanish para (“for”)), Ancient Greek περί (perí, “for, about, toward”), Lithuanian per (“by, through, during”), Sanskrit परि (pári, “over, around”).

cog

“'Ugh—I'll not be able for get up. Send for M'sieu le Curé—I'll be goin' for die for sure.'

[It was a] firs rate place for shoot a woodcocks, I tell you. [...] I say [it] wass no use for spen money. [...] An I say in "So wass I. I see lot of sy-pokes fly up an twist off like screw-cork an spit whistle, but I wass'nt able for get aim on him."

1898 December 17, “Mr. Owens' Experience”, in Forest and Stream, volume 51, page 485:

"She say that when nigger people step out o' they place and start for rub shoulders with Bacra, trouble just 'round the corner."

2007, H. Nigel Thomas, Return to Arcadia: A Novel (Tsar Publications)

(nonstandard, in representations of dialectal speech, especially that of black speakers) To, the particle for marking the following verb as an infinitive.


yes

From Middle English yes, from Old English ġīese (“by all means, of course, yes”), derived from the same root as yea.

ааи

word used to indicate agreement or acceptance

အေး

among equals or to people of lower status

(not used, affirmative form of the verb is used instead)

seadh

much more limited than English usage; used as general acknowledgement of an utterance

có (in response to a question containing có)

phải

in response to a question containing (có) phải

được (in response to a question containing được không)

rồi (in response to a question containing chưa)

Yes, you are correct.

Yes, you may go play outside now.

Yes, sir, we have your package right here.

Hi, Jonathan. Are you busy? — Yes, I’m busy.
Audio (US): (file)

2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

It was not my fault we lost the race.
Oh, yes, it was!

Used to indicate disagreement or dissent in reply to a negative statement.

بَلَى

word used to indicate disagreement or dissent in reply to a negative statement

có chứ (in response to a statement containing không có)

được chứ (in response to a statement containing không được)

Do you like cake, or pie?
Yes.

(humorous) Answer to a question presuming one answer when all answers are correct.


ass

Variant of arse; used chiefly in North America. Ultimately from Middle English ars, ers, from Old English ærs, ears, from Proto-West Germanic *ars, from Proto-Germanic *arsaz (compare Old High German ars (German Arsch), Old Norse ars, Old Frisian ers), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃érsos (compare Ancient Greek ὄρρος (órrhos)).
Etymological notes
Contrary to the widespread belief of this being a euphemism, it arose as a pronunciation spelling (of the older form arse still used in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) that shows the assimilation of /ɹ/ before coronal consonants (especially /s/), a phenomenon that has been present in nonstandard speech from the Middle English period onwards; this is distinct from the later phenomenon of non-rhoticity as /ɹ/ was lost before it could modify the preceding vowel. Other instances of this phenomenon (some of which retained both spellings with different meanings) include cuss from curse, gash from garsh, bass (“fish”) from barse, bust from burst, passel from parcel; see :Category:English terms with assimilation of historic /ɹ/ for a more extensive list.

That was one big ass fish!

That's an expensive ass car!

Synonym of -ass (used to intensify an adjective)


to

From Middle English to, from Old English tō, from Proto-Germanic *tō ~ *ta, from Proto-Indo-European *de ~ *do (“to”). Cognate with Scots tae, to (“to”), North Frisian to, tö, tu (“to”), Saterland Frisian tou (“to”), Low German to (“to”), Dutch toe, te (“to”), German zu (“to”), West Frisian ta (“to”). Non-Germanic cognates include Albanian ndaj (“towards”), Irish do (“to, for”), Breton da (“to, for”), Welsh i (“to, for”), Russian до (do, “to”). Doublet of too.

I want to leave.

He asked me what to do.

I have places to go and people to see.

To err is human.

Who am I to criticise? I've done worse things myself.

To err, is human; to forgive, divine.

1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC:

To be, or not to be: that is the question: / […]

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

Odds are, BP to get new CEO this year

2010 July, “Archived copy”, in Associated Press, archived from the original on 2010-07-05, headline:

To that end, the home supporters were in good voice to begin with, but it was Newcastle who started the game in the ascendancy, with Barton putting a diving header over the top from Jose Enrique's cross.

2011 April 10, Alistair Magowan, “Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:

A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive.

the first infinitive of all verbs ends with -a or -ä

"Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to, but it was closed."

If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to.

You are to go to the store and buy a bottle of milk.

Used to indicate an obligation on the part of, or a directive given to, the subject.

I went to the shops to buy some bread.

-akse- (translative of first infinitive with possessive suffix)


to

I am to so bored right now.

(mild intensifier, colloquial, chiefly North India) a filler word common amongst urban Indians.


what

wot (all only in British, Australian, New Zealand, New York City accents with the wine–whine merger)

From Middle English what, from Old English hwæt (“what”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwat, from Proto-Germanic *hwat (“what”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷód (“what”), neuter form of *kʷós (“who”). Cognate with Scots whit (“what”), North Frisian wat (“what”), Saterland Frisian wat (“what”), West Frisian wat (“what”), Dutch wat (“what”), Low German wat (“what”), German was (“what”), Danish hvad (“what”), Norwegian Bokmål hva (“what”), Swedish vad (“what”), Norwegian Nynorsk kva (“what”), Icelandic hvað (“what”), Latin quod (“what, which”).

— Sian sia, nearby here don’t have library.
— The National Library is a five-minute walk from here what, no meh?

Most things come from Europe what.

1978, L. C. Cheong, Youth in the Army, page 142:

[…] they can't be the same what?

2007, yansimon52, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

boon: […] You want to go see snow or not, Ma?
mother: See for what? I open freezer can see already what.
boon: Not the same, lah… Imagine snowflakes drifting down, melting when they touch your skin. […]

2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii, page 21:

(Manglish, Singlish) Emphasizes the truth of an assertion made to contradict an evidently false assumption held by the listener.

it doesn't matter what they say about you as long as they spell your name right

never put off until tomorrow what you can do today

the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing

throw things at the wall and see what sticks

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger

what does that have to do with the price of corn

what does that have to do with the price of fish

what does that have to do with the price of tea in China

what happens on the road stays on the road

what you gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts

what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

who are you and what have you done with someone

you never know what you've got till it's gone


ah

[äː˨˦ ~ ʌ̈ː˨˦]

From Hokkien 啊 (--a), Teochew 啊 (a⁷), Mandarin 啊 (a).

You’re dyslexic ah? ― So you’re dyslexic?

Only 2 ft apart considered safe ah?

2020 December 4, Notdumb, “Liddat is safe distance ah?”, in SG Talk, archived from the original on 2020-04-18:

Marks a tag question prompting the listener to clarify something.

See how lor. Who’s going ar?

2011 October 23, Rachel Chang, “LifeStyle”, in The Sunday Times, page 15:

Used for emphasis; reinforces a short wh-question.

Don't drink and drive ah...

Sure, ah? Thanks, man, pai seh.

2010 April 18, Colin Goh, “LifeStyle”, in The Sunday Times, page 24:

Emphasizes the need for absolute confirmation or acknowledgment.

The drilling upstairs ah, non-stop leh.

A filler word separating the topic of a sentence and its comment.

A filler word used to ascertain the continued attention of the listener.

Susie ah, Emily here ah. This afternoon I'm going to town, anything that you're needing?

1983, Stella Kon, Emily of Emerald Hill, →ISBN, Act 1, page 3:

A vocative particle, used for direct address, by Chinese elders.


tu

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

Pronunciation spelling of to, representing African-American Vernacular English.


ar

(UK, West Country, West Midlands) Alternative form of arr


ar

(Manglish, Singlish) Alternative form of ah (question particle)


la

From Cantonese 啦 (laa¹). Doublet of lah.

Sleep la! ― [You should] go to bed.

Eat shit la you! ― You're going to hell! (calque of 食屎啦你！)

Placed at the end of a sentence in imperatives making it sound more like a request than an order.

ok la ― not bad; good enough


la

(Singlish, Manglish) Alternative form of lah


question mark

All real discovery comes from the ?, the basic curiosity and acceptance of, “Well, we think subatomic particles might exist, at least they have a tendency to exist, but we really don’t know for sure, you know, question mark?”

1983, Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy, volumes 19–20, Albany, New York: American Academy of Psychotherapists, page 12:

So I see one movement towards a new kind of society, a new kind of mobility. So am I right, question mark?

2014 October 8, Mirosław Grochowski, “Supporting mobility: Development of bikepaths in Warsaw Metropolitan Area”, in Proceedings: METREX Brussels Autumn Conference, Brussels, page 85:

And is it like open? Can like anybody join, question mark?

2022 November 11, Amal Hussein, “A very !important lesson” (13:00 from the start), in JS Party, episode 251, spoken by Amal Hussein, Changelog, retrieved 2024-09-21:

(colloquial) Final interrogative particle, expressing second-guessing, usually in an exaggerated, rising tone.


lah

From Malay lah, Cantonese 啦 (laa1) and Hokkien 啦 (--la). Doublet of la.

Don’t do it lah, it’s not worth it. ― Disapproval

Hurry up, lah! ― Impatience

Don’t know lah […] this is very hard to say.

1978, Leong Choon Cheong, Youth in the Army, Singapore: Federal Publications, →OCLC, page 75:

Please lah, you want to save me, save me the headache.

2020, Stephanie Street, Dragonflies, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Act 2, scene 2, page 110:

Placed at the end of a sentence to accentuate the mood or attitude of the speaker.

You won’t drown one lah. The water is very shallow.

Don’t worry lah. We’ll meet the deadline.

1999, Alfian Sa'at, Corridor, Singapore: SNP Editions, →OCLC, page 15:

Placed at the end of a sentence to convey reassurance or solidarity.

Go and ask if they can help you lah!

They’re not wrong lah...

Just write it down lah, so you don’t forget.

Mud you can clean up. Cobwebs you can sweep away. Stains, use bleach lah! But how to erase the history of your own life?

2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Act I, scene v, page 30:

Nadirah: You never told me Sally was leaving. I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye.
Sahirah: You visit her lah when you go to KL.

2009, Alfian Sa'at, “Nadirah”, in Collected Plays Three, Singapore, →ISBN, Scene ii, page 57:

Asserts that something is clear, obvious or straightforward.

So in the end it wasn’t my fault lah!

Do it yourself lah! Always need me to help is it?

Used to express realisation, impatience or vexation.

I remember my friends telling me, 'People already say you're an artist, then be one lah.'

2013 June 18, Huang Lijie, quoting Samantha Lo, “Sticking to budding artist label”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, LIFE! Arts, page 2:

Used to tone down an imperative sentence, so that it sounds more like a request or suggestion.

These shoes are too small lah.

No need to count lah. I’m sure the number is right.

its an honest mistake lah.

2005, Kantian, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

Used after an assertive statement to reinforce its authoritativeness, or to show that the speaker is confident with what they are saying.

No lah, they must look at it this way... even though the founder (Colonel Harland Sanders) of KFC has died, his recipe lives on.

2012 March 25, Maureen Koh, quoting Ha Wai Kay, “Her luck is in the duck”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, PEOPLE, pages 6–7:

He said that in the past, […] a teacher might admonish a noisy class and say: “4N(T), keep quiet!” Immediately, all the N(T) students felt that they were singled out. Today, the teacher would say: “NCC, keep quiet!” and the Normal stream students feel: "Okay lah."

2019 March 5, Ong Ye Kung, “Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)”, in Parliamentary Debates: Official Report (Parliament of Singapore), volume 94:

Used to colloquialize certain short responses (e.g., no, ya, OK).

Oh wait it’s not today, lah. It’s on Sunday.

boon: […] You want to go see snow or not, Ma?
mother: See for what? I open freezer can see already what.
boon: Not the same, lah… Imagine snowflakes drifting down, melting when they touch your skin. […]

2009, Jean Tay, Boom, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii, page 21:

(less common) Used in assertions that correct previous underlying assumptions.

In a few months that have been both dispiriting and heartening with regard to public art […] is it any wonder that one of the most earnest things one can say to Singapore right now is: “Stop complaining, lah”?

2024 July 16, Clement Yong, “Theatre review: National Day Charade mimes familiar criticisms of NDP but doles out a lesson or two”, in The Straits Times, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited:

(less common) Used to convey a slight sense of dissatisfaction or irritation.

He teach them how to cook lah, learn computer lah... […]

2010, Haresh Sharma, Those Who Can't, Teach, Epigram Books, Act I, scene ii:

(less common) A separator following each item in a list of examples.

No lah, no lah. ― Sarcastic reply


ter

"Jesus Christ! Was my folks refined. My mam she wouldn't think-a lettin' us young'uns call a pee pot a pee pot. A chamber's what she called it... And by God! Us young'uns had ter call the pee pot a chamber or git our God damn necks wrang."

1946, Elizabeth Metzger Howard, Before the Sun Goes Down, page 31:

‘Do you mean ter tell me,’ he growled at the Dursleys, ‘that this boy – this boy! – knows nothin’ abou’ – about ANYTHING?’

1997, J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, section IV:


né

so I saw this girl né, and I wanted to talk to her...


nia

Don't so kiam siap can anot? That one only five cents nia. ― Come on, don't be so stingy. That costs only five cents.

(Singlish) Used to downplay the intensity of something that has been overestimated. Might indicate a slight belittling tone.


lo

From Hokkien 囉／啰 (--lo͘). Doublet of lor.

(Singlish, Manglish, rare or in set phrases) Sentence-final particle denoting finality or completion.


like

Adjective from Middle English lik, lyk, lich, like, from Old English ġelīċ by shortening, influenced by Old Norse líkr, glíkr; both from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“like, similar, same”). Related to alike; more distantly, with lich and -ly. Cognate with West Frisian like (“like; as”), Saterland Frisian gliek (“like”), Danish lig (“alike”), Dutch gelijk (“like, alike”), German gleich (“equal, like”), Icelandic líkur (“alike, like, similar”), Norwegian lik (“like, alike”) Swedish lik (“like, similar”)
Adverb from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, from Old English ġelīċe (“likewise, also, as, in like manner, similarly”) and Old Norse líka (“also, likewise”); both from Proto-Germanic *galīkê, from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“same, like, similar”).
Conjunction from Middle English like, lyke, lik, lyk, from the adverb Middle English like.
Preposition from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, lijc, liih (“similar to, like, equal to, comparable with”), from Middle English like (adjective) and like (adverb).

der

“You'll try it, some day, like enough; but you'll get tired of the change pretty soon.” “Why?” “Well, I'll tell you. Now you've always been a sailor; did you ever try some other business?”

1909, Mark Twain, Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven:

If I can't spare the time—well, like as not we go anyhow. And where else can you ride all day with your saddle and neck full of snow brushed from the trees and still not freeze half to death?

1936, New Mexico: The Sunshine State's Recreational and Highway Magazine:

He was so angry, like.

(colloquial, Scotland, Ireland, Geordie, Teesside, Liverpool) A delayed filler.

There were, like, twenty of them.

She was, like, sooooo happy.

[Sally Brown:] Christmas is getting all you can get while the getting is good.
 [Charlie Brown:] GIVING! The only real joy is GIVING!
 [Sally Brown, rolling her eyes:] Like, wow!

1972 December 1, Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts:

"She's like brand new."

1980, Richard Louis Newmann, Siege of Orbitor, page xiii. 68:

(colloquial) Indicating approximation or uncertainty.

I was like, “Why did you do that?” and he's like, “I don't know.”

And then he, like, got all angry and left the room.

A customer walked in like, "I demand to see the manager!"

You're just doing your own thing and some one comes out the blue,
They're like, "Alright"
What ya saying, "Yeah can I take your digits?"
And you're like, "no not in a million years, you're nasty please leave me alone."

'It made this sky ripping noise, and then went like “bang”, real hard into the ground. A long way away but.'

2014, Geoffrey Riddell, The Fly-ahead Boy, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 108:

(colloquial) Used to precede an approximate quotation or paraphrase or an expression of something that happened.

ပေါ့

colloquial: used to precede paraphrased quotations


ma

Singlish is acceptable in Singapore mah

1998 April 24, viken, “tcs shows”, in sg.rec.tv (Usenet):

I dun have mah.

2015 April 17, Jalelah Abu Baker, “What's the difference between 'lah' and 'lor': Poet Gwee Li Sui's take on nuances of Singlish goes viral”, in The Straits Times:

"I was already 32, so must get married mah," he says, using the Singlish word often used to express something which is obvious.

2017 April 30, Wong Kim Hoh, “It Changed My Life: Migrant worker goes from painting condos to boss of own company”, in The Straits Times:


sial

(Singlish, Manglish) Alternative form of sia


nope

→ Italian: nop

→ Portuguese: nop

→ Spanish: nop

Representing no pronounced with the mouth snapped closed at the end. Compare yep, welp, ope, and yup.

"Is my son here, Clarence?" asked Roger Oakley. "Nope. The whistle ain't blowed yet."

1856, Sidney George Fisher, Charles Edward Fisher, Kanzas and the Constitution, page 97:

"No," from Tom, ending the word with so decided a pressure of the lips that it sounded like "nope."

“Aunt Kat? And was Aunt Kat your only relation? Have you no father nor mother?” “Nope. Never had none ‘cept Aunt Kat. Her hull name was Katrina. She wuz Dutch she wuz."

1890, Werner's Readings and Recitations, E.S. Werner, page 50:

1: I will not dishonour my country's speech by leaving off the last syllables of words, 2: I will say a good American "yes" and "no" in place of an Indian grunt "um-hum" and "nup-um" or a foreign "ya" or "yeh" and "nope"[…]

c. 1930, The Detroit Educational Bulletin, Detroit (Michigan) Board of Education, page 13:

Nope. Don't know as I do.

2006, Charlotte Hudson Ewing, Red Land, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 54:


bah

I think you should go see a doctor ba.

(Manglish, Singlish, rare) Used for emphasis; softens a suggestion.

(Manglish, Singlish, rare) Indicates confident speculation.


sia

— You can’t find your pencils? Maybe someone stole them.
— For what sia?

[…] Really disappointed siah […] The damage is done and no explanation will be accepted...... damn stupid!

2004, joshley, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

(Singlish, Manglish) Tagged at the end of a sentence to express discontent, shock, exhaustion or exasperation.


meh

Really meh? ― Really? I don’t think so.

This one your one meh? ― Is this really yours?

"Huh? At this hour? Really meh?" He couldn't believe his own ears.

2020, Yasser Khan, Property Agent Secrets: The Underground Playbook For Growing Your Property Agent Business in 2021 & Beyond, →ISBN, page 123:

“Nice meh?” I would think sourly.

2013 October 7, Tee Hun Ching, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 12:

You got send [e-mail] meh? I never receive leh.

2010 August 22, Fiona Chan, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 13:

Final question particle expressing skepticism.


'a

Say, these stripes, stripes sure don’t worry me. But these chains, chains goin’ ’a kill me dead.

1955, Russell Ames, “The Open Road, the Chain Gang, and the Jail”, in The Story of American Folk Song (The Listener’s Music Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, published 1960, →OCLC, page 248:

Well, this one’s ’ere all right. Captain’s wife or somefink, the mate says. Least, that’s what I think he’s tryin’ ’a say, because he can’t speak no English.

2009, Jennifer Worth, “The Captain’s Daughter”, in Farewell to the East End, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, →ISBN, page 237:

So while we’re all distracted tryin’ ’a fix it all – that’s when they strike.

2014, R[oger] N. Morris, chapter 11, in The Dark Palace (A Silas Quinn Mystery; 3), Sutton, Surrey: Crème de la Crime, →ISBN, Part 1 (Love), page 50:


Abu

A common part of Arabic-derived names, meaning "father of" in Arabic.


steady

From Middle English stedy, studi, stidiȝ, perhaps continuing Old English stæþþiġ, ġestæþþiġ (“steadfast, stable, firm, staid”), equivalent to stead + -y; or calquing Middle Low German or Middle Dutch stēdig. Cognate with Saterland Frisian stoadig (“constant, continual”), West Frisian stadich (“slow”), Danish stedig, stadig, steeg, Swedish stadig, Icelandic stöðugur, German stätig, stetig.

cog

(African-American Vernacular) Aspect marker indicating consistency or intensity.


O

From Middle English O, o, from Old English o, from Latin o and Ancient Greek ὦ (ô, interjection). Featured prominently in William Tyndale's 1525 translation of the New Testament.

O Death! O Death! Won't you spare me over till another year? - part of the refrain from the American folk song "A Conversation with Death".

Therfore arte thou inexcuſable o man whoſoever thou be that iudgeſt. For in that ſame where in thou iudgeſt another / thou cõdemneſt thy ſilfe. For thou that iudgeſt doest evẽ the ſame ſilfe thynges. […] Thynkeſt thou O man that iudgeſt them which do ſoche thyngꝭ and yet doſt evẽ the very ſame / that thou ſhalt eſcape the iudgemẽt of God?

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Romans ij:[1, 3], folio cc, verso:

c. 1810-1820?, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Notes on Macbeth
O! the affecting beauty of the death of Cawdor, and the presentimental speech of the king: […]

The vocative particle, used for direct address.


har

(Manglish, Singlish) Alternative form of ah (interrogative particle)


a

James was going with his mother to attend the ceremonies at which his oldest sister in the convent would make perpetual vows. Being asked where he was going, he answered, “I’m goin’ a see my sister make percapital vowels.”

1923 January, “The Sunshine of Childhood (Contributed)”, in Benedict Brown, editor, The Grail, volume 4, number 9, St. Meinrad, Ind.: The Abbey Press, page 284, column 2:

The man walks toward me. “I met that asshole. He’s tryin’ a sell us a bag a bullshit.”

2007, BK Loren, “Got Tape?”, in Barry Lopez, editor, The Future of Nature: Writing on a Human Ecology from Orion Magazine, Minneapolis, Minn.: Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 43:

Don’tcha try deny it, / ’Cause Hose knows you dyin’ a try it— […] Knows you out tryin’ a buy it, / But Hose only gives it free

2012 October 23, Tom Wolfe, Back to Blood: A Novel, Large Print edition, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 66:


a

“I show a you right a here I can fuck a you.” “Is she crazy?” I asked Wyman.

2001, Louis F. Newcomb, Car Salesman: A Legacy, iUniverse, page 91

Alternative form of -a (“empty syllable added to songs, poetry, verse and other speech”)


Received Pronunciation, General American, weak vowel distinction

Her heart leapt when she saw the expressions on her teachers’ faces.

their faces’ expressions

The countesses’ husbands were generally quite lavish.

Possessive marker used on plurals that end with -s (or -es, etc).

Jesus' disciples

Chris' cake recipe

Robin Williams’ ghost has apparently stuck around and is haunting the California home the actor died in.

2014 August 29, Minyvonne Burke, “Robin Williams Death: Actor’s Ghost Haunting Home He Died In, Playing Practical Jokes?”, in HNGN Headlines & Global News:

GOP donor and real estate magnate Harlan Crow paid thousands of dollars in tuition for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ grandnephew, who he served as the legal guardian for, ProPublica reports, without the justice disclosing it, the latest in a series of controversies involving Thomas’ financial relationship with Crow that have sparked ethics concerns and calls for Thomas to resign.

2023 May 4, 0:09 from the start, in GOP Megadonor Harlan Crow Paid Tuition For Clarence Thomas’ Relative, Report Says, Forbes:

Possessive marker sometimes used on singular names which end in s, indicating than an object belongs to the noun bearing the marker.


cha

One–two–cha–cha–cha
Three–four–cha–cha–cha

(dance) Used to count out steps, particularly involving the hip-shaking sections of rhythmic Latin dances


uh-huh

Imitative of non-verbal sounds used to indicate agreement or to allow the speaker to continue talking. Compare synonymous mhm.

onom

Imitative

"So? Lived there long?" "Uh-huh, I--" began Mr. Wrenn.

mhm

pronounced with closed mouth, stressed on the ult

aha

possibly a spelling pronunciation; stressed on the ult


hor

From Hokkien 乎 (--hohⁿ / --hôⁿ, mood particle) and Cantonese 嗬 (ho², interrogative particle).

bor

Don’t anyhow say sia, this one not my fault hor. ― Don’t sprout nonsense, it wasn’t my fault, OK?

sorry, i have to drill hor. the filling will cost $300.

2005, Der Zählmeister, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

[…] except it is slightly more hostile ("This is mine hor, don't touch it!").

2001 September 19, destrius', Everything2:

Emphasizes the need for acknowledgment from the listener.

Quite boring, hor? ― It's quite boring, isn’t it?

Wah, you quite brave hor...

2005 October 30, Wong Kim Hoh, The Sunday Times:

An invariant question tag used to invite agreement.

....then hor... ― ...and then...

But hor, i prefer sleeping pills leh.

2005, Tan Kok Beng, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

Can email me or not?........if can hor.... […]

2007, yansimon52, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):

A filler word used to ascertain the continued attention of the listener.


ahh

Pronunciation spelling of -ass. (“used to intensify an adjective”)


desu

Borrowed from Japanese です (desu, “be”), the polite form of the Japanese copula, found most often at the end of a sentence.

My contribution desu.

2002 March 20, Mahoronyan [username], “Re: I was wrong about Kokoro Library...”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

Freaky desu.

2003 January 30, Ethan Hammond, “Re: Nuku Nuku DVD Impressions”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

Awww, but it was just getting fun, desu.

2006 February 22, sanjian [username], “Re: FMA 47 - Sealing the Homunculus”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

(slang, humorous, chiefly fandom slang) Used at the end of a sentence to imitate Japanese sentence structure.


lor

From Hokkien 囉／啰 (--lo͘) and Cantonese 囉／啰 (lo1).

Next time lor. ― Leave it for next time.

OK lor, go ahead. ― Fine, go ahead.

Bo pian lor. ― We don’t have a choice.

[B]y then, it was too late, and I just told myself, ‘Ya lor. He’s right.’

2003 November 16, Suzanne Sng, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 16:

Tagged at the end of a sentence to convey a sense of resignation or inevitability.

You lor, or else still got who? ― It’s obviously you then.

Then tell him lor. ― You go and tell him then.

Take a cab lor, easier this way. ― Just take a cab, it’s easier this way.

Used to suggest that there is an obvious logical resolution or answer to something.

At my house lor. ― At my house, where else?

As a facilitator, I often ask the participants: how are you feeling now? And often, the replies I get are: "Okay lor", "Like that lor".

2024 February 6, Carrie Tan, “Advancing Mental Health”, in Parliamentary Debates: Official Report (Parliament of Singapore), volume 95:

Suggests that the reply given is the typical or expected one.

Sorry lor. ― (sarcastic) Oh I’m so sorry!

Ya lor / Han nor. ― Yeah (agreement)

Used to reinforce an opinion, sometimes in a sarcastic manner.


no

desc

→ American Sign Language: H^o@Side-PalmForward Flatten

From Middle English no, na, from Old English nā, nō (“no, not, not ever, never”), from Proto-Germanic *nai (“never”), *ne (“not”), from Proto-Indo-European *ne, *nē, *nēy (negative particle), equivalent to Old English ne (“not”) + ā, ever, always. Cognate with Scots na (“no”), Saterland Frisian noa (“no”), West Frisian né (“no”), nea (“never”), Dutch nee (“no”), Low German nee (“no”), German nie (“never”), dialectal German nö (“no”), Danish nej (“no”), Swedish nej (“no”), Icelandic nei (“no”). More at nay.

No, you are mistaken.

No, you may not watch television now.

David, no!

Used to show disagreement, negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition.

"Don’t you like milk?" "No" (i.e., "No, I don’t like milk.")

Used to show agreement with a negative question.

No, totally.

No, yeah, that's exactly right.

"Wow!" "Yeah, no, it was really awful!"

(colloquial) Used together with an affirmative word or phrase to show agreement.


liao

Borrowed from Hokkien 了 (liáu) or Teochew 了 (liao²). Tone and spelling influenced by Mandarin liǎo.

I run 4 laps liao. ― I just ran 4 laps.

It’s going to rain liao. ― It’s going to start raining soon.

Reach liao, give me a call. ― Give me a call when you’ve reached.

You decorate the cake liao? ― Have you decorated the cake yet?

Damn shack liao, need to go back and sleep. ― I’m really tired now, I need to go back and sleep.

perfective aspect
perfective aspect#English

(Singlish, Manglish) Indicates perfective aspect (action completion) or change of state.


ô

O all you hoſt of heauen, ô earth, what els, / And ſhall I coupple hell, ô fie, hold, hold my hart, […]

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v], signature D3, verso:


mou

Kopitiam mou? ― Do you want to go to the coffee shop?

Day trip mou? ― Do you want to go on a day trip?

Hiking tomorrow. Onz mou? ― I/We are going on a hike tomorrow. Are you coming?

(Malaysia, Singapore, colloquial, mainly Cantonese speakers) Sentence-final particle, forms a tag question.


mah

— How come now we cannot straightaway go?
— Must wait until we have the timing mah, how to go if we don’t even know the timing?

Singlish is acceptable in Singapore mah

1998 April 24, viken, “tcs shows”, in sg.rec.tv (Usenet):

Asserts that there is a straightforward or self-evident reason for something.


anot

Your computer got virus anot?

(Singapore, colloquial, Singlish) Alternative form of or not


noop

There are people right here in Disneyland who have gone to California by rail. They never saw Utah. Kansas, yes. Idaho, O.K., Nebraska, mabe. But Utah? Uh-uh! Noop! Negative! Nope! No! It's just not there.

1961, Connecticut State Prison (Somers, Conn.), The Bridge, volume 1, Connecticut State Prison, page 27:

when writing a message hmmmms..., aaahhhs, woos & ehs yip, yeap, yeah, yap, yup, yupe nope, noop & noope... are all nuance musts piping thru' the mail passage to carry a voice to understand signals

1997 December 4, Hsin Hsin Lin, “VOICES THRU' THE TUNNEL”, in In Bytes We Travel, World Scientific, →ISBN, page 30:

Lana (on phone): “Noop.” “Lana? Listen I--” “Noop.” “--need you to--” “Noop.” “--stop saying noop!” “Noop, Archer. Noop. And it's going to sound like I'm hanging up, but--” [dial tone]

2013 February 7, Adam Reed, Tesha Kondrat, “Midnight Ron” (4:31 from the start), in Archer, season 4, episode 4, spoken by Lana Kana (Aisha Tyler):

“HEY BROOKS, YOU EVER SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE?” “NOOP. USUALLY GUNSHOTS OR STABBINGS. NOTHING LIKE THIS. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE DRUG-DEAL-GONE-BAD?” “WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT'S NOT?”

2021 April 14, Paul Jenkins, Christina Z., The Complete Witchblade Vol. 2, volume 2, Image Comics, →ISBN:


nup

I've suggested many jobs she could do but nup no way. She just was happy getting her freeloading money. I realised what a freeloader she really was when she started ranting about losing money when she got married to a guy with a job.

2013 December 4, u/singloud, “Did anyone else have chronically unemployed parents or even parents who were just always at home?”, in Reddit, r/raisedbynarcissists, archived from the original on 2023-09-28:

(colloquial, originally US, now chiefly Australia, New Zealand) No, nope.


ornot

(Singapore, colloquial) Alternative form of or not


is it

You forgot, is it?

(Singapore, Wales) Final interrogative particle forming a tag question.


leh

No leh, it’s right here. ― No? It’s right here.

You got send [e-mail] meh? I never receive leh.

2010 August 22, Fiona Chan, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page 13:

Our appointment leh? ― What about our appointment?

OK, this one, leh?

2002 May 14, Niamh O’Leary, The Straits Times, Singapore, page L2:

It’s next week leh. ― Just so you know, it’s next week.

Thirty-five thousand jobs, leh. Not something to sneeze at.

2005 April 22, Lee Kin Mun, Today, Singapore, page 30:

Highlights new and noteworthy information.

Close the door leh. ― Why don’t you close the door?

Sing us a song, leh.

1994, C.S. Chong, NS: An Air-Level Story, page 29:

Still got risotto in the fridge leh. ― There’s still some risotto in the fridge.

— We can try taking the train.
— I don’t think we’ll have enough time leh.

Used to indicate disagreement with a suggestion.

I don’t think that’s accurate leh.

In my opinion the crème brûlée was so-so only leh.

Reinforces a tentative opinion and invites agreement.


yass

Yass. I never got above the rank of shavetail. We were the dogfaces who gave ’em hell at Chateau Thierry.

1962, Joseph Commings, “The X Street Murders”, in The Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes & Impossible Mysteries, published 2006:

(US, dialectal, Scotland) Pronunciation spelling of yes.


ye-es

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling#English

Pronunciation spelling of yes indicating hesitance: used to show hesitant agreement or acceptance.


ngay

You ngay?
What about you?

Used to question the listener
for a response or affirmation

Where are you ngay?
Where are you? [I have been waiting for so long!]

Used to question the listener
that implies impatience.

What ngay is that?
What the heck is that?

Used to question the listener
that implies dismay or disgust.

Yes ngay.
Yes, [I agree with you].

Used to agree with what the listener has said.

I couldn't do anything ngay.
I wasn't really able to do anything.

I couldn't do anything ngay.
[I'm sorry], I wasn't able to do anything.


I mean

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-I mean.wav

Used to correct an error or slip of the tongue.

They were filth, utter filth. I mean, and this tops it. She even bought the video of her sister dying, or at least the sex act that killed her.

Q. … To rush for 306 yards against that group, how did you accomplish that?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, look, I mean, I could stand up here and BS you guys all day and tell you we're the second coming of the Green Bay Packers rushing attack.

2019 October 13, Jack Freeman (interviewer), “Everything Brian Kelly said after Notre Dame's win over USC”, 247Sports, IrishIllustrated.com

I must say the title puts me off as well. I mean, come on. Is this supposed to be original or creative?

I mean, it very well could be.

(colloquial) An indication of approximation or uncertainty.


naur

australians be like yeahr but naur

2021 October 18, Hameda Nafiz, “Twitter Is Roasting Australians About How They Speak And They're Not Wrong TBH”, in BuzzFeed:

Even Season 10 winner Aquaria weighed in on who Down Under’s first-ever Drag Race superstar should be, commenting on Scarlet Adams image with a simple but very effective “naur” to show her distaste for the show’s frontrunner.

2021 June 15, Michelle rennex, “Kita Mean Is The Only Worthy Winner Of ‘Drag Race Down Under’”, in Junkee:

naur literally bc it’s the only show i’ve watched that has realistic texting esp w charlie and darcy’s auto capitalization turned off

2022 May 6, Manorath Thacker, ““Its just so me”: Fans Laud Netflix’s ‘Heartstopper’ for the Most Accurate and Relatable Representation of the Texting Generation”, in Netflix Junkie:

(Internet slang) Pronunciation spelling of no, representing Australian English.


neeny

(rare) A nonsense word, often repeated along with other similar nonsense words, such as nyah or na-na.


rhatid

Traditionally taken to be a Jamaican form of wrathed or wrothed, or possibly from or reinforced by rotted, but other origins have also been proposed.
Some other people think, that the origin of the word is from an old welsh novel “Rahtid mi blimey” as it was one of the few books that made it across the pond.

"This married man told me his name was Graham Jefferson," she went on, "but his real name is Alan Clayton and he's Bren Hunter's brother-in-law." "But kiss me neck back to rhatid," Sarah cussed, in what was, to her, uncustomary usage of the Caribbean lingo. "They're related?" "Yes," Latisha confirmed.

2004, Sonia Icilyn, One More Chance, →ISBN, page 112:

"Let him talk to your rhatid backside tonight!”

2005, Beresford McLean, Providence Pond, →ISBN, page 236:

'No, but dih addah day dem did catch one big rhatid snake doh!' Jackman interjected.

2016, H M Hanlan, Sunset on the Horizon The Story of a Rebel Woman, Rebellion and the Jamaica Maroon Treaties, →ISBN:

As yet another example for that, Cyaah Gwaan To Rhatid (Lutan Fyah, 2015b) shows Lutan Fyah judging wit di Bible inna mi hand in regard to structural enforcements of gay liberation – cause Christ never make such law: (...) Things are changing And a lot a things that papa, mama preached against / Dem a force mi fi tolerate it (...) / Say that cyaah gwaan to rhatid' / Mi a judge wit di Bible inna mi hand (...)

2017, Martin A. M. Gansinger, Radical religious thought in Black popular music. Five Percenters and Bobo Shanti in Rap and Reggae, →ISBN, page 93:

(Jamaica) A swear word, like damn or hell.


nopey

"Nopey, nopey! I wouldn't just even think of such a thing."

1919, Wallace Irwin, The Blooming Angel, page 98:

“Nopey-nope-nope.” “Are you related to them? Are they family members?” “No way!” “So help me out, Lily. Tell me all about these people and how you came to be living with them. Okay?” “Okay.”

2013, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, 12th of Never, Little, Brown, →ISBN:


siol

(Singlish, Manglish) Alternative form of sia


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, →ISBN, 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.


yh

Yh I can understand that.[…]Yh I agree with you on this, although links don't really kill it for me.

2010 December 1, Adam Rowney, “Why no real forum?!”, in rec.juggling (Usenet):

There is no point in me uploading this, since it is practically last minute, but yh....[…]So yh..

2014, Anastasios Maragiannis, Multidisciplinary Design Processes, 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 150:

Yh, I see.

2021, Roger Francis, Thank God For Atheism, AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

(UK, Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of yeah.


very yes

Compound of very + yes. Popularized by Strong Bad Email, an animated Internet cartoon associated with Homestar Runner.

Computer over? Virus = very yes? That's not a good prize!

2004 November 15, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Strong Bad Email #118: virus”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad:

(Internet, slang) Exaggerated form of yes.