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old_wikitext)''''[[Singlish]]''' is the English-based [[creole language|creole]] or [[patois]] spoken colloquially in [[Singapore]]. Although English is the [[lexifier|lexifier language]], Singlish has its unique [[slang]] and [[syntax]], which are more pronounced in informal speech. It is usually a mixture of English, Mandarin, Tamil, Malay, and other local dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese or Teochew. ==Word origins== Singlish vocabulary formally takes after [[British English]] (in terms of spelling and abbreviations), although naming conventions are in a mix of American and British ones (with American ones on the rise). For instance, local media have "sports pages" (sport in British English) and "[[soccer]] coverage" ("soccer"—originally slang for As'''soc'''iation football—while used in Britain, is more usually called just "football"). Singlish also uses many words borrowed from [[Min Nan|Hokkien]], the Chinese dialect native to more than 75% of the [[Chinese in Singapore]], and from [[Malay language|Malay]]. In many cases, English words take on the meaning of their Chinese counterparts, resulting in a shift in meaning. It is also taken from Indian words such as "dai" meaning "hey", "goondu" meaning 'idiot" etc. This is most obvious in such cases as "borrow"/"lend", which are functionally equivalent in Singlish and mapped to the same Mandarin word, "借" (jiè), which can mean to lend or to borrow. For example: ''"Oi, can I borrow your calculator?" / "Hey, can you lend me your calculator?"'' ==Singlish dictionaries and word lists== [[File:Coxford Singlish Dictionary.jpg|thumb|150px|right|The ''Coxford Singlish Dictionary'', a light-hearted lexicon of Singlish published in 2002]] There have been several efforts to compile lexicons of Singlish, some for scholarly purposes, most for entertainment. Two early humorous works were [[Sylvia Toh Paik Choo]]'s ''Eh, Goondu!'' (1982)<ref>{{cite book | last = Toh | first = Paik Choo | title = Eh, Goondu! | publisher = Eastern Universities Press |year=1982 | location = Singapore | isbn = 9971-71-168-0}}</ref> and ''Lagi Goondu!'' (1986).<ref>{{cite book | last = Toh | first = Paik Choo | title = Lagi Goondu! | publisher = Times Books International |year=1986 | location = Singapore | isbn = 9971-65-224-2}}</ref> In 1997 the second edition of the ''Times-Chambers Essential English Dictionary''<ref>{{cite book | title = Times-Chambers Essential English Dictionary | edition = 2nd | publisher = Federal Publications |year=1997 | location = Singapore | isbn = 981-01-3727-3}}</ref> was published. To date, this is the only formal dictionary containing a substantial number of Singaporean English terms. Such entries and sub-entries are arranged alphabetically amongst the standard English entries. A list of common words borrowed from local languages such as Hokkien and Malay appears in an appendix. It appears that no subsequent editions have been published. 2002 saw the publication of the ''Coxford Singlish Dictionary'',<ref>{{cite book | title = The Coxford Singlish Dictionary | publisher = Angsana Books |year=2002 | location = Singapore | isbn = 981-3056-50-9}}</ref> a light-hearted lexicon which was developed from material posted on the website [http://www.talkingcock.com/html/lexec.php Talkingcock.com]. In 2004 a website, [http://www.singlishdictionary.com ''A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English''], was launched to document the actual usage of Singlish and Singapore English in published material, in the way that the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] does for standard English. Compiled by an amateur lexicographer, the ''Dictionary'' appears to be one of the more comprehensive and professionally written dictionaries dealing exclusively with Singlish and Singapore English available so far. The [[Singapore Tourism Board]] and tourism-related businesses have also produced short lists of commonly used Singlish terms, ostensibly to allow foreigners visiting Singapore to comprehend the local language better. Such lists have been printed in brochures or booklets, and also published on websites. The lack of an officially printed version of a Singlish dictionary is due to the fact that the Singapore government frowns upon the use of Singlish, their official stand being that the speaking of Singlish will make Singaporeans difficult to understand when communicating with foreigners who are not familiar with Singlish. Thus, the government has made an effort to quash the use of Singlish and to promote the use of standard English through the [[Speak Good English Movement]] over the past few years. Though failing to discourage the use of Singlish, it has resulted in Singlish having a bad reputation in recent years, further stalling efforts to document actual Singlish usage. Letters contributed to the forum of ''[[The Straits Times]]'', the main local newspaper, by readers have called for Singlish to be kept alive in Singapore. Community efforts to do so include the aptly named [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Good-Singlish-Movement/152213451475413 "Speak Good Singlish Movement"]. The idea of promoting Singlish was raised as part of a larger debate on creating a uniquely Singaporean identity. However, the government has yet to officially change its stand regarding Singlish. A list of Singlish terms and expressions widely used in Singapore is set out below. It is not exhaustive and is meant to provide some representative examples of Singlish usage in Singapore. The origins of the Singlish terms are indicated where possible, and literal translations are provided where necessary. ===0–9=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |4D||Singlish||Local 4 digit lottery game run by [[Singapore Pools]]. |- |5Cs||Singlish||Refers to the [[5 C's of Singapore]] (cash, car, credit card, condominium, country club membership). Commonly associated with materialistic success in modern Singapore. |- |11B||Singlish||Stands for 11 basic information. Army official vernacular. Refers to the '''Singapore Armed Forces Identity Card''' held by servicemen during their National Service. Servicemen's original civilian identity cards before their enlistment are exchanged with these SAF identity cards. Upon completing National Service and reaching their '''Operationally Ready Date''', they will receive their civilian identity cards whilst retaining their 11B. |} ===A=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |ABC||English||English (language). Acronym for "[[American-born Chinese]]." English-speaking person, i.e. Anglophone Singaporeans. Could also describe when the mentioned subject has western elements or influences. |- |Abit the||English||To mean a little bit. Usually used sarcastically. As in "You abit the fast ah" when the person in question is deemed to be slow. |- |Abuden |Manglish |Obviously; of course. |- |ACBC |English and Hokkien |Acronym for "[[Act Cute Buay Cute]]." Phrase which describes somebody attempting to behave in an exaggeratedly cute or adorable fashion. However, they come across more annoying than cute. |- |Act Blur |English and Cantonese |To play innocent. |- |Act Cute |English and Cantonese |A phrase which describes behaving in a cutesy manner. Can be used as both verb and adjective. |- |Action||English||In this context, the term means that the person being described is arrogant and haughty. |- |Agak-Agak||Malay||An estimate.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 3.</ref> Also pronounced as "agar-agar". |- |Agak-Ration||Malay and English||An estimate or estimation. Also pronounced as "agar-ration". |- |[[Ah Beng]] |Hokkien |A hillbilly, someone with little dress sense. Also used to refer to a gangster<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 5">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 5.</ref> The expressions came about because Ah Beng is a common Chinese male name. A transliteration of the Chinese name "阿明" (a-bêng). |- |Ah Qua/Gua |Hokkien |A transvestite, who will often be assumed to be a Thai transsexual. From Hokkien "阿倌 a kuann" (the word "kuann 倌" is a term used to politely refer to a person, usually a bridegroom, or a female). |- |[[Ah Lian]] |Hokkien |A hillbilly, someone with little dress sense. Also used to refer to a gangster<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 5" /> The expressions came about because Ah Lian is a common Chinese female name. A transliteration of the Chinese term "阿莲" (a-lián), female form of Ah Beng, |- |Ah Long |Cantonese |A transliteration of the Chinese name "阿窿", which is a shortened form of "大耳窿". Slang term for "loanshark". |- |Ah pu neh neh/Ah neh |Hokkien |A crude term for Indian nationals. |- |Ah Tiong |Hokkien |A transliteration of the Hokkien term "阿中" (a-tiong), usually used simply as 'Tiong'. A crude term for Chinese nationals. |- |Ai See||Hokkien/Teochew||Transliteration of the Hokkien term "爱死" (ài-sí, Mandarin 要死). Used to describe someone on thin ice. |- |Ai See Buay See||Hokkien||Transliteration of the Hokkien term "爱死袂死" (ài-sí buē-sí, Mandarin 要死不死). Used to describe someone on thin ice. |- |Ai Sui||Hokkien||Literally means "Love beauty". Refers to a person who is beauty conscious. (Usually used on females). |- |Ai Tzai||Hokkien||Used in a reassuring manner to calm people down. From Hokkien term "愛在 ài tsāi"- must be firm, calm and solid) |- |Aiyah||Chinese / Tamil||Sometimes used as "Aiyoh".(Tamil: ஐயோ) Transliteration of the Chinese terms "哎呀" and "哎唷". Chinese equivalent of "Oh No!", "Oh Dear!". Another derivative of the term, Ai-Yoh-Yoh (Chinese: 哎唷唷) (Tamil: ஐயையோ) Extreme of "Aiyoh", was popularized by the [[Mediacorp]] drama series ''[[Good Morning, Sir!]]''. |- |Akan Datang||Malay||Means "coming soon", as seen in movie trailers. Used to reassure an impatient person. |- |Alamak||Malay||Phonetically close to the Chinese term "Oh, my mother!". It expresses shock or surprise. |- |Amacam||Malay||A contraction of the Malay word "Apa macam", which is used as a greeting, similar to "What's up?". |- |An Zhua?||Hokkien||Hokkien equivalent of "What's up?." Transliteration of the Hokkien term "按怎" (án-chuáⁿ). |- |Ang Moh Pai||Hokkien||Literally translated from Singlish as the "Red Hair Faction", developed from the Hokkien term "红毛派" (hóng máo phài). A term used for Chinese Singaporeans who speak poor Chinese. |- |Ang Pau||Hokkien/Teochew||Red packet with money to be given on Chinese New Year or during some occasion like wedding, birthday party and so on as a wishes to the receiver. Hokkien or Teochew transliteration of the Chinese term "红包" (hong bao). |- |An Zhua? |Hokkien |Literally means "red hair 红毛" (âng-moo). A term for people of Caucasian descent. |- |Ar |Hokkien |Used as either noun or a verb to denote a very cozy, non-sexual relationship with someone that might result in special considerations or leeway not available to anyone else without such a relationship. As in "I ar with the boss because I'm his golf buddy so I can occasionally come to work later without getting into trouble with him." Or "You got ar with him or not?" to inquire as to the status of the relationship between two people. Similar to the American slang expression "having juice with someone." |- |Ar? |Cantonese and Mandarin |Used within questions and rhetoric where opinions and affirmations are being sought. Originated from the Chinese term "啊". |- |Ar Bo||Hokkien/Teochew||Means "What else?" or "How else?". Usually used as an answer to a question with an obvious answer. Transliteration of the term "阿無" (á-bô). |- |Arrow||English||To delegate an unpleasant or boring task to someone. Term derives from the military and government's practice of stamping a tiny arrow next to the name of the person in official documents. |- |Atas||Malay||Literally means "above". Either: (1) Used to describe a snobbish and arrogant person, or (2) Used to describe a "high class", well-to-do or sophisticated person. |- |Auntie||English||A generic address for middle aged or elderly woman.<ref>Wong, Jock (2006) 'Contextualizing ''aunty'' in Singaporean English', ''World Englishes'', 25 (3/4), 451-466.</ref> It may also refer to a young woman who dresses very unfashionably. |- |Ayam||Malay||Literally means "chicken". Used to describe someone who is easily intimidated. |} ===B=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Balik Kampong||Malay||Pack up things and go home. Also spelt "balek kampung". |- |Banana||English||A Westernised Chinese Singaporean who lives distinctively like a Westerner (lifestyle, religion, dresscode, food, activities, English proficiency etc.) and usually cast aside or reject Chinese folk religions and traditions. Such a person is called a "banana", the point of comparison being that both are "yellow on the outside and white on the inside". |- |Berak||Malay||To poo. |- |Belanja||Malay||To give someone a treat. |- |Blur||English||Clueless. In a daze, unaware of what is going on.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 33">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 33.</ref> Also commonly used in the phrase "act blur", which refers to the act of intentionally playing innocent. |- |Bodoh||Malay||Idiot, ignorant.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 33"/> |- |Boh Chup||Hokkien||Hokkien for don't care. |- |Boh Gay||Hokkien/Teochew||Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "无牙" (bô-gê), which literally means "no teeth". Usually used to describe someone with a missing tooth. |- |Boh Jio |Hokkien/Teochew |You didn't invite me. Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "没招" (méi-zhāo). |- |Boh Liao||Hokkien/Teochew||Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "无聊" (bô-liâu), which means "boredom". A slang expression to describe being in a situation of idleness. Also used to describe an act of doing something silly. |- |Boh Pien |Hokkien |No choice. |- |Boh Ta Bo Lan Pa||Hokkien||Literally means you have no balls if it's not dry. Usually used in drinking for "bottoms up". |- |Boh Zheng Hu |Hokkien |Used to describe a lack of governance or an authority. |- |Boleh |Malay |Can; possible. |- |Botak||Malay||Used to describe someone bald. This term inspired the famous [[Botak Jones]] in Singapore.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 35.</ref> |- |Buay||Hokkien||Hokkien pronunciation of "袂" (buē). Means "cannot". |- |Buaya||Malay||Literally means "crocodile". Refers to a womanizer or flirt.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, pp. 37-38.</ref> |- |Buay Pai |Hokkien |Hokkien pronunciation of "袂歹" (buē-pháiⁿ, Mandarin: 不错). Literally means "not bad". This is commonly used for food, saying that it isn't very bad or not bad. It can also be applied in people too. |- |Buay Song||Hokkien||Hokkien pronunciation of "袂爽" (buē-sóng, Mandarin: 不开心). Means pissed off and not happy. |- |Buay Steady||Hokkien/English||Usually used to reply to someone whose conduct spoils the pleasure of others. A spoilsport. |- |Buay Tahan||Hokkien and Malay||Combination of the Hokkien term "buay" and Malay term "tahan". Means "unable to withstand" or colloquially "cannot stand it" |} ===C=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Chao||Hokkien/Teochew||Used to refer to foul smells. From Hokkien or Teochew 臭 (chhàu). It may also be used to describe cheating or playing foul (''Jiak Chao'') in a game. |- |Chao Keng||Hokkien||Feigning sickness or injury. Commonly used during National Service to describe recruits who pretend to be unwell to avoid participating in certain activities. Sometimes shortened to ''Keng''. |- |Chao Mugger||Hokkien||Someone who mugs a lot because he is kiasu. |- |Char Bor||Hokkien/Teochew||Girl/Woman. From Hokkien or Teochew 查某 (cha-bó). |- |Chee Bai |Hokkien |Means vagina but used mainly as a swear word. See Jibai. |- |Chee Ko Pek |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew slang for "pervert" or "dirty old man". sometimes used by children on riding an object. |- |Cheena||Peranakan/Malay||A derogatory term used to denote people exhibiting very unpolished behaviour or mannerisms, deriding their Chineseness. Basically to denote the uncultured (from an Anglophone standpoint). Also originated from the Malay spelling "Cina". |- |'Cher (Tcher)||Singlish||Corruption & abbreviation of "teacher". |- |Chicken Business||English and Cantonese||Direct translation of the Cantonese slang "做雞", which means to prostitute oneself ("chicken" is the slang term for a prostitute). |- |Chim |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "深", which means "deep". Used to describe something or a situation that is extremely hard to understand or comprehend. Variants include nouns such as chim-inology, chim-ness. |- |Chinaman |English |A crude term to call immigrants or foreign workers from the PRC. |- |Chin Chai |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "凊彩" (chhìn-chhái). When applied colloquially, it means "anything" or "whatever". Used in situations when one does not feel like making a decision and wants another to help him/her make a decision. Can also be applied to situations to do something in a half-heartedly manner. |- |Chio Bu |Hokkien |Hokkien pronunciation of 俏母 (chhiò-bú). Hokkien equivalent of "buxom woman". Used to describe a voluptuous woman but in a degraded manner. |- |Chiong||Hokkien||To rush. |- |Chiong Sua||Hokkien||Literally means "to charge up a hill”. Otherwise used as a more exaggerated form of "chiong". In National Service or the Singaporean military context, the literal meaning may be implied. |- |Chop||Singlish||Refers to stamp or seal.<ref>Tongue, R. K. (1979) ''The English of Singapore and Malaysia'', Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, p. 69.</ref> From Malay ''cap'', which is from Hindi ''छाप ćhāp'' (stamp).<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 50">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 50.</ref> |- |Chop Chop||English||Used to tell someone to do something fast. |- |Chope |Singlish |Slang for reserving a seat.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 50" /> Derived from chop; to leave a mark. Singaporeans have a habit of leaving objects on seats/tables to reserve places (usually tissue packets). Sometimes also pronounced as simply "chop". |- |Cockanaathan||Tamil||Similar meaning to "cock fella". Extreme term for useless or stupid. |- |Confirm plus Chop||Singlish||Shortened from '''"confirm plus guarantee got chop"''' To mean that you are extremely sure of something (derives from [[National Service in Singapore|National Service/Military]] situations where one needs to be absolutely sure about something; ''guarantee got chop'' denotes that the action and whatever subsequent paperwork, if any, will be approved). Basically "officially sanctioned." |- |Corright||Singlish||Shortened corruption/amalgation of the words "Correct" and "Right". To confirm that something is correct and right. |} ===D=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Dey |Tamil |To call someone in a friendly informal way. Same as "Hey!". Only to be used towards friends or someone of the same age. Example: "Dey! what are you doing?" |- |Du lan |Hokkien |A swear term that means "very pissed." Can also be used to describe someone who is very picky and who insists on following the rules literally and blindly with no accommodation for circumstances. Literally means "poke dick". |- |Double Confirm||Singlish||Confirm and reconfirm. Used to emphasize the confirmation. Also to emphasize the seriousness of the topic, 'Triple Confirm' is also used. |} ===E=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Eeyer||Malaysian Chinese||To express disgust. |- |Encik |Malay |Literally means "Mister" in Malay. When used in military context, it is used to address warrant officers in the [[Singapore Armed Forces]]. Also spelled as "encek". |- |Eye-Power||English||Sarcastic remark to describe someone who does not contribute in group work and watches while others do the work. It is also often associated with army officers who stand around doing nothing, getting things done by using their eye power and watching their subordinates. The term probably originated from the [[X-Men]] character [[Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops]] from [[Marvel Comics]]. |} ===G=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Gabra||Singlish||Used to describe confusion or disorganisation.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 92.</ref> |- |Gahmen||Singlish||Mispronunciation of the word "government"; the omitted "v" is especially common among people from Chinese-speaking backgrounds. In the modern context, it is used as substitute for the actual word when criticizing the government in written form to prevent possible legal action taken against the writer. |- |Garang||Malay||Literally means "fierce". Used to describe someone as courageous or enthusiastic. |- |Geh Geh||Hokkien||Means faking. Usually used to describe those who are hypocritical. |- |Geh Kiang ||Hokkien ||Literally means "fake smart". Making decisions quickly and rashly. Normally ends up bringing trouble. |- |Ger||Singlish||Corruption of "girl". |- |Gone-case||English||Means that one is doomed |- |Goondu||Tamil||Tamil equivalent of "idiot".<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 95.</ref> |- |Gostan||English||To reverse or go in the backward direction. Originates from the nautical phrase "go astern". |} ===H=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Hao Lian||Teochew||Slang term for "boast" or to describe someone that is narcissistic. From Teochew word “好臉 haon3 liêng2” (love to boast, show off). |- |Heng |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "幸" (hīng), which means to be lucky or fortunate. Commonly used in conjunction with "ah", i.e. "heng ah". |- |Horlan |English |Deliberate mispronunciation of "Holland". Of uncertain origin, the term is used to denote finding oneself in a far-off place, or unexpected consequence, usually unpleasant. |- |Hor Liao||Hokkien||It means done. |} ===I=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Ini Macam||Malay||"Like this" Means to be very certain. |} ===J=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Jiak||Hokkien/Teochew||Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of the Chinese term "吃" (chia̍h), which means to eat. |- |Jiak Chao||Hokkien/Teochew||Literally means to eat grass. From Hokkien or Teochew "吃草" (chia̍h chháu). It may refer to being in a situation of having no money for daily expenses (i.e. broke). It may also mean to play foul in a game (slightly different pronunciation). |- |Jiak Kantang||Hokkien and Malay||Literally means 'eat potato'. Formed by the Hokkien term "Jiak" (eat) and Malay term "Kentang" (potato). It is a pejorative term referring to pompous condescending intellectuals who are slightly more educated about Western cultures. "Eating more potato" means more westernized than being Asian (eating rice). Also refers to someone displaying a western English accent that is not authentic: referring to the sound that one would make while attempting to speak with a mouthful of potato. |- |Jiak Zua||Hokkien||Literally means 'eat snake'. Formed by Hokkien term "Jiak" (eat), "Zua" (snake). It basically means 'slacking'. |- |Jia Lat||Hokkien/Teochew||Literally means "sapping strength". Used to describe being in trouble or a terrible situation. |- |Jibai |Hokkien |Vulgar term for the female sexual organ; or the English equivalent of 'cunt'. Also a general negative expletive/interjection in colloquial speech. Alternatively spelled "chee bye", "ci bai", or "chee bai" (abbreviates to "cb" in digital communication). |- |Jibra||Singlish||Corruption of "zebra". |- |Jilo||Singlish||Corruption of "zero". Also pronounced "zilo" or "jiro". |} ===K=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Kampung||Malay||Means "village". Sometimes spelt as "kampong".<ref name="Wee, Lionel 1998 pp. 175-200">Wee, Lionel (1998) 'The lexicon of Singapore English'. In J. A. Foley et al. (eds.) ''English in New Cultural Contexts: Reflections from Singapore'', Singapore: Singapore Institute of Management/Oxford University Press, pp. 175-200.</ref><ref>Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 75.</ref> |- |Kar Chng||Hokkien/Teochew||Buttocks. From Hokkien or Teochew "尻川" (kha-chhng). |- |Kar Pak||Singlish||Parking Lot (Car Park). |- |Kaypoh||Cantonese||Hokkien transliteration of the Chinese slang term "雞婆" (ke-pô), which refers to a busybody.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 121.</ref> Sometimes abbreviated to "kpo". |- |- |Kayu |Malay |Traditionally used to accuse that soccer matches have been fixed with shouts of "referee kayu" or soccer fans (i.e., that the referee was so blind to foul play from the opposing team by refusing to penalize them that he might as well have been a block of wood). Also used to describe lack of spontaneity or wooden behaviour. (Lit. "wood") |- |Kee Siao||Hokkien||To go mad. Usually, this phrase is used in the context of scolding people. |- |Kena||Malay||Means to be afflicted with or to suffer from something.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 123">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 123.</ref> Also pronounced as "kana" or spelled as "gena/genna/kenna". |- |Kena Sai||Malay and Hokkien||A pejorative term in which "kena" means to be afflicted with and "sai" (屎) means "shit". Means to "get into deep shit" or get into deep trouble. When "kena" is in this context it is more often pronounced as "kana sai". |- |Kenz |Malay |Short form of Kena. |- |Kiam |Hokkien/Teochew |Transliteration of the Chinese term "咸" (kiâm) which literally means "salty". Also used to describe a stingy person. |- |[[wikt:kiasi|Kiasi]] |Hokkien |Literally means to be afraid of dying (怕死). Used in the same manner as "kiasu". Transliteration of the Chinese term "惊死". |- |[[Kiasu]]||Hokkien/Teochew||Literally means to be afraid of losing (怕输). Transliteration of the Chinese term "惊输".<ref name="Wee, Lionel 1998 pp. 175-200" /><ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 123" /> |- |Kilat |Malay |Means "excellent". Commonly used in the military. (Lit. "shining") |- |Kopi||Singlish||Coffee. Below is a list of the most common coffee orders in Singapore:<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://epicureandculture.com/an-introduction-to-singaporean-kopi-culture/|title = An Introduction to Singaporean Kopi Culture|date = 13 Jun 2013|access-date = 25 Jan 2016|website = Epicure & Culture|publisher = |last = Zienchuk|first = Judi}}</ref> Kopi: The most popular mix of coffee with sweetened condensed milk Kopi Gau: A strong brew of coffee Kopi Poh: A weak brew of coffee Kopi Kosong: Substitutes condensed for evaporated milk Kopi-C: Coffee with evaporated milk and sugar (most similar to a “regular” western coffee) Kopi-O: Coffee with sugar but no milk Kopi Peng: Iced coffee These terms can be combined together. For example, a strong iced coffee with evaporated milk and sugar would be called “kopi-c gau peng.” |- |Kopitiam||Malay and Hokkien||Literally means "coffee shop". "coffee shop" in Singapore refers to "food centre". From Hokkien 咖啡店 (ka-pi-thìam). |- |Kiam pa||Hokkien|| Directly translated - Asking for (kiam) a beating (pa). Used to say that (the appearance or actions of) an individual evokes a desire to physically hit them. |- |Ku Ku Jiao||Singlish||Crude term. Refers to the male genitalia. Also "ku ku bird". |} ===L=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Lah||Singlish||Tagged at the end of a sentence as an exclamation but pronounced differently in questions.<ref>Richards, Jack C. and Tay, Mary W. J. (1977) 'The la particle in Singapore English', in William Crewe (ed.), ''The English Language in Singapore'', Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, pp. 141–56.</ref><ref>Deterding, David and Low Ee Ling (2003) 'A corpus-based description of particles in spoken Singapore English', in David Deterding, Low Ee Ling and Adam Brown (eds.), ''English in Singapore: Research on Grammar'', Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia), pp. 58–66.</ref><ref>Wee, Lionel (2004) 'Redupliation and discourse particles'. In Lisa Lim (ed.) ''Singapore English: A Grammatical Description'', Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 105-126.</ref> Used mainly at the end of both phrases and sentences. Most speakers prefer "ah" at the end of questions. |- |Lan Jiao||Hokkien/Teochew||Chinese transliteration of 卵鳥 (lān-chiáu). Means guy's private part (crude). |- |Lao Lan||Singlish||See "Xia Lan". |- |Lao Sai||Hokkien/Teochew||Chinese transliteration of 拉屎. Means diarrhoea. |- |La Sai |Singlish |Means to "stir shit" i.e. create trouble. |- |Leh||Singlish||Written 叻. Tagged at the end of a sentence in a similar manner as "lah". Used to emphasize the sentence. |- |Lepak||Malay||Has the same meaning as relaxing, for example "Let's go lepak one corner." |- |Liao||Hokkien/Chinese||Means "already" or "over", or generally indicates the past tense. Sometimes used as a substitute for the "already" used in Singlish, especially by Chinese-speaking people. Chinese transliteration of 了 (liáo). Sometimes also pronounced as the Mandarin "le" (light tone) by Chinese speakers. |- |Lombang||Hokkien/Chinese||Pronounced with a round "o" ("lomh-bang") is from Malay "tumpang" which means "to hitch a ride". May also be pronounced and written as "lobang". |- |Lor||Singlish||Tagged at the end of a sentence in a similar manner as "lah". Used to emphasize and indicate that what was said should be obvious to the listener, self-evident or to express inevitability. |} ===M=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Macam||Malay||Like; Means to resemble something. |- |- |Mah |Mandarin |Usually tagged at the end of a sentence to seek agreement or argue a point. For example, "Cannot like that, mah." |- |Makan||Malay||To eat.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 135.</ref> |- |Malu||Malay||Embarrassing; Usually used when one makes a fool of him/herself. |- |Mampat||Malay||Tight/firm. Usually referring to a woman's posterior or clothing. |- |Masak-Masak||Malay||Child's play. "Masak" by itself refers to cooking. |- |Mati |Malay |Literally means to die. "Die" in the Singapore context means to be doomed. |- |Mata||Malay||Literally means "eye". Used as a reference to the police. |- |Meh||Cantonese /Chinese||Usually tagged at the end of a negative question to indicate someone is exploiting a possible loophole as in "Mata said cannot park here but I'm parking over there. Cannot, meh?" Or to (somewhat derisively) indicate capabilities heretofore unknown as in "Just because you never see me running, you think I cannot, meh?" From Cantonese [[wiktionary:咩|咩]] ''me1''. |- |Mong Cha Cha||Cantonese||To behave in a "blur" manner and be unaware of what is going on around. From Cantonese [[wiktionary:矇查查|矇查查]] ''mung4 caa4 caa4''. |- |Mug||English||To cram (for academic tests). Used interchangeably with/instead of the word "study". |} ===N=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Neh Neh Pok||Hokkien||Neh Neh (奶奶) is commonly used to refer to a woman's chest or 'breasts'. Pok (撲) refers to the "bump" on the breasts, thus Neh Neh Pok refers to the nipples. |- |Ngeow |Hokkien/Teochew |Literally means "cat". Transliteration of Chinese 貓 (niau). Used to describe someone who is overly meticulous or tries to find fault in everything. Can also be used to refer to someone stingy.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 147.</ref> |- |Nia||Teochew||Common used to depict the meaning of "only". It is of a belittling tone. |- |Nia Gong||Teochew||Direct Translation of "your grandfather". |- |Nia Gong De Ji Dan||Hokkien/Teochew||Direct Translation of "your grandfather's egg". |} ===O=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |O$P$ |Singlish |"Owe Money Pay Money". Used in threats from loan-sharks who would usually scrawl this in markers or spray paint outside debtors' units. An English translation of the Chinese expression 欠钱还钱. |- |Obasan |Japanese |Used to describe someone sloppily dressed and out of fashion. Usually women in an old faded T-shirts and cheap shorts carrying a plastic bag. |- |Obiang||Unknown (Possibly Hokkien or Malay)||Used to describe someone or something that is desperately out of fashion. Other variations include "orbit". |- |- |Orbi||Unknown||May be used as a single term or combined to form "orbi kwek" or "orbi good", which means "serves you right". |- |ORD||English||Short-form of "Operationally Ready Date", which refers to the date on which a National Serviceman completes his full-time stint of National Service. And what older National Servicemen called their "ROD" or "Run Out Date." |- |ORD loh||Singlish||Army slang. An exclaim made by servicemen close to completing his two-year mandatory service term in the army to provoke jokingly his counterparts who have yet to see the end of their service terms. |- |Orh||English||Shortened from okay, meaning yes, understood. |- |Orh Hor||Singlish||Used when someone has done something wrong, and will now be in trouble. |} ===P=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Pai Kia |Teochew |Teochew slang for "hooligan" or "gangster". Literally means "bad kid". From Teochew 歹囝(pháiⁿ-kiáⁿ). Commonly used to scold kids who doesn't appreciate their parents. |- |Pai Seh |Hokkien |Means to be embarrassed. Usually used as an apology after making an embarrassing mistake. From Hokkien 歹勢 (pháiⁿ-sè). |- |Pak Zam |Hokkien/Teochew |Literally means "needle injection". Used to describe something faulty or not usable. |- |Pak Tor |Cantonese |Dialect pronunciation of the Chinese slang term "拍拖", which means to go on a date. Colloquially refers to general physical intimacy. |- ||Pang Chance||Hokkien/Teochew||To give chance. |- ||Pang Sai||Hokkien/Teochew||To shit. Chinese transliteration of "放屎" (pàng-sái). |- |Pang Seh |Hokkien |Hokkien slang for "to be stood up" (at an appointment), or cancelled upon at the last minute. Not to be confused with 'pang sai', which means 'to defecate'. |- |Pang Jio||Hokkien/Teochew||Meaning to "pee" or "pass urine" |- |Pariah||Tamil||Used to describe something unsightly or disgusting. Used to describe the lowest and most unsightly caste (gravediggers and sewerage in Ancient India). In modern times, it is also used to describe something or someone of low quality. |- |Pasar Malam||Malay||Refers to the night markets.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 158.</ref><ref>Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 76.</ref> |- |Photostat||English||Photocopy. |- |Pia||Hokkien/Teochew||To work hard at something, or to rush something (such as homework). From Hokkien word "拼 piànn“ |- |Piak Piak||Hokkien||To have sexual intercourse. |- |Place||English||Refers to a person's place of residence (e.g. "You want to come to my place (house) and sleep over tonight?") |- |Pok Kai |Cantonese |Means to go broke. Also used to curse people. Lit. "to fall into the street" where the dispossessed are tossed into the street. Not normally used as a general expletive as in Cantonese-speaking societies like Hong Kong. |- |Pon||Malay||Short form of "ponteng". To play truant (e.g. "Want pon school today?"). |- |Power||English||Usually means to praise someone or something. |- |PRC||English||Refers to a Chinese national (abbreviation of "People's Republic of China"). Often used disparagingly. |- |} ===Q=== ===R=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Rabak||Malay||To give you very jialat. |- |Rabz |Malay |Short form of Rabak. |- |Return||English||To give back. Direct translation from the Chinese phrase. |- |Revert||English||To reply. Often used in email and text messages. |} ===S=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Sabo||Singlish||Short form of the English word "Sabotage" with a related meaning of "getting someone else in trouble" |- |Sakar |Malay |To flatter, to lick one's boots. Derived from Malay meaning 'sugar', which may have been derived from Hindi 'sakar' or 'Sakkar' meaning 'sugar' and 'sweet words', and ultimately from Persian 'shakar' meaning 'sugar', 'sweet'. |- |Saman||Malay||Used for traffic summons. Derived from the English word [[summons]]. (Lit. "to fine/summon") |- |Sampat |Hokkien |Mainly used to describe a woman who is a combination of almost all the following: bimbo/ muppet/ uneducated/ crazy/ half-cooked/ short-circuit in the head. Can also use on some men. Can also call them 13 O'clock. |- |Sam Seng||Cantonese and Hokkien/Teochew||Or Sam Seng Kia (三牲囝, saⁿ-seng-kiáⁿ) - gangster. From Chinese term 三牲 (Hokkien/Teochew saⁿ-seng). |- |Sargen||Singlish||Corruption of "sergeant". |- |Sei |Hokkien |Steady. |- |See first |Singlish |A short form of "wait and see what happens; we’ll see." Most often used when procrastinating and putting off plans to be considered later. A variant of this phrase is "see how first". |- |Sekali||Malay|| Lest, what if. Pronounced SCAR-ly. |- |Send||Singlish||To bring someone somewhere "I will send you to the airport". |- |Shame Shame||Singlish||Childish slang meaning of "very disgraceful" or "embarrassing". |- |Shiok||Malay|| To have enjoyed what you just did. |- |Showflat||English||An event held by an estate agency that spans several weeks to promote a housing project, usually condominiums. |- |Sia||Malay||An exclamation. |- |[[wikt:siam|Siam]]||Hokkien/Teochew||"Get out of the way!" Considered rude but effective. From Hokkien term 闪 (siám). |- |Sian/Sien||Hokkien/Teochew||Bored, tired, or sick of something.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 195</ref> From Hokkien (siān).<ref>[http://twblg.dict.edu.tw/holodict/fontPics/8CB5._104_1.gif Hanji character]</ref> |- |Siao||Hokkien/Teochew||Refers to either "crazy" in response to a silly suggestion or an offensive term used to address a friend. From Hokkien or Teochew word "siáu 嬲". Also refers to somebody who is a fanatic. "He Siao bicycles" is saying that someone is crazy about bicycles. |- |Sibeh||Teochew||Similar to "very". Originated from Teochew word 死爸 (si2-bê6) (literally a curse vulgar word meaning "dead father"). Interchangeably used in Singaporean Hokkien and Singlish. |- |Si Mi||Hokkien||"What?" From Hokkien term 甚物 (sím-mi̍h) (may also be written as 啥物 or 啥咪). Mandarin equivalent of 什么. |- |Si Mi Lan Jiao||Hokkien||A much more derogatory term of "What's up?" Literally means "What's up dickhead?" |- |Si Mi Tai Dzi||Hokkien||"Si Mi" is translated from Chinese's 甚物 and means "What" and when added to "Tai Dzi" (代誌). It means "What's up?" |- |Sod||Cantonese/English||Used to express a machine, person, or object that has gone mental or haywire. Localization of the word "short" from English term "short circuit". |- |Song||Hokkien/Cantonese|| Used to express pleasure. Lit. "refreshing". From Hokkien/Cantonese 爽 (sóng). Same meaning as Shiok. |- |Sotong||Malay||Forgetful or not knowing what is going on. Lit. "squid". Spineless or without principles, like the cuttlefish. |- |Spoil||Singlish||Broken down. |- |Stay||Singlish||Live (reside) "I stay in Ang Mo Kio". Direct translation from the Malay ''tinggal''. |- |Step||Singlish||Acting as if (person) "Eh, Don't step Ah Beng". |- |Stun||Singlish||To steal. See: Cope. Can be used as part of "Gostan". See: Gostan |- |Suay |Hokkien/Teochew |Unlucky.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 215.</ref> From Hokkien or Teochew 衰 (soe). |- |Suku||Malay/Teochew||Meaning of "silly" or "foolish" |- |Sui |Hokkien |Means either: (1) nicely/just right/perfect, or (2): Clean, neat & tidy. Written as 美 in Chinese, and may also be written as "swee". |- |Swaku||Hokkien||Not well informed or backward; a country bumpkin. From Hokkien 山龟 (soaⁿ-ku; lit. "mountain tortoise"). |} ===T=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Tahan |Malay |Handle/tolerate, commonly used as 'I cannot tahan' meaning 'I can't bear it". |- |Tai Ko (also spelled "tyco") |Hokkien |Lucky (only used sarcastically). Literally "leper". |- |Tak Boleh||Malay||Cannot. |- |Tak Boleh Tahan||Malay||Literally means, cannot endure. Used when someone is suffering from pain, or when you couldn't wait upon something. |- |[[wikt:talk cock|Talk Cock]]/Tok Kok |Singlish |Vulgarity meaning of talking nonsense/senselessly and gibberish or engage in idle banter. Probably originated from the English expression "[[cock and bull story]]" or its equivalent, talking "[[gibberish]]" — English slang for talking nonsense. |- |Tan Ku Ku||Hokkien||directly means 'wait long long' Hokkien phrase meaning "Forget it, it won't happen". |- |Ta Pau |Cantonese |Take away (used only when cooked food is concerned). From the Cantonese word 打包 (da bao). |- |Tau Pok||Chinese||Literally means 'fried tofu'. By students who throw themselves on one another in a pile, usually for fun or to bully. Special cases with vertical tau pok where a person gets squashed against a vertical object, found in MRTs on a crowded day. |- |Teh |Malay |Tea. Refer to "Kopi/Coffee" for more information about the different types of orders for tea and coffee common in Singapore. |- |Tekan||Malay||Bully/Torture/Put under pressure. Military slang for punishments. |- |Terbalik/Tembalik||Malay||Opposite/Upside-Down/Inside-Out. Also pronounced "dom-ba-lek". |- |[[wikt:tiam|Thiam]]/Diam||Hokkien/Malay||If used as an imperative, a very rude way of saying "shut up!" or "please be quiet" But it literally means "quiet" and can be used as in "Doing guard duty on holidays is very sian but also very diam since nobody is here." |- |Tio||Hokkien/Teochew||To get. (Synonym: "kena" though it is used in different but overlapping contexts). Usually used as a verb (e.g. "He tio scolded by teacher" or "The car owner tio saman"). Also means to accurately choose something: "He always play 4D and this time he tio so he won big jackpot." From the Hokkien word 著 "tio̍h", equivalent to Mandarin 中 "zhong4". |- |Toot||Singlish||Stupid/silly [person]. |} ===U=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Ulu |Malay |Used to describe a rural or remote area or country bumpkin.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 229.</ref> Commonly found in road names around Singapore as well (e.g. Ulu Pandan). |- |Un||Unknown||Abbreviation for understand. |- |Understooded||English||Corruption of understood. |- |Uncle||Singlish||Used as a generic title for males who are middle-aged or older, especially those who are not well acquainted.<ref>Tongue, R. K. (1979) ''The Engish of Singapore and Malaysia'', Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, p. 68.</ref> Similarly to [[#A|auntie]], used by young children to denote respect for a female adult :Also used to describe a younger person who behaves/dresses in an uncool/unfashionable manner. |} ===V=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Very the||Singlish||Singlish phrase emphasising 'very', directly transliterated from the Chinese 非常的 (fēi cháng de), which means the same. Usually employed with a clearly sarcastic tone. |} ===W=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Wah Lao (Eh) / Wah Piang / Wah Seh / Wah Kao ||Hokkien/Teochew||Exclamation of shock. From the Hokkien phrase 哇塞 ("wah seh"). |- |Wah Lan||Hokkien/Teochew||Crude derivative of "Wah Lau". Literally "Oh, my penis" |- |Wayang||Malay||Literal for puppetry, theatrical. Means "acting" or "for show". |- |White Horse||English||The son of a government official and/or other influential person. The term is derived from the drawing of a white horse that used to appear at the bottom left hand corner of the computer screen displaying patient information when said scion visits his camp's Medical Officer. |- |Womit||Singlish||Mispronunciation of "vomit". |- |World||Singlish||Nonsense, Bullshit. |} ===X=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- | Xia Lan ||Hokkien|| Arrogant; egoistic; pretentious. |- | Xia Suay ||Hokkien/Teochew|| Disgrace; embarrassment. Unlucky. |} ===Y=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Yandao |Hokkien |A handsome male. Transliteration of Hokkien term "緣投" (iân-tâu). |- |Your Head||Singlish||Mild curse used to disabuse someone of his or her erroneous assumption. Directly transliterated from Chinese "你的头". Often used in conjunction with the word "ah", i.e. "your head ah". |} ===Z=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Zai||Hokkien||to be very good in something. From Hokkien 才 （tsâi）. |- |Zhun||Hokkien/Teochew||Means accurate. From Hokkien 準 (chún). |- |Zhun Bo||Hokkien/Teochew||From Hokkien 準無 (chún-bô). Literally means accurate or not. Means "Are you sure or not?" |- |Zi siao||Hokkien||means to disturb, ridicule or tease. From Hokkien term 恥笑 (thí-siâu). |} ===Food and beverages=== {{See also|Cuisine of Singapore}} Singlish is prominently used in local coffee shops, or ''[[Kopi tiam|kopitiams]]'' (the word is obtained by combining the Malay word for coffee and the Hokkien word for shop), and other eateries. Local names of many food and drink items have become Singlish and consist of words from different languages and are indicative of the multi-racial society in Singapore. For example, ''teh'' is the Malay word for ''tea'' which itself originated from [[Hokkien (dialect)|Hokkien]], ''peng'' is the Hokkien word for ''ice'', ''kosong'' is the Malay word for ''zero'' to indicate no sugar, and ''C'' refers to ''[[Carnation (trademark)|Carnation]]'', a brand of [[evaporated milk]]. ====Food==== Names of common local dishes in Singapore hawker centres are usually referred to in local dialect or language. However, as there are no English words for certain food items, the dialect terms used for them have slowly evolved into part of the Singlish vocabulary. Ordering in Singlish is widely understood by the hawkers. Some examples of food items which have become part of Singlish: {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Char Kway Teow || (Hokkien/Teochew)|| Fried flat rice noodles with bean sprouts, Chinese sausages, eggs and cockles, in black sweet sauce, with or without chilli. |- |[[Chwee kueh]] || (Teochew; 水粿)|| cup shaped steamed [[rice flour]] cakes topped with preserved vegetables (usually radish) and served with or without chilli |- |Hokkien char mee ||(Hokkien/Fujian fried noodles; 福建炒麺) || Refers to the Kuala Lumpur Hokkien noodle. It is a dish of thick yellow noodles braised in thick dark soy sauce with pork, squid, fish cake and cabbage as the main ingredients and cubes of pork fat fried until crispy. |- |Hokkien hae mee ||(Hokkien/Fujian prawn noodles; 福建蝦麺) || Refers to either the Penang prawn noodle or Singapore prawn noodle. Soup-based (Penang) and stir-fried (Singapore). Egg noodles and rice noodles with no dark soya sauce used. Prawn is the main ingredient with slices of chicken or pork, squid and fish cake. Kang Kong (water spinach) is common in the Penang version |- |Ice Kacang || || Crushed ice with flavoured liquids poured into them. Beans and jelly are usually added as well. |- |Kaya || (Malay)|| Local jam mixture made of coconut, sugar and egg of Straits Chinese origins |- |Roti-Kaya || (Malay) || Toasted bread with Kaya |- |Mee Goreng || (Chinese/Malay) ||Malay fried noodles |- |Otah|| (Malay) ||Fish paste wrapped in banana leaf or coconut leaves and cooked over a charcoal fire. South East Asian influence - you can find similar versions in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia |- |[[Popiah]]|| (Hokkien)|| Chinese spring rolls (non fried). Various condiments and vegetables wrapped in a flour skin with sweet flour sauce. Condiments can be varied, but the common ones include turnip, bamboo shoots, lettuce, Chinese sausage, prawns, bean sprouts, garlic and peanut. Origins from China. Hokkien and Straits Chinese (Nonya) popiah are the main versions. |- |Rojak || (Malay)|| local salad of Malay origins. Mixture of sliced cucumber, pineapple, turnip, dried beancurd, Chinese doughsticks, bean sprouts with prawn paste, sugar, lotus buds and assam (tamarind). |- |Roti John || (Malay/English) ||Indian version of western hamburger consisting of two halves of French loaves fried with egg and minced beef/mutton. Colonial origins. |- |Tze Char || (Hokkien; 煮炒, POJ chí-chhá) ||Literally means cook and fry. General term for food served by mini restaurants in local hawker stalls serving restaurant style Chinese dishes, like fried noodles, sweet and sour pork, claypot tofu etc. |} ====Beverages==== =====Types of tea===== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Teh || (Hokkien/Malay)|| Tea (from Hokkien word "茶 tê“） |- |Teh-O || (Hokkien) ||Tea without milk but instead with sugar. From Hokkien 茶烏 (tê-o) (literally means "black tea") |- |Teh-O-ice-limau || (Hokkien-English-Malay) ||Home brewed iced lemon tea |- |Teh-C || (Hokkien/Hainanese) ||Tea with evaporated milk. The ''C'' refers to the evaporated milk, derived from Hainanese "See"/"Xi" which sounds like alphabet "C", in hainanese "See Gu-Nin" refers to Evaporated or Fresh ("See/C") Milk ("Gu-Nin") e.g. King of Kings or Carnation as many Coffeeshops and related businesses are operated by Hainanese people in earlier days and even today. |- |Teh-cino ||(Hokkien/Roman alphabet) || Milk layered with tea on top (similar to [[latte macchiato]]), though its name hints towards a tea version of cappuccino. |- |Teh-Peng || (Hokkien) ||Iced milk tea sweetened with condensed milk. From Hokkien 茶冰 (tê-peng). |- |Teh-Poh || (Hokkien) || Weak or thin tea. From Hokkien 茶薄 （tê-po̍h）. |- |Teh-kosong || || Plain Tea. |- |Teh-kah-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Milk tea sweetened with condensed milk, with more sugar. |- |Teh-siu-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Milk tea sweetened with condensed milk, with less sugar. |- |Teh-pua seo ||Hokkien|| Luke-Warmed tea. From Hokkien 茶半燒 (tê puànn-sio） |- |Teh-O-kah-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Tea with more sugar. |- |Teh-O-siu-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Tea with less sugar |- |Teh-C-kah-dai ||Hokkien/Hainanese/Foochow|| Milk tea with more sugar. |- |Teh-C-siu-dai ||Hokkien/Hainanese/Foochow|| Milk tea with less sugar. |- |Teh-packet or Teh-pao ||Hokkien || Tea to go. From Hokkien 茶包 (tê pau） |- |[[Teh tarik|Teh-Tarik]] || Hokkien/Malay || 'Pulled' tea with milk, a Malay specialty. |- |[[Teh halia|Teh-Halia]] || || Tea with ginger extract. |- |Teh-Halia Tarik || || Pulled tea with milk (tarik) and Ginger |} =====Types of coffee===== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Kopi||Malay/Hokkien|| (Hokkien/Malay) Coffee. Originated from Hokkien word 咖啡 (ka-pi） |- |Kopi-O ||Malay/Hokkien|| Coffee without milk. From Hokkien 咖啡烏 (ka-pi-o) [literally "black coffee"] |- |Kopi-C ||Malay/Hainanese|| Coffee with evaporated milk. The ''C'' refers to the evaporated milk, derived from Hainanese "See"/"Xi" which sounds like alphabet "C", in hainanese "See Gu-Nin" refers to Evaporated or Fresh ("See/C") Milk ("Gu-Nin") e.g. King of Kings or Carnation as many Coffeeshops and related businesses are operated by Hainanese people in earlier days and even today. |- |Kopi-Peng ||Malay/Hokkien ||Coffee with ice. From Hokkien 咖啡冰 (ka-pi-peng). |- |Kopi-packet or Kopi-pao ||Malay/Hokkien || Coffee to go. From Hokkien 咖啡包 (ka-pi-pau) |- |Kopi-pua seo || Malay/Hokkien || Luke-Warmed coffee. From Hokkien 咖啡半燒 (ka-pi-pua-sio) |- |Kopi-gao ||Malay/Hokkien || Thick coffee. From Hokkien 咖啡厚(ka-pi kāu) |- |Kopi-poh ||Malay/Hokkien || Weak or thin coffee. From Hokkien 咖啡薄 (ka-pi-poh) |- |Kopi-kosong || || Plain coffee. |- |Kopi-kah-dai ||Malay/Foochow|| Coffee with more sugar. |- |Kopi-siu-dai ||Malay/Foochow|| Coffee with less sugar. |} =====Other beverages===== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Bandung (drink) || (Malay) ||Rose syrup-milk drink, of Indian origins. (Goat's milk was used in the old days) |- |Ice kosong || (English-Malay) ||Iced water |- |Horlick-dinosaur || || Iced [[Horlicks]] with extra scoop of Horlicks powder on top |- |Horlick-sio || || Hot Horlicks |- |Horlick-peng || || Iced Horlicks |- |Milo-sio || || Hot [[Nestlé Milo|Milo]]. |- |[[Milo dinosaur]] || || Iced Milo with extra scoop of undissolved Milo powder on top |- |Milo-Peng || || Iced Milo |- |Tak Kiu || (Hokkien) ||literally means ''football'' or ''soccer'') Milo; Nestlé Milo often uses soccer and other sports as the theme of its advertisement. |- |Tak Kiu-Peng || || Iced Milo |- |Tiau Herr || (Hokkien; literally means ''fishing'')|| Tea with the tea bag. Reference to dipping of tea bag. From Hokkien 釣魚 (tiò-hî). |} The above list is not complete; for example, one can add the "-peng" suffix (meaning "iced") to form other variations such as ''Teh-C-peng'' (tea with evaporated milk and ice) which is a popular drink considering Singapore's warm weather. ===English words with different meanings in Singlish=== {| class="wikitable" !width=15%|Word||width=10%|Meaning||width=75%|Example/comment |-\ |follow||- ''to come along/accompany'' or to understand' <ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 pp. 85-6">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, pp. 85-6</ref> || "Can follow anot?" |- |having here || ''to eat in at a restaurant''|| The antonym is "take away" or "tah-bao". Used by fast-food restaurant counter staff as in, "Having here or take away?" (Are you eating in here or do you want to have it for take-away?) |- |help, lah || ''please, do lend me a hand by desisting from whatever it is you are doing; help me out here'' || "Help lah, stop hitting on my sister"'' |- |last time || ''previously, in the past''<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 128">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 128.</ref> || "I last time want to go Africa, but now don't know 'ready."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 80">Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 80.</ref> |- |lightbulb || ''an unwelcome companion in a couple; a third wheel'' || Originates from colloquial Cantonese term 電燈膽 (''lit: electric light bulb''). "You two go ahead lah, I don't want to be lightbulb." |- |mug || ''to study'' || Derived from British 'mug up'. Common expression amongst all students. Instead of 'He's mugging ''up''...', locally used as 'He's mugging ''for''...' |- |smug || ''to study (SMU students)'' || The term smugging or smugger refers to mugging by SMU students. Derived from SMU and mugger. |-confused with the Americanism, meaning [[Mugging|assault with intent to rob]]). |marketing || ''going to the market or shops to buy food'' || Rare expression."My dad may help in the marketing side, by going to the market to get some things."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 81">Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 81.</ref> |- |never || ''did not'' || "you never tell me"'' |- |next time || ''in the future''|| "Next time when you get married, you'll know how to cook."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 80"/> |- |on, off || ''to switch on/off'' || "I on the TV"'' |- |on ah || ''It's settled then?''|| |- |open || ''to turn on something'' || "I open the light."<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 154.</ref> (Derived from Chinese, which uses the verb "to open" in this manner. Use of "open" to mean "turn on" is limited to electric appliances.) |- |pass up || ''to hand in'' || "Pass up your homework"''. Although once common, usage is now discouraged in schools. |- |revert || ''to get back'' (commonly used in business emails) || "Please revert your decision to us" doesn't mean "Please change your decision", but rather "Please get back to us with your decision". |- |send || ''to take (i.e. drive) somebody somewhere''|| "She gets her maid to send the boy in a cab."<ref>Deterding, David (2000) 'Potential influences of English on the written English of Singapore'. In Adam Brown (ed.) ''English in Southeast Asia 99: Proceedings of the 'English in Southeast Asia' conference held at NIE Singapore'', Singapore: National Institute of Education, pp. 201-209.</ref> |- |solid/steady || ''capable; excellent''|| "Solid sia, that movie." See also "Kilat" |- |sabo || ''to play a trick on someone''|| Short for "sabotage", but with an everyday usage.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, pp. 187</ref> - "Because he sabo me, now boss mad at me!" |- |stay || ''to live (in a place)''.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 211.</ref>|| From Malay "tinggal". - "My grandmother, my aunt and uncle also stay next door."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 81"/> |- |steady || ''attached'' (in relationships) '''OR''' ''agreeing over something, usually over an appointment'' || "Eh u two steady liao ah?", "Today, come 3 o'clock? Steady." :- ''cool, capable'' (to praise integrity or strength) - "Wa you sick also turn up for work ah? Steady!" |- |stone || ''to space out''; to do nothing|| - BAKED |- |take || ''to eat; to have a meal''<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 217</ref> || "Have you taken your lunch? I don't take pork." |- |tok kok || ''(talk cock)'' || Probably from the English "cock and bull story". Talking senselessly/rubbish; "Don't tok kok lah!" |- |earpiece||''Earphones/headphones''|| In standard English it is used by handphone/mobile phone manufacturers to refer to the little speaker above your phone screen that you use to listen to a caller, but in Singlish it refers to a pair of earphones or headphones. Can be used as in, "Ah boy, don't wear your earpiece while crossing the road!" (Boy, don't use your earphones/headphones while crossing the road.) |} ===Expressions=== {| class="wikitable" !width=15%|Term||width=75%|Definition |-\ |Blur like sotong || literally blur like a squid. To be extremely clueless. Squids squirt ink as a self-defence mechanism to get away. The ink makes it hard to see, thus "blur". - "Wah! You damn blur leh! Liddat also dunno!" |- |Don't fly my kite/aeroplane || Rare expression. A Singlish expression which means 'Do not go back on your word' or 'Do not stand me up' |- |Don't play play! || Uncommon expression, popularised by the local comedy series Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd. Used only to evoke humour. Means 'Don't fool around' or 'Better take things seriously' |- |Got problem ah? || an aggressive, instigatory challenge. Or an expression of annoyance when someone is disturbed. 'Do you have a problem?' |- |He still small boy one || a remark (Often offensive) made against someone who is not of a legally median age allowed by the law. Or expression used to excuse someone because he is either immature or still too young to know the difference. |- |Issit/Izzit? || Abbreviated form of "is it?" used as a standard [[tag question]]. E.g.: You going home now issit? E.g.: You not going home issit? E.g.: Someone comments: "You look good today." Answer: "Issit??" |- |Last time policemen wear shorts! || a retort made to someone who refers to how policies were made in the past. Or in response to something which is passe. Or to brush aside old references or nostalgia. Direct reference to the British colonial police forces who wore three-quarter khaki pants in the 1950s and 60's. |- |Liddat oso can!? || (English - Like that also can?) In response to feats of achievement or actions which are almost impossible, or unexpected. Usually with tinge of awe, sarcasm or scepticism. |- |My England not powderful! || (English - My English is not powerful (good)) Uncommon expression, used only to evoke humour. Literally means 'My English is not good'. |- |no fish prawn oso can || ''accepting a lesser alternative'' (From the Hokkien idiom "bo hir hay mah hoh." literally translates as "no fish, prawns also ok" -) |- |Not happy, talk outside! || Used as a challenge to a fight to settle an argument, by taking it outside. (Hokkien: Ow buay gong (settle it at the back/alley way)) |- |No horse run! || (Hokkien - 無馬走, POJ ''bô bé cháu'') Original Hokkien expression used in horse racing jargon to describe a champion horse which is way ahead of the field. Used to describe things (food usually) which are ahead of its peers. |- |On lah!/On!/Set! || "It's on!"; expression used to voice enthusiastic agreement or confirmation (of an arranged meeting, event etc.) |- |Relak lah! || (Malay-English for Relax) Expression used to ask someone to chill, cool it. 'Relak one corner' means to skive, or to literally go chill out in one corner. |- |..then you know! || Expression used at the back of a sentence to emphasise consequence of not heeding advice. 'Tell you not to park double yellow line, kena summon then you know!' |- |Why you so liddat ar? || (English - Why are you so "like that"?) 'an appeal made to someone who is being unreasonable.' |- |You thought, he think, who confirm? || army expression used during organisational foul ups. Generally used as a response to "I thought..." when something goes wrong. |- |You think, I thought, who confirm? || army expression used in uncertainty during questioning. Generally used as a response to "I think..." when a higher ranking abuses someone of a lower rank, which is a norm in the nation's army. |- |You want 10 cent? || Means to "buzz off!" Refers to public phones that require 10 cents per call. |- |Your grandfather's place/road ah?, Your father own this place/road? || Used to cut someone down to size in terms of their obnoxious boorish behaviour, behaving as if they owned the place. |- |You play where one? || Used to challenge someone to state his gang affiliations (if any) |} ==See also== *[[List of Singapore abbreviations]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} == References == *Ho, Mian Lian and Platt, John Talbot (1993). ''Dynamics of a contact continuum: Singapore English''. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-824828-8. *Lim, Lisa (2004). ''Singapore English: a grammatical description''. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins. ISBN 1-58811-576-3. *Newbrook, Mark (1987). ''Aspects of the syntax of educated Singaporean English: attitudes, beliefs, and usage''. Frankfurt am Main; New York: P. Lang. ISBN 3-8204-9886-9. *Platt, John Talbot and Weber, Heidi (1980). ''English in Singapore and Malaysia: status, features, functions''. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-580438-4. ==External links== *[http://www.talkingcock.com/html/lexec.php? The Coxford Singlish Dictionary @ Talkingcock.com] *[http://www.singlishdictionary.com A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English] *[http://videoweb.nie.edu.sg/phonetic/papers/chin-infl-on-eng.html Potential influences of Chinese on English] *[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Good-Singlish-Movement/152213451475413 Singapore Speak Good Singlish Movement] {{DEFAULTSORT:Singlish Vocabulary}} [[Category:Lexis (linguistics)]] [[Category:Singaporean culture-related lists]] [[Category:Singlish| ]] [[Category:Slang by nationality]]'
new_wikitext)''''[[Singlish]]''' is the English-based [[creole language|creole]] or [[patois]] spoken colloquially in [[Singapore]]. Although English is the [[lexifier|lexifier language]], Singlish has its unique [[slang]] and [[syntax]], which are more pronounced in informal speech. It is usually a mixture of English, Mandarin, Tamil, Malay, and other local dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese or Teochew. ==Word origins== Singlish vocabulary formally takes after [[British English]] (in terms of spelling and abbreviations), although naming conventions are in a mix of American and British ones (with American ones on the rise). For instance, local media have "sports pages" (sport in British English) and "[[soccer]] coverage" ("soccer"—originally slang for As'''soc'''iation football—while used in Britain, is more usually called just "football"). Singlish also uses many words borrowed from [[Min Nan|Hokkien]], the Chinese dialect native to more than 75% of the [[Chinese in Singapore]], and from [[Malay language|Malay]]. In many cases, English words take on the meaning of their Chinese counterparts, resulting in a shift in meaning. It is also taken from Indian words such as "dai" meaning "hey", "goondu" meaning 'idiot" etc. This is most obvious in such cases as "borrow"/"lend", which are functionally equivalent in Singlish and mapped to the same Mandarin word, "借" (jiè), which can mean to lend or to borrow. For example: ''"Oi, can I borrow your calculator?" / "Hey, can you lend me your calculator?"'' ==Singlish dictionaries and word lists== [[File:Coxford Singlish Dictionary.jpg|thumb|150px|right|The ''Coxford Singlish Dictionary'', a light-hearted lexicon of Singlish published in 2002]] There have been several efforts to compile lexicons of Singlish, some for scholarly purposes, most for entertainment. Two early humorous works were [[Sylvia Toh Paik Choo]]'s ''Eh, Goondu!'' (1982)<ref>{{cite book | last = Toh | first = Paik Choo | title = Eh, Goondu! | publisher = Eastern Universities Press |year=1982 | location = Singapore | isbn = 9971-71-168-0}}</ref> and ''Lagi Goondu!'' (1986).<ref>{{cite book | last = Toh | first = Paik Choo | title = Lagi Goondu! | publisher = Times Books International |year=1986 | location = Singapore | isbn = 9971-65-224-2}}</ref> In 1997 the second edition of the ''Times-Chambers Essential English Dictionary''<ref>{{cite book | title = Times-Chambers Essential English Dictionary | edition = 2nd | publisher = Federal Publications |year=1997 | location = Singapore | isbn = 981-01-3727-3}}</ref> was published. To date, this is the only formal dictionary containing a substantial number of Singaporean English terms. Such entries and sub-entries are arranged alphabetically amongst the standard English entries. A list of common words borrowed from local languages such as Hokkien and Malay appears in an appendix. It appears that no subsequent editions have been published. 2002 saw the publication of the ''Coxford Singlish Dictionary'',<ref>{{cite book | title = The Coxford Singlish Dictionary | publisher = Angsana Books |year=2002 | location = Singapore | isbn = 981-3056-50-9}}</ref> a light-hearted lexicon which was developed from material posted on the website [http://www.talkingcock.com/html/lexec.php Talkingcock.com]. In 2004 a website, [http://www.singlishdictionary.com ''A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English''], was launched to document the actual usage of Singlish and Singapore English in published material, in the way that the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] does for standard English. Compiled by an amateur lexicographer, the ''Dictionary'' appears to be one of the more comprehensive and professionally written dictionaries dealing exclusively with Singlish and Singapore English available so far. The [[Singapore Tourism Board]] and tourism-related businesses have also produced short lists of commonly used Singlish terms, ostensibly to allow foreigners visiting Singapore to comprehend the local language better. Such lists have been printed in brochures or booklets, and also published on websites. The lack of an officially printed version of a Singlish dictionary is due to the fact that the Singapore government frowns upon the use of Singlish, their official stand being that the speaking of Singlish will make Singaporeans difficult to understand when communicating with foreigners who are not familiar with Singlish. Thus, the government has made an effort to quash the use of Singlish and to promote the use of standard English through the [[Speak Good English Movement]] over the past few years. Though failing to discourage the use of Singlish, it has resulted in Singlish having a bad reputation in recent years, further stalling efforts to document actual Singlish usage. Letters contributed to the forum of ''[[The Straits Times]]'', the main local newspaper, by readers have called for Singlish to be kept alive in Singapore. Community efforts to do so include the aptly named [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Good-Singlish-Movement/152213451475413 "Speak Good Singlish Movement"]. The idea of promoting Singlish was raised as part of a larger debate on creating a uniquely Singaporean identity. However, the government has yet to officially change its stand regarding Singlish. A list of Singlish terms and expressions widely used in Singapore is set out below. It is not exhaustive and is meant to provide some representative examples of Singlish usage in Singapore. The origins of the Singlish terms are indicated where possible, and literal translations are provided where necessary. ===0–9=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |4D||Singlish||Local 4 digit lottery game run by [[Singapore Pools]]. |- |5Cs||Singlish||Refers to the [[5 C's of Singapore]] (cash, car, credit card, condominium, country club membership). Commonly associated with materialistic success in modern Singapore. |- |11B||Singlish||Stands for 11 basic information. Army official vernacular. Refers to the '''Singapore Armed Forces Identity Card''' held by servicemen during their National Service. Servicemen's original civilian identity cards before their enlistment are exchanged with these SAF identity cards. Upon completing National Service and reaching their '''Operationally Ready Date''', they will receive their civilian identity cards whilst retaining their 11B. |} ===A=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |ABC||English||English (language). Acronym for "[[American-born Chinese]]." English-speaking person, i.e. Anglophone Singaporeans. Could also describe when the mentioned subject has western elements or influences. |- |Abit the||English||To mean a little bit. Usually used sarcastically. As in "You abit the fast ah" when the person in question is deemed to be slow. |- |Abuden |Manglish |Obviously; of course. |- |ACBC |English and Hokkien |Acronym for "[[Act Cute Buay Cute]]." Phrase which describes somebody attempting to behave in an exaggeratedly cute or adorable fashion. However, they come across more annoying than cute. |- |Act Blur |English and Cantonese |To play innocent. |- |Act Cute |English and Cantonese |A phrase which describes behaving in a cutesy manner. Can be used as both verb and adjective. |- |Action||English||In this context, the term means that the person being described is arrogant and haughty. |- |Agak-Agak||Malay||An estimate.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 3.</ref> Also pronounced as "agar-agar". |- |Agak-Ration||Malay and English||An estimate or estimation. Also pronounced as "agar-ration". |- |[[Ah Beng]] |Hokkien |A hillbilly, someone with little dress sense. Also used to refer to a gangster<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 5">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 5.</ref> The expressions came about because Ah Beng is a common Chinese male name. A transliteration of the Chinese name "阿明" (a-bêng). |- |Ah Qua/Gua |Hokkien |A transvestite, who will often be assumed to be a Thai transsexual. From Hokkien "阿倌 a kuann" (the word "kuann 倌" is a term used to politely refer to a person, usually a bridegroom, or a female). |- |[[Ah Lian]] |Hokkien |A hillbilly, someone with little dress sense. Also used to refer to a gangster<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 5" /> The expressions came about because Ah Lian is a common Chinese female name. A transliteration of the Chinese term "阿莲" (a-lián), female form of Ah Beng, |- |Ah Long |Cantonese |A transliteration of the Chinese name "阿窿", which is a shortened form of "大耳窿". Slang term for "loanshark". |- |Ah pu neh neh/Ah neh |Hokkien |A crude term for Indian nationals. |- |Ah Tiong |Hokkien |A transliteration of the Hokkien term "阿中" (a-tiong), usually used simply as 'Tiong'. A crude term for Chinese nationals. |- |Ai See||Hokkien/Teochew||Transliteration of the Hokkien term "爱死" (ài-sí, Mandarin 要死). Used to describe someone on thin ice. |- |Ai See Buay See||Hokkien||Transliteration of the Hokkien term "爱死袂死" (ài-sí buē-sí, Mandarin 要死不死). Used to describe someone on thin ice. |- |Ai Sui||Hokkien||Literally means "Love beauty". Refers to a person who is beauty conscious. (Usually used on females). |- |Ai Tzai||Hokkien||Used in a reassuring manner to calm people down. From Hokkien term "愛在 ài tsāi"- must be firm, calm and solid) |- |Aiyah||Chinese / Tamil||Sometimes used as "Aiyoh".(Tamil: ஐயோ) Transliteration of the Chinese terms "哎呀" and "哎唷". Chinese equivalent of "Oh No!", "Oh Dear!". Another derivative of the term, Ai-Yoh-Yoh (Chinese: 哎唷唷) (Tamil: ஐயையோ) Extreme of "Aiyoh", was popularized by the [[Mediacorp]] drama series ''[[Good Morning, Sir!]]''. |- |Akan Datang||Malay||Means "coming soon", as seen in movie trailers. Used to reassure an impatient person. |- |Alamak||Malay||Phonetically close to the Chinese term "Oh, my mother!". It expresses shock or surprise. |- |Amacam||Malay||A contraction of the Malay word "Apa macam", which is used as a greeting, similar to "What's up?". |- |An Zhua?||Hokkien||Hokkien equivalent of "What's up?." Transliteration of the Hokkien term "按怎" (án-chuáⁿ). |- |Ang Moh Pai||Hokkien||Literally translated from Singlish as the "Red Hair Faction", developed from the Hokkien term "红毛派" (hóng máo phài). A term used for Chinese Singaporeans who speak poor Chinese. |- |Ang Pau||Hokkien/Teochew||Red packet with money to be given on Chinese New Year or during some occasion like wedding, birthday party and so on as a wishes to the receiver. Hokkien or Teochew transliteration of the Chinese term "红包" (hong bao). |- |An Zhua? |Hokkien |Literally means "red hair 红毛" (âng-moo). A term for people of Caucasian descent. |- |Ar |Hokkien |Used as either noun or a verb to denote a very cozy, non-sexual relationship with someone that might result in special considerations or leeway not available to anyone else without such a relationship. As in "I ar with the boss because I'm his golf buddy so I can occasionally come to work later without getting into trouble with him." Or "You got ar with him or not?" to inquire as to the status of the relationship between two people. Similar to the American slang expression "having juice with someone." |- |Ar? |Cantonese and Mandarin |Used within questions and rhetoric where opinions and affirmations are being sought. Originated from the Chinese term "啊". |- |Ar Bo||Hokkien/Teochew||Means "What else?" or "How else?". Usually used as an answer to a question with an obvious answer. Transliteration of the term "阿無" (á-bô). |- |Arrow||English||To delegate an unpleasant or boring task to someone. Term derives from the military and government's practice of stamping a tiny arrow next to the name of the person in official documents. |- |Atas||Malay||Literally means "above". Either: (1) Used to describe a snobbish and arrogant person, or (2) Used to describe a "high class", well-to-do or sophisticated person. |- |Auntie||English||A generic address for middle aged or elderly woman.<ref>Wong, Jock (2006) 'Contextualizing ''aunty'' in Singaporean English', ''World Englishes'', 25 (3/4), 451-466.</ref> It may also refer to a young woman who dresses very unfashionably. |- |Ayam||Malay||Literally means "chicken". Used to describe someone who is easily intimidated. |} ===B=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Balik Kampong||Malay||Pack up things and go home. Also spelt "balek kampung". |- |Banana||English||A Westernised Chinese Singaporean who lives distinctively like a Westerner (lifestyle, religion, dresscode, food, activities, English proficiency etc.) and usually cast aside or reject Chinese folk religions and traditions. Such a person is called a "banana", the point of comparison being that both are "yellow on the outside and white on the inside". |- |Berak||Malay||To poo. |- |Belanja||Malay||To give someone a treat. |- |Blur||English||Clueless. In a daze, unaware of what is going on.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 33">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 33.</ref> Also commonly used in the phrase "act blur", which refers to the act of intentionally playing innocent. |- |Bodoh||Malay||Idiot, ignorant.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 33"/> |- |Boh Chup||Hokkien||Hokkien for don't care. |- |Boh Gay||Hokkien/Teochew||Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "无牙" (bô-gê), which literally means "no teeth". Usually used to describe someone with a missing tooth. |- |Boh Jio |Hokkien/Teochew |You didn't invite me. Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "没招" (méi-zhāo). |- |Boh Liao||Hokkien/Teochew||Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "无聊" (bô-liâu), which means "boredom". A slang expression to describe being in a situation of idleness. Also used to describe an act of doing something silly. |- |Boh Pien |Hokkien |No choice. |- |Boh Ta Bo Lan Pa||Hokkien||Literally means you have no balls if it's not dry. Usually used in drinking for "bottoms up". |- |Boh Zheng Hu |Hokkien |Used to describe a lack of governance or an authority. |- |Boleh |Malay |Can; possible. |- |Botak||Malay||Used to describe someone bald. This term inspired the famous [[Botak Jones]] in Singapore.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 35.</ref> |- |Buay||Hokkien||Hokkien pronunciation of "袂" (buē). Means "cannot". |- |Buaya||Malay||Literally means "crocodile". Refers to a womanizer or flirt.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, pp. 37-38.</ref> |- |Buay Pai |Hokkien |Hokkien pronunciation of "袂歹" (buē-pháiⁿ, Mandarin: 不错). Literally means "not bad". This is commonly used for food, saying that it isn't very bad or not bad. It can also be applied in people too. |- |Buay Song||Hokkien||Hokkien pronunciation of "袂爽" (buē-sóng, Mandarin: 不开心). Means pissed off and not happy. |- |Buay Steady||Hokkien/English||Usually used to reply to someone whose conduct spoils the pleasure of others. A spoilsport. |- |Buay Tahan||Hokkien and Malay||Combination of the Hokkien term "buay" and Malay term "tahan". Means "unable to withstand" or colloquially "cannot stand it" |} ===C=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Chao||Hokkien/Teochew||Used to refer to foul smells. From Hokkien or Teochew 臭 (chhàu). It may also be used to describe cheating or playing foul (''Jiak Chao'') in a game. |- |Chao Keng||Hokkien||Feigning sickness or injury. Commonly used during National Service to describe recruits who pretend to be unwell to avoid participating in certain activities. Sometimes shortened to ''Keng''. |- |Chao Mugger||Hokkien||Someone who mugs a lot because he is kiasu. |- |Char Bor||Hokkien/Teochew||Girl/Woman. From Hokkien or Teochew 查某 (cha-bó). |- |Chee Bai |Hokkien |Means vagina but used mainly as a swear word. See Jibai. |- |Chee Ko Pek |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew slang for "pervert" or "dirty old man". sometimes used by children on riding an object. |- |Cheena||Peranakan/Malay||A derogatory term used to denote people exhibiting very unpolished behaviour or mannerisms, deriding their Chineseness. Basically to denote the uncultured (from an Anglophone standpoint). Also originated from the Malay spelling "Cina". |- |'Cher (Tcher)||Singlish||Corruption & abbreviation of "teacher". |- |Chicken Business||English and Cantonese||Direct translation of the Cantonese slang "做雞", which means to prostitute oneself ("chicken" is the slang term for a prostitute). |- |Chim |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "深", which means "deep". Used to describe something or a situation that is extremely hard to understand or comprehend. Variants include nouns such as chim-inology, chim-ness. |- |Chinaman |English |A crude term to call immigrants or foreign workers from the PRC. |- |Chin Chai |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "凊彩" (chhìn-chhái). When applied colloquially, it means "anything" or "whatever". Used in situations when one does not feel like making a decision and wants another to help him/her make a decision. Can also be applied to situations to do something in a half-heartedly manner. |- |Chio Bu |Hokkien |Hokkien pronunciation of 俏母 (chhiò-bú). Hokkien equivalent of "buxom woman". Used to describe a voluptuous woman but in a degraded manner. |- |Chiong||Hokkien||To rush. |- |Chiong Sua||Hokkien||Literally means "to charge up a hill”. Otherwise used as a more exaggerated form of "chiong". In National Service or the Singaporean military context, the literal meaning may be implied. |- |Chop||Singlish||Refers to stamp or seal.<ref>Tongue, R. K. (1979) ''The English of Singapore and Malaysia'', Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, p. 69.</ref> From Malay ''cap'', which is from Hindi ''छाप ćhāp'' (stamp).<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 50">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 50.</ref> |- |Chop Chop||English||Used to tell someone to do something fast. |- |Chope |Singlish |Slang for reserving a seat.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 50" /> Derived from chop; to leave a mark. Singaporeans have a habit of leaving objects on seats/tables to reserve places (usually tissue packets). Sometimes also pronounced as simply "chop". |- |Cockanaathan||Tamil||Similar meaning to "cock fella". Extreme term for useless or stupid. |- |Confirm plus Chop||Singlish||Shortened from '''"confirm plus guarantee got chop"''' To mean that you are extremely sure of something (derives from [[National Service in Singapore|National Service/Military]] situations where one needs to be absolutely sure about something; ''guarantee got chop'' denotes that the action and whatever subsequent paperwork, if any, will be approved). Basically "officially sanctioned." |- |Corright||Singlish||Shortened corruption/amalgation of the words "Correct" and "Right". To confirm that something is correct and right. |} ===D=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Dey |Tamil |To call someone in a friendly informal way. Same as "Hey!". Only to be used towards friends or someone of the same age. Example: "Dey! what are you doing?" |- |Du lan |Hokkien |A swear term that means "very pissed." Can also be used to describe someone who is very picky and who insists on following the rules literally and blindly with no accommodation for circumstances. Literally means "poke dick". |- |Double Confirm||Singlish||Confirm and reconfirm. Used to emphasize the confirmation. Also to emphasize the seriousness of the topic, 'Triple Confirm' is also used. |} ===E=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Eeyer||Malaysian Chinese||To express disgust. |- |Encik |Malay |Literally means "Mister" in Malay. When used in military context, it is used to address warrant officers in the [[Singapore Armed Forces]]. Also spelled as "encek". |- |Eye-Power||English||Sarcastic remark to describe someone who does not contribute in group work and watches while others do the work. It is also often associated with army officers who stand around doing nothing, getting things done by using their eye power and watching their subordinates. The term probably originated from the [[X-Men]] character [[Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops]] from [[Marvel Comics]]. |} ===G=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Gabra||Singlish||Used to describe confusion or disorganisation.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 92.</ref> |- |Gahmen||Singlish||Mispronunciation of the word "government"; the omitted "v" is especially common among people from Chinese-speaking backgrounds. In the modern context, it is used as substitute for the actual word when criticizing the government in written form to prevent possible legal action taken against the writer. |- |Garang||Malay||Literally means "fierce". Used to describe someone as courageous or enthusiastic. |- |Geh Geh||Hokkien||Means faking. Usually used to describe those who are hypocritical. |- |Geh Kiang ||Hokkien ||Literally means "fake smart". Making decisions quickly and rashly. Normally ends up bringing trouble. |- |Ger||Singlish||Corruption of "girl". |- |Gone-case||English||Means that one is doomed |- |Goondu||Tamil||Tamil equivalent of "idiot".<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 95.</ref> |- |Gostan||English||To reverse or go in the backward direction. Originates from the nautical phrase "go astern". |} ===H=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Hao Lian||Teochew||Slang term for "boast" or to describe someone that is narcissistic. From Teochew word “好臉 haon3 liêng2” (love to boast, show off). |- |Heng |Hokkien/Teochew |Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of "幸" (hīng), which means to be lucky or fortunate. Commonly used in conjunction with "ah", i.e. "heng ah". |- |Horlan |English |Deliberate mispronunciation of "Holland". Of uncertain origin, the term is used to denote finding oneself in a far-off place, or unexpected consequence, usually unpleasant. |- |Hor Liao||Hokkien||It means done. |} ===I=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Ini Macam||Malay||"Like this" Means to be very certain. |} ===J=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Jiak||Hokkien/Teochew||Hokkien or Teochew pronunciation of the Chinese term "吃" (chia̍h), which means to eat. |- |Jiak Chao||Hokkien/Teochew||Literally means to eat grass. From Hokkien or Teochew "吃草" (chia̍h chháu). It may refer to being in a situation of having no money for daily expenses (i.e. broke). It may also mean to play foul in a game (slightly different pronunciation). |- |Jiak Kantang||Hokkien and Malay||Literally means 'eat potato'. Formed by the Hokkien term "Jiak" (eat) and Malay term "Kentang" (potato). It is a pejorative term referring to pompous condescending intellectuals who are slightly more educated about Western cultures. "Eating more potato" means more westernized than being Asian (eating rice). Also refers to someone displaying a western English accent that is not authentic: referring to the sound that one would make while attempting to speak with a mouthful of potato. |- |Jiak Zua||Hokkien||Literally means 'eat snake'. Formed by Hokkien term "Jiak" (eat), "Zua" (snake). It basically means 'slacking'. |- |Jia Lat||Hokkien/Teochew||Literally means "sapping strength". Used to describe being in trouble or a terrible situation. |- |Jibai |Hokkien |Vulgar term for the female sexual organ; or the English equivalent of 'cunt'. Also a general negative expletive/interjection in colloquial speech. Alternatively spelled "chee bye", "ci bai", or "chee bai" (abbreviates to "cb" in digital communication). |- |Jibra||Singlish||Corruption of "zebra". |- |Jilo||Singlish||Corruption of "zero". Also pronounced "zilo" or "jiro". |} ===K=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Kampung||Malay||Means "village". Sometimes spelt as "kampong".<ref name="Wee, Lionel 1998 pp. 175-200">Wee, Lionel (1998) 'The lexicon of Singapore English'. In J. A. Foley et al. (eds.) ''English in New Cultural Contexts: Reflections from Singapore'', Singapore: Singapore Institute of Management/Oxford University Press, pp. 175-200.</ref><ref>Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 75.</ref> |- |Kar Chng||Hokkien/Teochew||Buttocks. From Hokkien or Teochew "尻川" (kha-chhng). |- |Kar Pak||Singlish||Parking Lot (Car Park). |- |Kaypoh||Cantonese||Hokkien transliteration of the Chinese slang term "雞婆" (ke-pô), which refers to a busybody.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 121.</ref> Sometimes abbreviated to "kpo". |- |- |Kayu |Malay |Traditionally used to accuse that soccer matches have been fixed with shouts of "referee kayu" or soccer fans (i.e., that the referee was so blind to foul play from the opposing team by refusing to penalize them that he might as well have been a block of wood). Also used to describe lack of spontaneity or wooden behaviour. (Lit. "wood") |- |Kee Siao||Hokkien||To go mad. Usually, this phrase is used in the context of scolding people. |- |Kena||Malay||Means to be afflicted with or to suffer from something.<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 123">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 123.</ref> Also pronounced as "kana" or spelled as "gena/genna/kenna". |- |Kena Sai||Malay and Hokkien||A pejorative term in which "kena" means to be afflicted with and "sai" (屎) means "shit". Means to "get into deep shit" or get into deep trouble. When "kena" is in this context it is more often pronounced as "kana sai". |- |Kenz |Malay |Short form of Kena. |- |Kiam |Hokkien/Teochew |Transliteration of the Chinese term "咸" (kiâm) which literally means "salty". Also used to describe a stingy person. |- |[[wikt:kiasi|Kiasi]] |Hokkien |Literally means to be afraid of dying (怕死). Used in the same manner as "kiasu". Transliteration of the Chinese term "惊死". |- |[[Kiasu]]||Hokkien/Teochew||Literally means to be afraid of losing (怕输). Transliteration of the Chinese term "惊输".<ref name="Wee, Lionel 1998 pp. 175-200" /><ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 123" /> |- |Kilat |Malay |Means "excellent". Commonly used in the military. (Lit. "shining") |- |Kopi||Singlish||Coffee. Below is a list of the most common coffee orders in Singapore:<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://epicureandculture.com/an-introduction-to-singaporean-kopi-culture/|title = An Introduction to Singaporean Kopi Culture|date = 13 Jun 2013|access-date = 25 Jan 2016|website = Epicure & Culture|publisher = |last = Zienchuk|first = Judi}}</ref> Kopi: The most popular mix of coffee with sweetened condensed milk Kopi Gau: A strong brew of coffee Kopi Poh: A weak brew of coffee Kopi Kosong: Substitutes condensed for evaporated milk Kopi-C: Coffee with evaporated milk and sugar (most similar to a “regular” western coffee) Kopi-O: Coffee with sugar but no milk Kopi Peng: Iced coffee These terms can be combined together. For example, a strong iced coffee with evaporated milk and sugar would be called “kopi-c gau peng.” |- |Kopitiam||Malay and Hokkien||Literally means "coffee shop". "coffee shop" in Singapore refers to "food centre". From Hokkien 咖啡店 (ka-pi-thìam). |- |Kiam pa||Hokkien|| Directly translated - Asking for (kiam) a beating (pa). Used to say that (the appearance or actions of) an individual evokes a desire to physically hit them. |- |Ku Ku Jiao||Singlish||Crude term. Refers to the male genitalia. Also "ku ku bird". |} ===L=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Lah||Singlish||Tagged at the end of a sentence as an exclamation but pronounced differently in questions.<ref>Richards, Jack C. and Tay, Mary W. J. (1977) 'The la particle in Singapore English', in William Crewe (ed.), ''The English Language in Singapore'', Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, pp. 141–56.</ref><ref>Deterding, David and Low Ee Ling (2003) 'A corpus-based description of particles in spoken Singapore English', in David Deterding, Low Ee Ling and Adam Brown (eds.), ''English in Singapore: Research on Grammar'', Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia), pp. 58–66.</ref><ref>Wee, Lionel (2004) 'Redupliation and discourse particles'. In Lisa Lim (ed.) ''Singapore English: A Grammatical Description'', Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 105-126.</ref> Used mainly at the end of both phrases and sentences. Most speakers prefer "ah" at the end of questions. |- |Lan Jiao||Hokkien/Teochew||Chinese transliteration of 卵鳥 (lān-chiáu). Means guy's private part (crude). |- |Lao Lan||Singlish||See "Xia Lan". |- |Lao Sai||Hokkien/Teochew||Chinese transliteration of 拉屎. Means diarrhoea. |- |La Sai |Singlish |Means to "stir shit" i.e. create trouble. |- |Leh||Singlish||Written 叻. Tagged at the end of a sentence in a similar manner as "lah". Used to emphasize the sentence. |- |Lepak||Malay||Has the same meaning as relaxing, for example "Let's go lepak one corner." |- |Liao||Hokkien/Chinese||Means "already" or "over", or generally indicates the past tense. Sometimes used as a substitute for the "already" used in Singlish, especially by Chinese-speaking people. Chinese transliteration of 了 (liáo). Sometimes also pronounced as the Mandarin "le" (light tone) by Chinese speakers. |- |Lombang||Hokkien/Chinese||Pronounced with a round "o" ("lomh-bang") is from Malay "tumpang" which means "to hitch a ride". May also be pronounced and written as "lobang". |- |Lor||Singlish||Tagged at the end of a sentence in a similar manner as "lah". Used to emphasize and indicate that what was said should be obvious to the listener, self-evident or to express inevitability. |} ===M=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Macam||Malay||Like; Means to resemble something. |- |- |Mah |Mandarin |Usually tagged at the end of a sentence to seek agreement or argue a point. For example, "Cannot like that, mah." |- |Makan||Malay||To eat.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 135.</ref> |- |Malu||Malay||Embarrassing; Usually used when one makes a fool of him/herself. |- |Mampat||Malay||Tight/firm. Usually referring to a woman's posterior or clothing. |- |Masak-Masak||Malay||Child's play. "Masak" by itself refers to cooking. |- |Mati |Malay |Literally means to die. "Die" in the Singapore context means to be doomed. |- |Mata||Malay||Literally means "eye". Used as a reference to the police. |- |Meh||Cantonese /Chinese||Usually tagged at the end of a negative question to indicate someone is exploiting a possible loophole as in "Mata said cannot park here but I'm parking over there. Cannot, meh?" Or to (somewhat derisively) indicate capabilities heretofore unknown as in "Just because you never see me running, you think I cannot, meh?" From Cantonese [[wiktionary:咩|咩]] ''me1''. |- |Mong Cha Cha||Cantonese||To behave in a "blur" manner and be unaware of what is going on around. From Cantonese [[wiktionary:矇查查|矇查查]] ''mung4 caa4 caa4''. |- |Mug||English||To cram (for academic tests). Used interchangeably with/instead of the word "study". |} ===N=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Neh Neh Pok||Hokkien||Neh Neh (奶奶) is commonly used to refer to a woman's chest or 'breasts'. Pok (撲) refers to the "bump" on the breasts, thus Neh Neh Pok refers to the nipples. |- |Ngeow |Hokkien/Teochew |Literally means "cat". Transliteration of Chinese 貓 (niau). Used to describe someone who is overly meticulous or tries to find fault in everything. Can also be used to refer to someone stingy.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 147.</ref> |- |Nia||Teochew||Common used to depict the meaning of "only". It is of a belittling tone. |- |Nia Gong||Teochew||Direct Translation of "your grandfather". |- |Nia Gong De Ji Dan||Hokkien/Teochew||Direct Translation of "your grandfather's egg". |} ===O=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |O$P$ |Singlish |"Owe Money Pay Money". Used in threats from loan-sharks who would usually scrawl this in markers or spray paint outside debtors' units. An English translation of the Chinese expression 欠钱还钱. |- |Obasan |Japanese |Used to describe someone sloppily dressed and out of fashion. Usually women in an old faded T-shirts and cheap shorts carrying a plastic bag. |- |Obiang||Unknown (Possibly Hokkien or Malay)||Used to describe someone or something that is desperately out of fashion. Other variations include "orbit". |- |- |Orbi||Unknown||May be used as a single term or combined to form "orbi kwek" or "orbi good", which means "serves you right". |- |ORD||English||Short-form of "Operationally Ready Date", which refers to the date on which a National Serviceman completes his full-time stint of National Service. And what older National Servicemen called their "ROD" or "Run Out Date." |- |ORD loh||Singlish||Army slang. An exclaim made by servicemen close to completing his two-year mandatory service term in the army to provoke jokingly his counterparts who have yet to see the end of their service terms. |- |Orh||English||Shortened from okay, meaning yes, understood. |- |Orh Hor||Singlish||Used when someone has done something wrong, and will now be in trouble. |} ===P=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Pai Kia |Teochew |Teochew slang for "hooligan" or "gangster". Literally means "bad kid". From Teochew 歹囝(pháiⁿ-kiáⁿ). Commonly used to scold kids who doesn't appreciate their parents. |- |Pai Seh |Hokkien |Means to be embarrassed. Usually used as an apology after making an embarrassing mistake. From Hokkien 歹勢 (pháiⁿ-sè). |- |Pak Zam |Hokkien/Teochew |Literally means "needle injection". Used to describe something faulty or not usable. |- |Pak Tor |Cantonese |Dialect pronunciation of the Chinese slang term "拍拖", which means to go on a date. Colloquially refers to general physical intimacy. |- ||Pang Chance||Hokkien/Teochew||To give chance. |- ||Pang Sai||Hokkien/Teochew||To shit. Chinese transliteration of "放屎" (pàng-sái). |- |Pang Seh |Hokkien |Hokkien slang for "to be stood up" (at an appointment), or cancelled upon at the last minute. Not to be confused with 'pang sai', which means 'to defecate'. |- |Pang Jio||Hokkien/Teochew||Meaning to "pee" or "pass urine" |- |Pariah||Tamil||Used to describe something unsightly or disgusting. Used to describe the lowest and most unsightly caste (gravediggers and sewerage in Ancient India). In modern times, it is also used to describe something or someone of low quality. |- |Pasar Malam||Malay||Refers to the night markets.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 158.</ref><ref>Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 76.</ref> |- |Photostat||English||Photocopy. |- |Pia||Hokkien/Teochew||To work hard at something, or to rush something (such as homework). From Hokkien word "拼 piànn“ |- |Piak Piak||Hokkien||To have sexual intercourse. |- |Place||English||Refers to a person's place of residence (e.g. "You want to come to my place (house) and sleep over tonight?") |- |Pok Kai |Cantonese |Means to go broke. Also used to curse people. Lit. "to fall into the street" where the dispossessed are tossed into the street. Not normally used as a general expletive as in Cantonese-speaking societies like Hong Kong. |- |Pon||Malay||Short form of "ponteng". To play truant (e.g. "Want pon school today?"). |- |Power||English||Usually means to praise someone or something. |- |PRC||English||Refers to a Chinese national (abbreviation of "People's Republic of China"). Often used disparagingly. |- |} ===Q=== ===R=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Rabak||Malay||To give you very jialat. |- |Rabz |Malay |Short form of Rabak. |- |Return||English||To give back. Direct translation from the Chinese phrase. |- |Revert||English||To reply. Often used in email and text messages. |} ===S=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Sabo||Singlish||Short form of the English word "Sabotage" with a related meaning of "getting someone else in trouble" |- |Sakar |Malay |To flatter, to lick one's boots. Derived from Malay meaning 'sugar', which may have been derived from Hindi 'sakar' or 'Sakkar' meaning 'sugar' and 'sweet words', and ultimately from Persian 'shakar' meaning 'sugar', 'sweet'. |- |Saman||Malay||Used for traffic summons. Derived from the English word [[summons]]. (Lit. "to fine/summon") |- |Sampat |Hokkien |Mainly used to describe a woman who is a combination of almost all the following: bimbo/ muppet/ uneducated/ crazy/ half-cooked/ short-circuit in the head. Can also use on some men. Can also call them 13 O'clock. |- |Sam Seng||Cantonese and Hokkien/Teochew||Or Sam Seng Kia (三牲囝, saⁿ-seng-kiáⁿ) - gangster. From Chinese term 三牲 (Hokkien/Teochew saⁿ-seng). |- |Sargen||Singlish||Corruption of "sergeant". |- |Sei |Hokkien |Steady. |- |See first |Singlish |A short form of "wait and see what happens; we’ll see." Most often used when procrastinating and putting off plans to be considered later. A variant of this phrase is "see how first". |- |Sekali||Malay|| Lest, what if. Pronounced SCAR-ly. |- |Send||Singlish||To bring someone somewhere "I will send you to the airport". |- |Shame Shame||Singlish||Childish slang meaning of "very disgraceful" or "embarrassing". |- |Shiok||Malay|| To express sheer delight with an experience, especially when eating great food. |- |Showflat||English||An event held by an estate agency that spans several weeks to promote a housing project, usually condominiums. |- |Sia||Malay||An exclamation. |- |[[wikt:siam|Siam]]||Hokkien/Teochew||"Get out of the way!" Considered rude but effective. From Hokkien term 闪 (siám). |- |Sian/Sien||Hokkien/Teochew||Bored, tired, or sick of something.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 195</ref> From Hokkien (siān).<ref>[http://twblg.dict.edu.tw/holodict/fontPics/8CB5._104_1.gif Hanji character]</ref> |- |Siao||Hokkien/Teochew||Refers to either "crazy" in response to a silly suggestion or an offensive term used to address a friend. From Hokkien or Teochew word "siáu 嬲". Also refers to somebody who is a fanatic. "He Siao bicycles" is saying that someone is crazy about bicycles. |- |Sibeh||Teochew||Similar to "very". Originated from Teochew word 死爸 (si2-bê6) (literally a curse vulgar word meaning "dead father"). Interchangeably used in Singaporean Hokkien and Singlish. |- |Si Mi||Hokkien||"What?" From Hokkien term 甚物 (sím-mi̍h) (may also be written as 啥物 or 啥咪). Mandarin equivalent of 什么. |- |Si Mi Lan Jiao||Hokkien||A much more derogatory term of "What's up?" Literally means "What's up dickhead?" |- |Si Mi Tai Dzi||Hokkien||"Si Mi" is translated from Chinese's 甚物 and means "What" and when added to "Tai Dzi" (代誌). It means "What's up?" |- |Sod||Cantonese/English||Used to express a machine, person, or object that has gone mental or haywire. Localization of the word "short" from English term "short circuit". |- |Song||Hokkien/Cantonese|| Used to express pleasure. Lit. "refreshing". From Hokkien/Cantonese 爽 (sóng). Same meaning as Shiok. |- |Sotong||Malay||Forgetful or not knowing what is going on. Lit. "squid". Spineless or without principles, like the cuttlefish. |- |Spoil||Singlish||Broken down. |- |Stay||Singlish||Live (reside) "I stay in Ang Mo Kio". Direct translation from the Malay ''tinggal''. |- |Step||Singlish||Acting as if (person) "Eh, Don't step Ah Beng". |- |Stun||Singlish||To steal. See: Cope. Can be used as part of "Gostan". See: Gostan |- |Suay |Hokkien/Teochew |Unlucky.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 215.</ref> From Hokkien or Teochew 衰 (soe). |- |Suku||Malay/Teochew||Meaning of "silly" or "foolish" |- |Sui |Hokkien |Means either: (1) nicely/just right/perfect, or (2): Clean, neat & tidy. Written as 美 in Chinese, and may also be written as "swee". |- |Swaku||Hokkien||Not well informed or backward; a country bumpkin. From Hokkien 山龟 (soaⁿ-ku; lit. "mountain tortoise"). |} ===T=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Tahan |Malay |Handle/tolerate, commonly used as 'I cannot tahan' meaning 'I can't bear it". |- |Tai Ko (also spelled "tyco") |Hokkien |Lucky (only used sarcastically). Literally "leper". |- |Tak Boleh||Malay||Cannot. |- |Tak Boleh Tahan||Malay||Literally means, cannot endure. Used when someone is suffering from pain, or when you couldn't wait upon something. |- |[[wikt:talk cock|Talk Cock]]/Tok Kok |Singlish |Vulgarity meaning of talking nonsense/senselessly and gibberish or engage in idle banter. Probably originated from the English expression "[[cock and bull story]]" or its equivalent, talking "[[gibberish]]" — English slang for talking nonsense. |- |Tan Ku Ku||Hokkien||directly means 'wait long long' Hokkien phrase meaning "Forget it, it won't happen". |- |Ta Pau |Cantonese |Take away (used only when cooked food is concerned). From the Cantonese word 打包 (da bao). |- |Tau Pok||Chinese||Literally means 'fried tofu'. By students who throw themselves on one another in a pile, usually for fun or to bully. Special cases with vertical tau pok where a person gets squashed against a vertical object, found in MRTs on a crowded day. |- |Teh |Malay |Tea. Refer to "Kopi/Coffee" for more information about the different types of orders for tea and coffee common in Singapore. |- |Tekan||Malay||Bully/Torture/Put under pressure. Military slang for punishments. |- |Terbalik/Tembalik||Malay||Opposite/Upside-Down/Inside-Out. Also pronounced "dom-ba-lek". |- |[[wikt:tiam|Thiam]]/Diam||Hokkien/Malay||If used as an imperative, a very rude way of saying "shut up!" or "please be quiet" But it literally means "quiet" and can be used as in "Doing guard duty on holidays is very sian but also very diam since nobody is here." |- |Tio||Hokkien/Teochew||To get. (Synonym: "kena" though it is used in different but overlapping contexts). Usually used as a verb (e.g. "He tio scolded by teacher" or "The car owner tio saman"). Also means to accurately choose something: "He always play 4D and this time he tio so he won big jackpot." From the Hokkien word 著 "tio̍h", equivalent to Mandarin 中 "zhong4". |- |Toot||Singlish||Stupid/silly [person]. |} ===U=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Ulu |Malay |Used to describe a rural or remote area or country bumpkin.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 229.</ref> Commonly found in road names around Singapore as well (e.g. Ulu Pandan). |- |Un||Unknown||Abbreviation for understand. |- |Understooded||English||Corruption of understood. |- |Uncle||Singlish||Used as a generic title for males who are middle-aged or older, especially those who are not well acquainted.<ref>Tongue, R. K. (1979) ''The Engish of Singapore and Malaysia'', Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, p. 68.</ref> Similarly to [[#A|auntie]], used by young children to denote respect for a female adult :Also used to describe a younger person who behaves/dresses in an uncool/unfashionable manner. |} ===V=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Very the||Singlish||Singlish phrase emphasising 'very', directly transliterated from the Chinese 非常的 (fēi cháng de), which means the same. Usually employed with a clearly sarcastic tone. |} ===W=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Wah Lao (Eh) / Wah Piang / Wah Seh / Wah Kao ||Hokkien/Teochew||Exclamation of shock. From the Hokkien phrase 哇塞 ("wah seh"). |- |Wah Lan||Hokkien/Teochew||Crude derivative of "Wah Lau". Literally "Oh, my penis" |- |Wayang||Malay||Literal for puppetry, theatrical. Means "acting" or "for show". |- |White Horse||English||The son of a government official and/or other influential person. The term is derived from the drawing of a white horse that used to appear at the bottom left hand corner of the computer screen displaying patient information when said scion visits his camp's Medical Officer. |- |Womit||Singlish||Mispronunciation of "vomit". |- |World||Singlish||Nonsense, Bullshit. |} ===X=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- | Xia Lan ||Hokkien|| Arrogant; egoistic; pretentious. |- | Xia Suay ||Hokkien/Teochew|| Disgrace; embarrassment. Unlucky. |} ===Y=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Yandao |Hokkien |A handsome male. Transliteration of Hokkien term "緣投" (iân-tâu). |- |Your Head||Singlish||Mild curse used to disabuse someone of his or her erroneous assumption. Directly transliterated from Chinese "你的头". Often used in conjunction with the word "ah", i.e. "your head ah". |} ===Z=== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |- |Zai||Hokkien||to be very good in something. From Hokkien 才 （tsâi）. |- |Zhun||Hokkien/Teochew||Means accurate. From Hokkien 準 (chún). |- |Zhun Bo||Hokkien/Teochew||From Hokkien 準無 (chún-bô). Literally means accurate or not. Means "Are you sure or not?" |- |Zi siao||Hokkien||means to disturb, ridicule or tease. From Hokkien term 恥笑 (thí-siâu). |} ===Food and beverages=== {{See also|Cuisine of Singapore}} Singlish is prominently used in local coffee shops, or ''[[Kopi tiam|kopitiams]]'' (the word is obtained by combining the Malay word for coffee and the Hokkien word for shop), and other eateries. Local names of many food and drink items have become Singlish and consist of words from different languages and are indicative of the multi-racial society in Singapore. For example, ''teh'' is the Malay word for ''tea'' which itself originated from [[Hokkien (dialect)|Hokkien]], ''peng'' is the Hokkien word for ''ice'', ''kosong'' is the Malay word for ''zero'' to indicate no sugar, and ''C'' refers to ''[[Carnation (trademark)|Carnation]]'', a brand of [[evaporated milk]]. ====Food==== Names of common local dishes in Singapore hawker centres are usually referred to in local dialect or language. However, as there are no English words for certain food items, the dialect terms used for them have slowly evolved into part of the Singlish vocabulary. Ordering in Singlish is widely understood by the hawkers. Some examples of food items which have become part of Singlish: {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Char Kway Teow || (Hokkien/Teochew)|| Fried flat rice noodles with bean sprouts, Chinese sausages, eggs and cockles, in black sweet sauce, with or without chilli. |- |[[Chwee kueh]] || (Teochew; 水粿)|| cup shaped steamed [[rice flour]] cakes topped with preserved vegetables (usually radish) and served with or without chilli |- |Hokkien char mee ||(Hokkien/Fujian fried noodles; 福建炒麺) || Refers to the Kuala Lumpur Hokkien noodle. It is a dish of thick yellow noodles braised in thick dark soy sauce with pork, squid, fish cake and cabbage as the main ingredients and cubes of pork fat fried until crispy. |- |Hokkien hae mee ||(Hokkien/Fujian prawn noodles; 福建蝦麺) || Refers to either the Penang prawn noodle or Singapore prawn noodle. Soup-based (Penang) and stir-fried (Singapore). Egg noodles and rice noodles with no dark soya sauce used. Prawn is the main ingredient with slices of chicken or pork, squid and fish cake. Kang Kong (water spinach) is common in the Penang version |- |Ice Kacang || || Crushed ice with flavoured liquids poured into them. Beans and jelly are usually added as well. |- |Kaya || (Malay)|| Local jam mixture made of coconut, sugar and egg of Straits Chinese origins |- |Roti-Kaya || (Malay) || Toasted bread with Kaya |- |Mee Goreng || (Chinese/Malay) ||Malay fried noodles |- |Otah|| (Malay) ||Fish paste wrapped in banana leaf or coconut leaves and cooked over a charcoal fire. South East Asian influence - you can find similar versions in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia |- |[[Popiah]]|| (Hokkien)|| Chinese spring rolls (non fried). Various condiments and vegetables wrapped in a flour skin with sweet flour sauce. Condiments can be varied, but the common ones include turnip, bamboo shoots, lettuce, Chinese sausage, prawns, bean sprouts, garlic and peanut. Origins from China. Hokkien and Straits Chinese (Nonya) popiah are the main versions. |- |Rojak || (Malay)|| local salad of Malay origins. Mixture of sliced cucumber, pineapple, turnip, dried beancurd, Chinese doughsticks, bean sprouts with prawn paste, sugar, lotus buds and assam (tamarind). |- |Roti John || (Malay/English) ||Indian version of western hamburger consisting of two halves of French loaves fried with egg and minced beef/mutton. Colonial origins. |- |Tze Char || (Hokkien; 煮炒, POJ chí-chhá) ||Literally means cook and fry. General term for food served by mini restaurants in local hawker stalls serving restaurant style Chinese dishes, like fried noodles, sweet and sour pork, claypot tofu etc. |} ====Beverages==== =====Types of tea===== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Teh || (Hokkien/Malay)|| Tea (from Hokkien word "茶 tê“） |- |Teh-O || (Hokkien) ||Tea without milk but instead with sugar. From Hokkien 茶烏 (tê-o) (literally means "black tea") |- |Teh-O-ice-limau || (Hokkien-English-Malay) ||Home brewed iced lemon tea |- |Teh-C || (Hokkien/Hainanese) ||Tea with evaporated milk. The ''C'' refers to the evaporated milk, derived from Hainanese "See"/"Xi" which sounds like alphabet "C", in hainanese "See Gu-Nin" refers to Evaporated or Fresh ("See/C") Milk ("Gu-Nin") e.g. King of Kings or Carnation as many Coffeeshops and related businesses are operated by Hainanese people in earlier days and even today. |- |Teh-cino ||(Hokkien/Roman alphabet) || Milk layered with tea on top (similar to [[latte macchiato]]), though its name hints towards a tea version of cappuccino. |- |Teh-Peng || (Hokkien) ||Iced milk tea sweetened with condensed milk. From Hokkien 茶冰 (tê-peng). |- |Teh-Poh || (Hokkien) || Weak or thin tea. From Hokkien 茶薄 （tê-po̍h）. |- |Teh-kosong || || Plain Tea. |- |Teh-kah-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Milk tea sweetened with condensed milk, with more sugar. |- |Teh-siu-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Milk tea sweetened with condensed milk, with less sugar. |- |Teh-pua seo ||Hokkien|| Luke-Warmed tea. From Hokkien 茶半燒 (tê puànn-sio） |- |Teh-O-kah-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Tea with more sugar. |- |Teh-O-siu-dai ||Hokkien/Foochow|| Tea with less sugar |- |Teh-C-kah-dai ||Hokkien/Hainanese/Foochow|| Milk tea with more sugar. |- |Teh-C-siu-dai ||Hokkien/Hainanese/Foochow|| Milk tea with less sugar. |- |Teh-packet or Teh-pao ||Hokkien || Tea to go. From Hokkien 茶包 (tê pau） |- |[[Teh tarik|Teh-Tarik]] || Hokkien/Malay || 'Pulled' tea with milk, a Malay specialty. |- |[[Teh halia|Teh-Halia]] || || Tea with ginger extract. |- |Teh-Halia Tarik || || Pulled tea with milk (tarik) and Ginger |} =====Types of coffee===== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Kopi||Malay/Hokkien|| (Hokkien/Malay) Coffee. Originated from Hokkien word 咖啡 (ka-pi） |- |Kopi-O ||Malay/Hokkien|| Coffee without milk. From Hokkien 咖啡烏 (ka-pi-o) [literally "black coffee"] |- |Kopi-C ||Malay/Hainanese|| Coffee with evaporated milk. The ''C'' refers to the evaporated milk, derived from Hainanese "See"/"Xi" which sounds like alphabet "C", in hainanese "See Gu-Nin" refers to Evaporated or Fresh ("See/C") Milk ("Gu-Nin") e.g. King of Kings or Carnation as many Coffeeshops and related businesses are operated by Hainanese people in earlier days and even today. |- |Kopi-Peng ||Malay/Hokkien ||Coffee with ice. From Hokkien 咖啡冰 (ka-pi-peng). |- |Kopi-packet or Kopi-pao ||Malay/Hokkien || Coffee to go. From Hokkien 咖啡包 (ka-pi-pau) |- |Kopi-pua seo || Malay/Hokkien || Luke-Warmed coffee. From Hokkien 咖啡半燒 (ka-pi-pua-sio) |- |Kopi-gao ||Malay/Hokkien || Thick coffee. From Hokkien 咖啡厚(ka-pi kāu) |- |Kopi-poh ||Malay/Hokkien || Weak or thin coffee. From Hokkien 咖啡薄 (ka-pi-poh) |- |Kopi-kosong || || Plain coffee. |- |Kopi-kah-dai ||Malay/Foochow|| Coffee with more sugar. |- |Kopi-siu-dai ||Malay/Foochow|| Coffee with less sugar. |} =====Other beverages===== {| class="wikitable" !|Term|||Origin|||Definition |-\ |Bandung (drink) || (Malay) ||Rose syrup-milk drink, of Indian origins. (Goat's milk was used in the old days) |- |Ice kosong || (English-Malay) ||Iced water |- |Horlick-dinosaur || || Iced [[Horlicks]] with extra scoop of Horlicks powder on top |- |Horlick-sio || || Hot Horlicks |- |Horlick-peng || || Iced Horlicks |- |Milo-sio || || Hot [[Nestlé Milo|Milo]]. |- |[[Milo dinosaur]] || || Iced Milo with extra scoop of undissolved Milo powder on top |- |Milo-Peng || || Iced Milo |- |Tak Kiu || (Hokkien) ||literally means ''football'' or ''soccer'') Milo; Nestlé Milo often uses soccer and other sports as the theme of its advertisement. |- |Tak Kiu-Peng || || Iced Milo |- |Tiau Herr || (Hokkien; literally means ''fishing'')|| Tea with the tea bag. Reference to dipping of tea bag. From Hokkien 釣魚 (tiò-hî). |} The above list is not complete; for example, one can add the "-peng" suffix (meaning "iced") to form other variations such as ''Teh-C-peng'' (tea with evaporated milk and ice) which is a popular drink considering Singapore's warm weather. ===English words with different meanings in Singlish=== {| class="wikitable" !width=15%|Word||width=10%|Meaning||width=75%|Example/comment |-\ |follow||- ''to come along/accompany'' or to understand' <ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 pp. 85-6">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, pp. 85-6</ref> || "Can follow anot?" |- |having here || ''to eat in at a restaurant''|| The antonym is "take away" or "tah-bao". Used by fast-food restaurant counter staff as in, "Having here or take away?" (Are you eating in here or do you want to have it for take-away?) |- |help, lah || ''please, do lend me a hand by desisting from whatever it is you are doing; help me out here'' || "Help lah, stop hitting on my sister"'' |- |last time || ''previously, in the past''<ref name="Brown, Adam 1999 p. 128">Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 128.</ref> || "I last time want to go Africa, but now don't know 'ready."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 80">Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 80.</ref> |- |lightbulb || ''an unwelcome companion in a couple; a third wheel'' || Originates from colloquial Cantonese term 電燈膽 (''lit: electric light bulb''). "You two go ahead lah, I don't want to be lightbulb." |- |mug || ''to study'' || Derived from British 'mug up'. Common expression amongst all students. Instead of 'He's mugging ''up''...', locally used as 'He's mugging ''for''...' |- |smug || ''to study (SMU students)'' || The term smugging or smugger refers to mugging by SMU students. Derived from SMU and mugger. |-confused with the Americanism, meaning [[Mugging|assault with intent to rob]]). |marketing || ''going to the market or shops to buy food'' || Rare expression."My dad may help in the marketing side, by going to the market to get some things."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 81">Deterding, David (2007) ''Singapore English'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, p. 81.</ref> |- |never || ''did not'' || "you never tell me"'' |- |next time || ''in the future''|| "Next time when you get married, you'll know how to cook."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 80"/> |- |on, off || ''to switch on/off'' || "I on the TV"'' |- |on ah || ''It's settled then?''|| |- |open || ''to turn on something'' || "I open the light."<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 154.</ref> (Derived from Chinese, which uses the verb "to open" in this manner. Use of "open" to mean "turn on" is limited to electric appliances.) |- |pass up || ''to hand in'' || "Pass up your homework"''. Although once common, usage is now discouraged in schools. |- |revert || ''to get back'' (commonly used in business emails) || "Please revert your decision to us" doesn't mean "Please change your decision", but rather "Please get back to us with your decision". |- |send || ''to take (i.e. drive) somebody somewhere''|| "She gets her maid to send the boy in a cab."<ref>Deterding, David (2000) 'Potential influences of English on the written English of Singapore'. In Adam Brown (ed.) ''English in Southeast Asia 99: Proceedings of the 'English in Southeast Asia' conference held at NIE Singapore'', Singapore: National Institute of Education, pp. 201-209.</ref> |- |solid/steady || ''capable; excellent''|| "Solid sia, that movie." See also "Kilat" |- |sabo || ''to play a trick on someone''|| Short for "sabotage", but with an everyday usage.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, pp. 187</ref> - "Because he sabo me, now boss mad at me!" |- |stay || ''to live (in a place)''.<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 211.</ref>|| From Malay "tinggal". - "My grandmother, my aunt and uncle also stay next door."<ref name="Deterding, David 2007 p. 81"/> |- |steady || ''attached'' (in relationships) '''OR''' ''agreeing over something, usually over an appointment'' || "Eh u two steady liao ah?", "Today, come 3 o'clock? Steady." :- ''cool, capable'' (to praise integrity or strength) - "Wa you sick also turn up for work ah? Steady!" |- |stone || ''to space out''; to do nothing|| - BAKED |- |take || ''to eat; to have a meal''<ref>Brown, Adam (1999) ''Singapore English in a Nutshell'', Singapore: Federal, p. 217</ref> || "Have you taken your lunch? I don't take pork." |- |tok kok || ''(talk cock)'' || Probably from the English "cock and bull story". Talking senselessly/rubbish; "Don't tok kok lah!" |- |earpiece||''Earphones/headphones''|| In standard English it is used by handphone/mobile phone manufacturers to refer to the little speaker above your phone screen that you use to listen to a caller, but in Singlish it refers to a pair of earphones or headphones. Can be used as in, "Ah boy, don't wear your earpiece while crossing the road!" (Boy, don't use your earphones/headphones while crossing the road.) |} ===Expressions=== {| class="wikitable" !width=15%|Term||width=75%|Definition |-\ |Blur like sotong || literally blur like a squid. To be extremely clueless. Squids squirt ink as a self-defence mechanism to get away. The ink makes it hard to see, thus "blur". - "Wah! You damn blur leh! Liddat also dunno!" |- |Don't fly my kite/aeroplane || Rare expression. A Singlish expression which means 'Do not go back on your word' or 'Do not stand me up' |- |Don't play play! || Uncommon expression, popularised by the local comedy series Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd. Used only to evoke humour. Means 'Don't fool around' or 'Better take things seriously' |- |Got problem ah? || an aggressive, instigatory challenge. Or an expression of annoyance when someone is disturbed. 'Do you have a problem?' |- |He still small boy one || a remark (Often offensive) made against someone who is not of a legally median age allowed by the law. Or expression used to excuse someone because he is either immature or still too young to know the difference. |- |Issit/Izzit? || Abbreviated form of "is it?" used as a standard [[tag question]]. E.g.: You going home now issit? E.g.: You not going home issit? E.g.: Someone comments: "You look good today." Answer: "Issit??" |- |Last time policemen wear shorts! || a retort made to someone who refers to how policies were made in the past. Or in response to something which is passe. Or to brush aside old references or nostalgia. Direct reference to the British colonial police forces who wore three-quarter khaki pants in the 1950s and 60's. |- |Liddat oso can!? || (English - Like that also can?) In response to feats of achievement or actions which are almost impossible, or unexpected. Usually with tinge of awe, sarcasm or scepticism. |- |My England not powderful! || (English - My English is not powerful (good)) Uncommon expression, used only to evoke humour. Literally means 'My English is not good'. |- |no fish prawn oso can || ''accepting a lesser alternative'' (From the Hokkien idiom "bo hir hay mah hoh." literally translates as "no fish, prawns also ok" -) |- |Not happy, talk outside! || Used as a challenge to a fight to settle an argument, by taking it outside. (Hokkien: Ow buay gong (settle it at the back/alley way)) |- |No horse run! || (Hokkien - 無馬走, POJ ''bô bé cháu'') Original Hokkien expression used in horse racing jargon to describe a champion horse which is way ahead of the field. Used to describe things (food usually) which are ahead of its peers. |- |On lah!/On!/Set! || "It's on!"; expression used to voice enthusiastic agreement or confirmation (of an arranged meeting, event etc.) |- |Relak lah! || (Malay-English for Relax) Expression used to ask someone to chill, cool it. 'Relak one corner' means to skive, or to literally go chill out in one corner. |- |..then you know! || Expression used at the back of a sentence to emphasise consequence of not heeding advice. 'Tell you not to park double yellow line, kena summon then you know!' |- |Why you so liddat ar? || (English - Why are you so "like that"?) 'an appeal made to someone who is being unreasonable.' |- |You thought, he think, who confirm? || army expression used during organisational foul ups. Generally used as a response to "I thought..." when something goes wrong. |- |You think, I thought, who confirm? || army expression used in uncertainty during questioning. Generally used as a response to "I think..." when a higher ranking abuses someone of a lower rank, which is a norm in the nation's army. |- |You want 10 cent? || Means to "buzz off!" Refers to public phones that require 10 cents per call. |- |Your grandfather's place/road ah?, Your father own this place/road? || Used to cut someone down to size in terms of their obnoxious boorish behaviour, behaving as if they owned the place. |- |You play where one? || Used to challenge someone to state his gang affiliations (if any) |} ==See also== *[[List of Singapore abbreviations]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} == References == *Ho, Mian Lian and Platt, John Talbot (1993). ''Dynamics of a contact continuum: Singapore English''. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-824828-8. *Lim, Lisa (2004). ''Singapore English: a grammatical description''. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins. ISBN 1-58811-576-3. *Newbrook, Mark (1987). ''Aspects of the syntax of educated Singaporean English: attitudes, beliefs, and usage''. Frankfurt am Main; New York: P. Lang. ISBN 3-8204-9886-9. *Platt, John Talbot and Weber, Heidi (1980). ''English in Singapore and Malaysia: status, features, functions''. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-580438-4. ==External links== *[http://www.talkingcock.com/html/lexec.php? The Coxford Singlish Dictionary @ Talkingcock.com] *[http://www.singlishdictionary.com A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English] *[http://videoweb.nie.edu.sg/phonetic/papers/chin-infl-on-eng.html Potential influences of Chinese on English] *[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Good-Singlish-Movement/152213451475413 Singapore Speak Good Singlish Movement] {{DEFAULTSORT:Singlish Vocabulary}} [[Category:Lexis (linguistics)]] [[Category:Singaporean culture-related lists]] [[Category:Singlish| ]] [[Category:Slang by nationality]]'