AH KOW'S
THIRD INGGLISH DICKSIONARY

Lau Peet Meng (a.k.a. Peet or Bim), my senior at Yale used to run the Vanda Cafe and Ah Kow's Ingglish Dicksionary (first, sekand, and third). He's left Yale now and his website got erased, but I really wanted to have Singlish on this site -- so these are my saved copies of his dictionary. That's all I have to say -- the rest of this page (except for the Chao Mugger links at the bottom) is entirely his. Enjoy!

Fresh Off the Vanda Press!

Editor's (usual) Comments:

• Feel free to submit an entry even though it is already there as different people will offer different perspectives on the word
• and try to be as elaborate as possible! One-liners will usually be discarded unless they are really good.
• also try to add interesting examples!

The Cat counts 40! (total : 229)

QUICKINDEX

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

Ah Ba Then by Janet Chua

It is the same as "Ah Then".

An-Chua!! by Thomas Lim

Meaning : wat izzit!
Example : An-chua! Not happy har??!! (Army jargon)

Bang Balls by Sanjeev Veloo

Meaning: You planned for something, but the result was unpredictable. Usually, with an element of irony.
Example:
Rico: Eh wah lau eh, i bang balls sia!!!
Ah Beng: eh why??
Rico: I offer this girl cigarette, she throw away my whole box!!
Ah Beng: eh u goot ah??

Buey Song by Conrad Lau

meaning : don't like
example : U know , i really buey song the way you eat , so dirty !!

c mi tong tong by Janet Chua

Literally = WHAT ... ?! ...
E.g. Programmer : Aa ... friend ah .... do u know Windows 95 is coming?
Hawker : c mi tong tong???

chao keng by stoney chey

english equivalent:?
eg:wah! evelybody also doing work,why oou hide inside that korner hah? basket,chao keng right!

cere or not by Janet Chua

It is the same as Ah Then.
Literally = sure or not. It is just the way that some people pronounce it.
E.g. Ah Teck : U cere or not???
Ah Cat : Ah Ba Then!!

Chiak Pah Boey? by Celine Tan

Definitely Hokkien! A greeting normally belted out to someone "Chiak Pah Boey?", meaning "Eaten already?"
Answer usually is: "Chiak Pah Liau!" or "Makan already-lah!"

Chek Ark by James Wong

Meaning: Very inhuman, enjoy increasing other's misery
Example : Ah Lau very Chek Ark, I already so cham , he somemore go and Sabo me from behind.
Explanation : Ah Lau is so cruel and inhuman, that in spite of my misery, he sabotage me behind my back.

Chinese helicopter by Victor Gan

Meaning : Chinese educated
Rumour has it that a recruit was trying to explain to his officer that he was Chinese educated. The officer, being a bit blur, put down Chinese helicopter.

Re: Chinese Helicopter. by Hoggible "Dex" Riceman

(emote:reads the entry again in disbelief) What rubbish!! Anyone who read "Eh Goondu" by Paik Choo would agree that her verison is much better (doesn't matter which one is actually true tight?) Anyway, according to her, the recruit in question is asked by an officer to expalin his poor command of English (here inclusive of anything ending in -glish), the recruit says that he was "Chinese helucated."

Hah! Isn't that much better?

chow kuan by Dino

meaning: one kind of attitude, usually bad or simply greedy.
Example: Yeeek, you so "chow kuan". Even toilet paper in the public toilet also want to take.

Dao by Sanjeev Veloo

English Translation: Proud
When Used:
Mostly by the AhBeng species whilst squatting down on the roadside. For example, when a jude girl walks by they all start making that funny noise with their lips. The girl ignores them:
Ah Beng Leader: CHsst Chsst Chssst
Girl walks on.
Ah Beng Leader: Wah Dao Ah!!

Don know happy like wat!! by Janet Chua

It is a direct translation from Chinese: Bu(4) zhi(1) dao(4) you(3) duo(1) kai(1) xin(1)
It means so happy to the extend that no word in the dictionary can be used to describe.
Example : Hey, do u know that the "deadline" of the project is postponed till next next Monday? Wow!!! Don know happy like wat man!!!

Gone Case by Dino

Meaning: Hopeless, cannot be helped, in trouble.
Example: Wao lau! U so idle until go toilet also lazy to go. U really gone case already.

goblockby Celine Tan

Definition: stupid
Example: "You goblock you! Can't you see the light signal!?! Aiyah! Next time I drive!"

goot ah? by Wayne and Sanjeev

phrase: "eh, u goot ah?"
meaning: telling someone he/she sucks in a sarcastic singlish way hurhurhurhur

Heng by Derek Lee

Meaning: fortunate/ lucky
Eg.: Wah Ah Beng, why you so heng ha? Always win prizes in lucky draw.

hunnah! by Keith Foo

meaning: I give up! Dowan to argue wif you awreddy...
Used as a sign of defeat.
eg. me: "is too"
you:"is not"
me: "is too"
you:"is not"
me: "is too"
you:"hunnah!"

kena sai! by Koo

kena sai - the saying
"mai hiam buay pai,ai hiam kena sai"
Meaning:If you are not choosy, it's OK. If you are choosy, then it's kena sai lor!

Koon by Darren "Morff" Woulfe

To go for a nap or to catch 40 winks.
"I better go and koon little while, odewise my eyebols oso come out!"

Liak Boh Kiew by Celine Tan

Origin: Hokkien
Definition: do not understand, utterly blur!
Literal meaning: "Catch No Ball" (See "Catch No Ball")

Mana wu Eng by Daniel Tam

literally translated: what's the use?
Example: Upon watching a platoon of recruits go through their drills, the clerk says "Wah lans...mana wu eng?!!!"

Not qie by Janet Chua

Pronounciation problem. One of my colleages from India pointed out that we like to say "not qie" instead of "not yet".

Example :
A : Hallow, have u finished or not?? U know I am waiting for u leh!!
B : Not qie lah, give me 5 more minutes can or not!

Pa Thaw by Daniel TSA

Meaning: to go on a date.
eg. Ah Lian : Yesterday why so late then come back!
Ah Hui : Orrr.. Went to Cen Toe Sar to pa thaw.
Others : Pa Thawlogy (not Pathology). The art of dating.. Hmmm..

Pong by Koo

Pronounced with a downward stress, or the third sound in Mandrin. Usually means to exaggerate or talk kok
Eg. "What? Your mother is the Queen of England and Princess Di is your ka-ki-lang? Don't anyhow pong lah!

Powderful by Nicol Ng

a sarcastic remark and replacement of the word "powerful", only in terms of one's command in language. However, the langauge which was refered as to be "powderful," has to be replace by country's name closest to it...

For example: If somebody have used a wrong word in his conversation, one can commend his command of english by saying," Wah! Your "England" very "powderful" ah!" or if he was speaking Madarin, it is, "Wah! your "China" very "powderful" ah!"

Pun Chet! by The Phantom

English Translation: Puncture
Usage: You know hah, my car tyre yesterday PUN CHET leh.

Say-ee by Conrad Lau

meaning : like to talk big / also mean very sickening or like shit
example : U know hah , that Jason is very say-ee one U know , i just can't stand him...

See Bay by Daniel TSA

Meaning: Very, Damn, To make something more explicit or important.
Literally: Dead Horse.
eg. Used as in " See Bay Chiat Lat" As in very very tiring. Or in "See Bay Siong" as in very tedious.
eg. Ah Kow : Wah.. See Bay Chim Ah..... Buay heow zhow. See Leow sure fail one lah.
Translation : Very difficult to do or complicated. Don't know how to do. Shit, I sure to fail.

Seow Liao! by Dino

Meaning: when "Seow" is used alone, means crazy, out of this world.
Example: You "seow" one, can go home don't go, wanna stay back camp and talk cock.
Meaning: when "Seow liao" is used, means in deep shit, having problem, or "Gone Case".
Example: Seow Liao lah, this weekend kenna duty again. Cannot go out jalan jalan already.

Seemi daiji? by Thomas Lim

meaning : what's up or what's going on?
example : Seemi daiji? I thought I heard a loud crash around here.

tak boleh tahan by Web KAki

Meaning : Unable to Tolerate
Usage : My nay-ber sing ka-lah-oh-kay all night, i tak boleh tahan them man!

Tsiim by Adam

1. difficult to grasp
2. beyond understanding e.g. He set dat if I travel at de speed of lite and den come back to earth, dat means I wiew be in de fiuche'ah?...hoowah - tsiiim. (He said that if I travel at the speed of light and then come back to earth, that means I will be in the future ah? wah, tsiim.)

TTL (aka Tua Tua Liap) by Michael Yeo

In Ingglish translation it means very very big. However it is often use to describe lady's with BIG BIG breast.
E.g : One day Ah Kow was sitting on the bus with Ah Hui. Then there was this girl board the bus. The Ah Kow shouted,"Ah Hui, look at that TTL. Solid siah! Wish I my future girlfriend can suffocate me if she is a TTL!"

Tua! by Wayne Seah Yu Ming

meaning: usually, to indicate that one has been stood up or tricked.
use:
AhBeng1: Eh wah lau eh!! I kana _tua_ yesterday ah!! I supposed to meet Andrew den he neber come ar!!
AhBeng2: Eh kana _tua_?? You goot ar!!

Ulu by The Phantom

English Translation: isolated
Daily Usage: Ah Heng's house is somewhere in Sembawang. Aiyoh, so ULU!

Wah Yang by Dino

Meaning: Pretend to be busy, action-action only...
Example: See that f***er, only know how to "wah yang" when the boss is around.

Whak! by Darren "Morff" Woulfe

To eat something greedily.
Wah lau! last night i wus so hungry, I came back ony I whak boy, cun tahan!
or
Wha, the makcik's kuih damn shioks boy, I whak the hol lot! (The last bit should be said with a sligh twist of the head to emphasise the whak)