Glossarictionary
In the spirit of spreading the wonders of Singaporean colloquialisms and other local flavours to the world, here is a glossary of local terms and phrases used in the site that may help you better understand what the hell I’m talking about. Although this may not be an original idea, hopefully it will still be useful for those who would endorse it.
Note: I will update this as I go along in the blog, and I may cross link the references for easier tracking, so it won’t be too hard for you to know when this page is updated.
4D: (noun) a national pastime created by the Singapore Pools, a government-run lottery system made popular by its ease of application of choosing 4 numbers and various highly evolved systems of permutating the selected numbers available for purchase in packages. 4D draws are held thrice a week, in which kopitiams all over Singapore will tune to a Mandarin radio station for their stall operators, customers and the general public to listen to the results in anticipation of hearing their winning numbers announced in islandwide surround sound.
ah beng: (noun) a derogatory term derived from overly used Mandarin names in the 70′s and 80′s that contain the word ming (?, meaning bright or clear). Used to describe wayward Singaporean teenage boys (though sometimes they live up to their moniker beyond the age of 30), typically with dyed hair spiked with generous amounts of cheap hair gel, garishly coloured shirts with indeterminate design origins, tight jeans or pants with one leg rolled up to below the knee, tattoos, and in some cases, highly modded cars with lots of stickers on them. They have a tendency to travel in packs of 3 or more, and usually have no qualms with spewing profanities and fighting like schoolchildren who have been to the gym when they are unhappy. Also known as ah seng, sum seng, sum seng kia, chao piao kia, bo tak cheh or see ghin na. Not to be confused with their Malay counterparts, the mats; that’s a whole other species altogether.
ah huay: (noun) a derogatory term derived from overly used Mandarin names in the 70′s and 80′s that contain the word hua (?, meaning flower). Used to describe wayward Singaporean teenage girls, typically with dyed hair, skimpy tops, short skirts, the odd tattoo, and more recently, Japanese knee-high socks. Like their male brethren, the ah beng, they have a tendency to travel in packs of 3 or more, and usually have no qualms with spewing profanities and calling their ah beng friends to fight for them like schoolchildren who have gone to the gym when they are unhappy. Also known as ah lian, chao ah lian or their Malay variation, the minah.
angpow: (noun) directly translated as “red packet”, a small ceremonial envelope, sometimes containing money usually given during ceremonial occasions. The angpow symbolises luck and prosperity just like the 100,000 other things in Chinese culture that symbolise luck and prosperity, and may be given as a gift during Lunar New Year visits to unmarried individuals and children, or to a wedding couple to wish them all the best for their nuptials and beyond. It is also commonly used in rituals to store talismans and charms that need to be otherwise protected from the elements (sunlight, prying eyes or smelly wallets), and as a charm to ward off evil or bad luck during “unlucky” situations, such as funerals, acting as a dead person in a movie or having your picture plastered on a gravestone or grave tablet in a movie.
carrot cake: (noun) steamed radish/glutinous rice powder mix stir-fried with egg, oil and sometimes garnished with Chinese coriander and chopped spring onion. Not to be confused with the confectionery baked cake found in Western culture. Contains no carrots.
cichak: (noun) a Malay term for common household lizard. Singaporean cichaks have become a mainstay in most Singaporean homes regardless of income level. Most times the reason for their widespread acceptance is put down to the fact that their food source includes parasitic insects such as ants, cockroaches and mosquitoes, hence helping homeowners to deter such household pests, but the truth is most people are afraid to even go near a reptile, much less touch one, hence allowing them to be left alone, undisturbed, to sit and watch TV with the respective homeowners.
chicken rice: (noun) a popular Singaporean dish largely derived from the Hainanese. Chickens are prepared either by boiling whole chickens in a large pot of chicken broth, or roasting to a red-brown colour with varied skin crispness, depending on where you get your chicken rice from.