Special Sub-Topic: Singapore Slang Click Here To Play: Singapore Slang

Thank God it's Friday! My friends and I are going 'lumching' tonight. What activity are we going to do?

Dancing. Lumching is a cross of the word dancing and the act it involves, that is, to 'lum' which is Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) for hug or embrace.

I hardly ever get to see my brother. He is one of those guys who 'gau sio' with his friends. What does my brother like doing?

Roam, gallivant. A person who is never home is one who 'gau sio', that is clever to stray all over the place in Hokkien.

My boyfriend and I are walking, hand in hand along Mount Faber where we join lots of other people there engaging in 'paktology'. What are we there for?

Go steady, smooch and whatever turns you on. Paktology is the name of the dating game. It comes from the Cantonese word 'pak tor' which means to go steady, smooch etc. Get the idea?

The drill sergeant complained that "we all so 'cartoon' one and whether we know or dunno how to walk one?" What does cartoon mean?

A fumbler. This is a term used for a soldier who doesn't know his left from his right, his elbow from his rifle butt etc. It originally referred to a soldier's lack of marching coordination. Now it is also used to describe one who is clumsy or not so co-ordinated.

My friend went shopping and bought a jade figurine of a Chinese goddess for $1000 and I told her she got 'ketok' by the shopkeeper. What happened to her?

She paid too much. Ketok means knock in Malay. It is used to describe cut throat salespeople. First they knock you cold then rob you blind; that is, you paid too much for your item.

My friend complained her husband 'chia pah sioh eng' and does not help her around the house. Her husband is....?

Idle. The expression literally means "eat full, too easy", a euphemism for being idle. Other expressions used are 'beh si cheng' (sell clock); 'goyang kaki' (swing or shake legs) and 'pah bang' (swat mosquitoes). The expressions all relate to the clock pendulum which does nothing but swings side to side as does the idler who sits and shakes his leg, his favourite activity.

Walking around the food stalls at the hawker centre with my American friend, we keep hearing people saying the food is so 'shiok'! My friend turned around and asked me what that meant. I replied it means what?

Good and delicious. The closest explanation of 'shiok' would be 'ecstasy' like when you give a good long awaited scratch to an itch. It is used to describe any good meal or a long cold drink on a hot day. It is also used to describe just about anything that is great. When it is better than good it is 'shioko'! I believe the Austin Powers movie byline in Singapore was "The Spy Who Shioked Me!" Oh! Behave!

Will you please stop 'digging gold' in public! It is absolutely disgusting! What does 'digging gold' refer to?

Picking your nose. Need more be said?

It is quite late at night and I have 'nor chet' done my homework. What is 'nor chet'?

Not yet. This is derived from lazy, careless speech where letters are swallowed, transposed or chopped together. Other examples are donno for don't know; awreddy for already.

Oh! Look! That guy there combing his hair has a 'curry pop'. What is that?

Tony Curtis's hairstyle. Curry pop - curry puff, a spicy savoury snack, semicircular in shape and puffed up in the center. Tony Curtis's hairstyle resembles a curry puff. No pun intended.

I dread my mother-in-law coming to visit as she so 'sebok' especially when it comes to taking care of the kids. What does she like to do?

Be a busybody. A busybody is the closest word I could come up with to define 'sebok'. To be 'sebok' describes one who shoots his/her mouth off or intervenes physically, under the illusion that they are giving aid to the situation. Think backseat driver or spectators at football matches shouting out at coaches and players who get in the way.

Whilst out shopping, I heard a little girl saying "Daddy, daddy buy me this, buy me that." Dad replied, "Darling ah! Daddy 'pokai' awreddy, ask mummy." What did dad mean by 'pokai'?

Dead broke. The 'po' part comes from 'pocket' which represents money and 'kai' from 'count' in Cantonese. When gambling, especially at card games, one plays until 'pok' or cleaned out, hence the expression.

I can't believe my tastebuds! In my opinion, the food in this restaurant is 'ngeah-ngeah'. What does the food taste like?

Bleah or yuckky. This word describes anything or anyone bleah!, yuckky, gross etc. Example, "What kind of ngeah-ngeah place is this?" Sounds like what it means.

Our regular human physiology lecturer is sick today and a substitute lectured us on the circulatory system. After, we all came out of the lecture theatre 'mong char char'. Mong char char?

Blurred, dazed. MCC is Cantonese for daze. This was used before the word 'blur' and 'blur king' made the rounds. In other words totally confused or don't know what is going on.

"Aiya! Why you so 'goondu' one? Let me help, help little bit OK?" A 'goondu' is one who is

A big stupid or silly. 'Goondu' is also defined as 'clumsy', or 'dullard' but the term is used with endearing overtones. Think Jerry Lewis where he usually plays the 'goondu' to the 'sauve' Dean Martin, silly but lovable! An opposite definition of 'goondu' means 'powerful', 'sharp', or 'champ'. For example, when you use your 'goondu' marble for the winning shot. This definition is rarely used though. Information from "Eh, Goondu!" by Toh Piak Choo