Ah Beng's Guide to Singlish

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Singaporean. This Singlish collection is just for fun-lah! Words are taken from here, there, and everywhere. Use it at your own risk!

A

• Again? Say Again? -- I beg your pardon.
• Ah Beng -- a no-nonsense simpleton stereotype that usually wears anything with bright-neon-colors like hand-phone, hair, car, etc. Available only in Singapore. See also Phua Chu Kang Pte. Ltd., Obiang, Ah Lian. You may also want to browse Ah Beng's Guide to Ah Beng.
• Ah Kow -- Ah Beng's protege.
• Ah Lian -- Ah Beng's girl friend, most likely not an SPG.
• Air -- see Ayer.
• Airflown -- has been imported quickly and is therefore fresh. This word is very common in Singaporean Restaurant and Supermarket.
• Alamak -- Surprised. Eg. Alamak! What are you doing here-lah?
• Ang Moh -- The literal meaning of this Chinese phrase is 'red hair'. It is used to refer any white foreigner.
• Also -- tends to occur in one of two positions. It may occur to qualify the subject. Eg. I also don't know. It may occur at the end of the sentence to qualify some other element in the sentence. Eg. He sells cars also.
• Ayer -- Water.
• Ayio! -- exclamation sound.

  B

• Bahtaks -- Horas! This is not the ethnic who live around Lake Toba in North Sumatera, but buttocks :-).
• BGR -- Boy Girl Relationship.
• Blarder -- Brother.
• Blank -- see blur.
• Blur -- confused. It is used as an adjective, not a verb.
• Bodoh -- stupid.
• Buaya -- related to chewing-up / swallowing the opposition.

  C

• CBD -- Central Beesneess District, a very clean and save area that includes Orchard Road.
• Chin-chye -- do not worry about the details. Eg. Chin-chye lah!
• Chop -- official stamp.
• CMPB -- Central Manpower Base.
• Confirmed -- approved.

  D

• Deir -- their.
• Dey -- they.
• Dun -- do not. Eg. I dun noe

  E

  F

• Friend -- can be used as a verb. Eg. I won't friend you any more.

  G

• GEB -- General Equipment Base
• Goblock -- Stupid
• Got -- Eg. "Have you got a pen?" -- "Got, lah!"

  H

• Handicap -- can mean a person who is handicapped, eg a cripple or blind person.
• Hawker -- people who sell food at government built hawker centres.
• HDB -- (Hedg-De-Be) acronym of Housing and Development Board, a place where most Singaporeans stay at night.
• Helicopter -- Chinese-educated (soldier).

  I

• IC -- In Charge

  J

• Jeero -- Zero

  K

• Kaypoh -- a busybody, a nosy parker.
• Kena -- catched into trouble.
• Kiasu -- (pronounced Key-a-soo). Goes to sometimes extreme lengths to make sure that they do not miss our on something.

  L

• -lah -- a very common hang loose suffix. Eg. Easy lah! Chin-Chye lah!
• Lelong -- Sale or auction.
• Lobang -- opportunity, opening, esspecially where jobs are concerned. The literal meaning is this Malay word is 'hole'.
• Lost -- see blur.

  M

• Mat Saleh -- It is used to refer any white foreigner.
• Mata -- Police.
• Mee Bandung -- Just a type of noodle dish, not related with Bandung at all. Well, like in Bandung itself, there is a noodle dish called Bakso Malang.

  N

• Nasi Padang -- Just a mixed Malay meal, not related with Padang at all.
• Nett -- final price (no bargain!).
• noe -- know. Eg. I noe this guy.
• NS -- National Service.
• NUS -- ("en new es", or "news", or "noose") -- acronym of National University of Singapore

  O

• Obiang - a predecessor of Ah Beng (from the 1980-s).

  P

• Phua Chu Kang Pte. Ltd. -- an Ah Beng's TV sitcom at channel 5 TCS. Not so easy to understand, if you do not know Singapore.
• (don't) play-play -- be serious, do not fool around (also don't pray-pray).
• PT -- Physical Training
• PTI -- Physical Training Instructure
• ppl -- people.

  Q

  R

• RPL -- Ramp Powered Launch

  S

• SAF -- Singapore Armed Force
• schooling -- education
• Slippers -- Bathroom sandals
• slow-slow! -- be slow!
• Squat-toilet -- the real toilet :-)
• Sotong -- blur person.
• SPG -- Sarong Party Girl, somehow related to Mat Saleh

  T

• This -- Yet another this overused word. Eg. Starting this story with: "There was this Ah Beng ..."

  U

• Ulu -- very remote. eg. Bukit Gombak is so ulu, lah!

  V

• void deck - the first (ground) floor of an HDB is either a shop, an appartment, or just void

  W

• Where got? -- That is impossible. Eg. Where got meaning?
• Wo jiw jing-jing -- I will then be quite

  X

  Y

  Z

• Zar boh -- Woman.

  References

• [SHELL95] Shelley, Rex. 1995. Sounds and Sins of Singlish. Times Books International, - ed., pp. 182. [PL5149 She.So HMLGRS, ISBN 9-8120-4392-6]
• Ricardo Cheung. 1999.