← From Black & White to Colour…Taki

← From Black & White to Colour…Taking an Old Bus Ride →
Best of Singlish Words and Phrases
Posted on August 21, 2011 by Remember Singapore
Why do our older generations address nurses as “bee see“? Why do we call someone without roles or assignments “lobo“? Find out more…

Arrow

Original Meaning: A type of shooting weapon (English)
Local Meaning: To order someone to do a task
A term probably first used in the military, it is now frequently used in local context to mean an order being directed at someone, like an arrow, to carry out a task, usually against his wishes.

Bao Toh

Original Meaning: Bun knife (Hokkien)
Alternate Meaning: To tattle
The phrase also refers to sabotage, to betray secrets or “tell” on others. The long bun knife is possibly used to describe the backstabbing.

Bee See

Original Meaning: Young ladies (Missy, English)
Local Meaning: Nurses
During the colonial days, young ladies were referred as Missy by the British, probably derived from “Miss”.

This applied to the young nurses working in hospitals, where the doctors would address them politely as “Missy” and the local patients, particularly the Malays, would pick it up and call them “Misi” as well.

The local Chinese, speaking mostly in dialects during that era, might have pronounced it in the Hokkien dialect and called the nurses, young or old, as “bisi” (pronounced “bee see“).

Catch No Ball

Original Meaning: Nil
Local Meaning: Don’t understand
Singaporeans like to use the phrase “catch no ball” or liak bo kiu (Hokkien) as a way to express his lack of understanding of certain topic.

It is another way of saying: The ball is in my court, but I fail to catch it (It has been explained to me, but I fail to understand it).

Calefare

Original Meaning: Free from anxiety or responsibility (carefree, English)
Local Meaning: Bit actors/Extras
Referring to bit actors and actresses, this unique local phrase is borrowed from Cantonese term of 咖喱啡, which is possibly derived from English word “carefree”, since these supporting roles in a film have few lines or little responsibilities.

The other meaning could be because these bit actors and actresses are usually provided with meals (curry rice and coffee), hence the Cantonese term.

Chop-chop

Original Meaning: Hurry up (English)
Local Meaning: Same as original meaning
Influenced by British seamen, who used “chop” or “chop-up” as a way of saying “hurried” or “quick”, the Cantonese also termed “chop-chop” as hurry up. The term appeared as early as 1834 in English newspaper articles in Canton.

When the westerners visited China in the 17th century, they were amazed by the nimbleness of chopsticks, thus they named them as “quick-sticks” which in turn became “chopsticks”.

The local usage of “chop-chop” goes one step further to become “chop-chop kali pok”, where kali pok is curry puff and has nothing to do with “hurry up” except that the rhymes make the whole phrase sounds phonetically, just like song-song gao Jurong (“happy-happy” “arrive at Jurong”) or ya-ya papaya (“arrogant”).

Claypot

Original Meaning: Earthenware pot used for cooking (English)
Alternate Meaning: Total loss
While many Singaporeans love claypot rice, the word claypot is intensively borrowed by football punters as a term for “losing everything”. It is viewed as a direct opposite of “Jackpot”, which means “winning all”.

The logical explanation, other than both words rhyme with each other, is that a claypot breaks into pieces easily and when that happens, it represents total loss.

Di Gu

Original Meaning: Earthquake (Chinese)
Local Meaning: NEA inspector
At the peak of street-hawkers’ peddling in Singapore during the sixties to seventies, the hygiene was the biggest concern for the NEA (National Environment Agency). NEA inspectors would go around the streets to catch unlicensed hawkers, who would be fined or had their pushcarts confiscated.

Such chases after the guilty hawkers usually resulted in chaos with toppled pushcarts and knocked-down passers-by. The scenario was like a rumbling earthquake, thus the inspectors were called di gu in Hokkien (地牛 is an ancient Chinese name for earthquake).

The sights of several chasing inspectors were also likened to that of some uncontrolled wild bulls.

Eat Snake

Original Meaning: Skiving (jiak zua, Hokkien)
Alternate Meaning: Same as original meaning
Snake is viewed as a lazy animal by the Chinese, hence jiak zua or “eat snake” refers to the act of skiving.

Go Stun

Original Meaning: Reversing of a boat (go astern, English)
Local Meaning: Reversing of any vehicles
Go stun is a corrupted version of the English phrase “go astern” which means to move a boat backwards from the currents or winds.

The local borrowed it and described it to the reversing of any vehicles on the road.

The phrase might have evolved from “go astern” to “go stern” and finally “go stun”.

Goondu

Original Meaning: Marble, nut (gundu in Malay)/Fat, ball, bomb (kuntu in Tamil)
Local Meaning: Idiotic
“Goondu” is a Singlish word, derived either from Malay or Tamil to express something that is hard and heavy, which indirectly suggests a stupid person.

Goondu or guru is occasionally used in Singapore to differentiate between an idiot and an expert.

Jia Lat

Original Meaning: Energy/Strength wasting (eat strength, Hokkien)
Local Meaning: In trouble
Originally meant to describe a job or task that consumes a lot of energy or strength, but over the time, it has evolved to mean “in trouble” or simply “oh no!”

Kaki

Original Meaning: Leg (Malay)
Alternate Meaning: Buddy
Since “leg” in Chinese (脚) has the same pronunciation as 角 (角色, character), the local Chinese borrowed the Malay word to describe partner, buddy or close friend, such as mahjong kaki or lunch kaki.

Kantang

Original Meaning: Potato (kentang, Malay)
Alternate Meaning: Westernised Singaporeans
The term “kantang” is used to mock westernised Singaporeans who converses only in English and cannot speak their mother tongues properly.

It is probably derived from the view that potato is a staple food for westerners. Rice, on the other hand, is a staple food for East and Southeast Asians.

However, the actual Malay word for potato is kentang, and “kantang” is instead adopted by most local Chinese, probably due to mispronunciation.

Karung Guni

Original Meaning: Gunny Sack (Malay)
Alternate Meaning: Rag and bone man
In the old days, the rag and bone man used gunny sacks to collect the used newspapers. Since they rarely use gunny sacks nowadays, the term karung guni is used to describe the rag and bone men instead.

Karung guni men, armed with a horn and cart, are familiar sights in public flats, going floors to floors and shouting “garung guni, buay bor zua gu sa kor, ley lio dian si kee” (rag and bone, buy newspapers and old clothes, radios and televisions).

Usually they offer a small price to buy the old stuffs from the public.

Kayu

Original Meaning: Wood (Malay)
Alternate Meaning: Blockhead/Buck up
Visit any football matches in Singapore and Malaysia and you’ll like hear some fans screaming “referee kayu!”. Kayu is a Malay word for “wood”, and fans like to criticise the referee as a wooden blockhead whenever he makes a controversial decision.

Jalan Kayu, which literally means wooden road, has a Chinese translation of 惹兰加由(油), which 加油 itself means “to buck up”, so “referee kayu” can also mean asking the stressed referee to buck up.



Kelong

Original Meaning: Offshore platform for fishing (Malay)
Alternate Meaning: Match-fixing
Fans in football-crazed countries of Singapore and Malaysia will often describe matches with dubious results as kelong. The term kelong is a Malay word which refers to a wooden offshore platform used by fishermen.

Knowing very well that fish will escape in faulty nets, the fishermen will carefully mend their nets before casting into the sea. Likewise, a bribed football player will attempt to throw the match away, and thus “kelong” is used locally to describe the guilty player or the dubious match.

Kết quả (Việt) 1:

← Từ màu đen & màu trắng để màu sắc... Lấy một xe buýt cũ đi xe →Tốt nhất của Singlish từ và cụm từĐược đăng vào ngày 21, 2011 bởi nhớ SingaporeTại sao làm thế hệ lớn tuổi của chúng tôi địa chỉ y tá như "ong thấy"? Tại sao chúng tôi làm gọi cho ai đó mà không có vai trò hoặc bài tập "lobo"? Tìm hiểu thêm...Mũi tênÝ nghĩa gốc: Một loại vũ khí bắn súng (tiếng Anh)Ý nghĩa địa phương: Để ai đó làm một nhiệm vụA hạn có thể đầu tiên được sử dụng trong quân đội, nó bây giờ thường xuyên được sử dụng trong bối cảnh địa phương để có nghĩa là một đơn đặt hàng được hướng vào một ai đó, giống như một mũi tên, để thực hiện một nhiệm vụ, thường với mong muốn của mình.Bao TohÝ nghĩa gốc: Bun dao (Hokkien)Thay thế ý nghĩa: Để tattleCụm từ cũng đề cập đến phá hoại, để phản bội bí mật hoặc "cho biết" vào người khác. Con dao dài bun có thể được sử dụng để mô tả các backstabbing.Ong SeeÝ nghĩa gốc: Phụ nữ trẻ (Missy, tiếng Anh)Ý nghĩa địa phương: y táTrong những ngày thực dân, nữ trẻ được gọi là Missy người Anh, có lẽ bắt nguồn từ "Hoa hậu".Điều này áp dụng cho y tá trẻ làm việc trong bệnh viện, nơi mà các bác sĩ sẽ giải quyết chúng một cách lịch sự như "Missy" và các bệnh nhân địa phương, đặc biệt là người Malay, sẽ chọn nó lên và gọi cho họ "Misi" là tốt.Các địa phương Trung Quốc, nói chủ yếu là trong phương ngữ trong thời kỳ đó, có thể có phát âm nó trong phương ngữ Hokkien và gọi là các y tá, trẻ hay già, như "bisi" (phát âm là "ong xem").Bắt No bóngOriginal Meaning: NilLocal Meaning: Don’t understandSingaporeans like to use the phrase “catch no ball” or liak bo kiu (Hokkien) as a way to express his lack of understanding of certain topic.It is another way of saying: The ball is in my court, but I fail to catch it (It has been explained to me, but I fail to understand it).CalefareOriginal Meaning: Free from anxiety or responsibility (carefree, English)Local Meaning: Bit actors/ExtrasReferring to bit actors and actresses, this unique local phrase is borrowed from Cantonese term of 咖喱啡, which is possibly derived from English word “carefree”, since these supporting roles in a film have few lines or little responsibilities.The other meaning could be because these bit actors and actresses are usually provided with meals (curry rice and coffee), hence the Cantonese term.Chop-chopOriginal Meaning: Hurry up (English)Local Meaning: Same as original meaningInfluenced by British seamen, who used “chop” or “chop-up” as a way of saying “hurried” or “quick”, the Cantonese also termed “chop-chop” as hurry up. The term appeared as early as 1834 in English newspaper articles in Canton.When the westerners visited China in the 17th century, they were amazed by the nimbleness of chopsticks, thus they named them as “quick-sticks” which in turn became “chopsticks”.The local usage of “chop-chop” goes one step further to become “chop-chop kali pok”, where kali pok is curry puff and has nothing to do with “hurry up” except that the rhymes make the whole phrase sounds phonetically, just like song-song gao Jurong (“happy-happy” “arrive at Jurong”) or ya-ya papaya (“arrogant”).ClaypotOriginal Meaning: Earthenware pot used for cooking (English)Alternate Meaning: Total lossWhile many Singaporeans love claypot rice, the word claypot is intensively borrowed by football punters as a term for “losing everything”. It is viewed as a direct opposite of “Jackpot”, which means “winning all”.The logical explanation, other than both words rhyme with each other, is that a claypot breaks into pieces easily and when that happens, it represents total loss.Di GuOriginal Meaning: Earthquake (Chinese)Local Meaning: NEA inspectorAt the peak of street-hawkers’ peddling in Singapore during the sixties to seventies, the hygiene was the biggest concern for the NEA (National Environment Agency). NEA inspectors would go around the streets to catch unlicensed hawkers, who would be fined or had their pushcarts confiscated.Such chases after the guilty hawkers usually resulted in chaos with toppled pushcarts and knocked-down passers-by. The scenario was like a rumbling earthquake, thus the inspectors were called di gu in Hokkien (地牛 is an ancient Chinese name for earthquake).The sights of several chasing inspectors were also likened to that of some uncontrolled wild bulls.Eat SnakeOriginal Meaning: Skiving (jiak zua, Hokkien)Alternate Meaning: Same as original meaningSnake is viewed as a lazy animal by the Chinese, hence jiak zua or “eat snake” refers to the act of skiving.Go StunOriginal Meaning: Reversing of a boat (go astern, English)Local Meaning: Reversing of any vehiclesGo stun is a corrupted version of the English phrase “go astern” which means to move a boat backwards from the currents or winds.The local borrowed it and described it to the reversing of any vehicles on the road.The phrase might have evolved from “go astern” to “go stern” and finally “go stun”.GoonduOriginal Meaning: Marble, nut (gundu in Malay)/Fat, ball, bomb (kuntu in Tamil)Local Meaning: Idiotic“Goondu” is a Singlish word, derived either from Malay or Tamil to express something that is hard and heavy, which indirectly suggests a stupid person.Goondu or guru is occasionally used in Singapore to differentiate between an idiot and an expert.Jia LatOriginal Meaning: Energy/Strength wasting (eat strength, Hokkien)Local Meaning: In troubleOriginally meant to describe a job or task that consumes a lot of energy or strength, but over the time, it has evolved to mean “in trouble” or simply “oh no!”KakiOriginal Meaning: Leg (Malay)Alternate Meaning: BuddySince “leg” in Chinese (脚) has the same pronunciation as 角 (角色, character), the local Chinese borrowed the Malay word to describe partner, buddy or close friend, such as mahjong kaki or lunch kaki.KantangOriginal Meaning: Potato (kentang, Malay)Alternate Meaning: Westernised SingaporeansThe term “kantang” is used to mock westernised Singaporeans who converses only in English and cannot speak their mother tongues properly.It is probably derived from the view that potato is a staple food for westerners. Rice, on the other hand, is a staple food for East and Southeast Asians.However, the actual Malay word for potato is kentang, and “kantang” is instead adopted by most local Chinese, probably due to mispronunciation.Karung GuniOriginal Meaning: Gunny Sack (Malay)Alternate Meaning: Rag and bone manIn the old days, the rag and bone man used gunny sacks to collect the used newspapers. Since they rarely use gunny sacks nowadays, the term karung guni is used to describe the rag and bone men instead.Karung guni men, armed with a horn and cart, are familiar sights in public flats, going floors to floors and shouting “garung guni, buay bor zua gu sa kor, ley lio dian si kee” (rag and bone, buy newspapers and old clothes, radios and televisions).Usually they offer a small price to buy the old stuffs from the public.KayuOriginal Meaning: Wood (Malay)Alternate Meaning: Blockhead/Buck upVisit any football matches in Singapore and Malaysia and you’ll like hear some fans screaming “referee kayu!”. Kayu is a Malay word for “wood”, and fans like to criticise the referee as a wooden blockhead whenever he makes a controversial decision.

Jalan Kayu, which literally means wooden road, has a Chinese translation of 惹兰加由(油), which 加油 itself means “to buck up”, so “referee kayu” can also mean asking the stressed referee to buck up.



Kelong

Original Meaning: Offshore platform for fishing (Malay)
Alternate Meaning: Match-fixing
Fans in football-crazed countries of Singapore and Malaysia will often describe matches with dubious results as kelong. The term kelong is a Malay word which refers to a wooden offshore platform used by fishermen.

Knowing very well that fish will escape in faulty nets, the fishermen will carefully mend their nets before casting into the sea. Likewise, a bribed football player will attempt to throw the match away, and thus “kelong” is used locally to describe the guilty player or the dubious match.