Singlish Dictionary

English is widely spoken in Singapore ... or is it? Many first-time visitors have been confounded by the colloquialisms that pepper Singaporeans' speech. This is because we speak very quickly (or so it's been said) and with a distinct Singaporean accent. Over the years, Singaporeans have developed their own brand of English fondly referred to as 'Singlish'.
With our multi-racial background, it's not surprising that 'Singlish' borrows from the many different languages spoken in Singapore. Here's a collection of 'Singlish' terms which you might find handy on your visit to Singapore.

Action (verb)Derived from the English language meaning to show off.
Example: That fellow always like to action, walking around with his Rolex over his shirt sleeves.

Arrow (verb)Derived from the English language meaning to be given a task that you don't want to do.
Example: I was arrowed to paint this wall.

Blur (adj)Derived from the English language meaning does not know what is going on.
Example: He hasn't read up on the background to this project and was very blur at the meeting.

Boh-Chup (adj)Derived from the Hokkien dialect meaning couldn't care less.
Example: Ah, boh-chup, I'm not going to hand in my assignment.

Chim (adj)Pronounced 'cheem'. Derived from the Hokkien dialect meaning profound.
Example: The professor's lecture was very chim.

Chope (verb)Derived from the English language meaning to reserve.
Example: It's free seating at the concert, we need to get there early to chope seats for our group.

Gostun (verb) Derived from the English language (go stern) meaning to reverse.
Example: He overshot the turning so had to gostun back up the road.

Havoc (adj)Derived from the English language meaning wild and uncontrollable.
Example: That person is very havoc, always out late every night.

Kayu (adj)Pronounced 'kah-yoo'. Derived from the Malay language meaning dumb or stupid.
Example: How come he is so kayu? Teach him so many times and he still cannot do it.

Kiasu (adj)Pronounced 'kee-a-soo'.Derived from the Hokkien dialect meaning afraid to lose out to others or not to lose face.
Example: He sent his family to line up in different queues for the same item, so kiasu.

LahThe most famous of Singaporean expressions used at the end of sentences for emphasis.
Example: Very funny, lah!

Langgar (verb)Derived from the Malay language meaning to collide. Example: This van suddenly pulled out and langgar my car.

Obiang (adj)Derived from the Hokkien dialect meaning ugly or outdated.
Example: This dress is so obiang! Who is going to buy it?

Pai seh (adj)Pronounced 'pie-say'. Derived from the Hokkien dialect meaning embarrassed or shy.
Example: That's the third time I've forgotten her name. So pai seh.

Shiok (adj)Pronounced 'shee-oak'Derived from the Malay language (Straits Chinese) meaning fantastic or marvellous.
Example: That prawn mee soup was shiok!"

Sekali A word meaning suddenly.
Example: "I was about to make a right turn. Sekali this car appears from nowhere and nearly langgar me!"

Solid (adj)Derived from the English language meaning great or superb.
Example: Did you see how he scored the goal? Solid, man!

Sotong (adj)Derived from the Malay language meaning does not know what is going on. Similar meaning to 'blur'. (Sotong is the Malay word for octopus which squirts ink and clouds everything.)
Example: This has been going on for months, didn't you know? Sotong!

Suaku (noun)Pronounced 'soo-ah-koo'. Derived from the Hokkien dialect meaning country bumpkin.
Example: Don't be so suaku lah, don't you know what a VCD player is?

Terok (adj)Derived from the Malay language meaning troublesome or difficult. Example: That customer was very terok.

Tompang (verb)Pronounced 'tome-pang'. Derived from the Malay language meaning to ride on or request a favour.
Example: You're going to the post office? Can I tompang some letters to be mailed?

Ulu (adj)Pronounced 'oo-loo'. Derived from Malay language meaning rural or a deserted place.
Example: This place is so ulu, you hardly see a single soul around even on weekends.

Ya Ya (adj)An expression meaning boastful or arrogant.
Example: Wah, he's so ya ya

LOST main characters

Matthew Fox
Dr. Jack Shephard
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Spinal surgeon, just like his father
· So driven by his need to help others that he married a woman whose life he saved
· Betrayed his alcoholic father to the hospital board after a patient died under his knife
· Went to
Australiato find his missing father only to discover he'd drank himself to death
· Bringing father's body home from
Australiafor burial ON THE ISLAND
· Reluctant leader who made decision to cremate the passengers who didn't survive
· Euthanized US Marshal after a botched mercy killing attempt by Sawyer
· Solves disputes with reason but not afraid to use guns or torture if necessary
· Discovered caves with fresh water supply for shelter
· Found father's coffin, but no body
· Trapped by cave-in, rescued by Charlie
· Tried but failed to save Boone's life
· Competes with Sawyer for Kate's attention

Evangeline Lilly
Kate
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Fugitive from justice for several years
· Crimes included armed robbery, assault, resisting arrest
· Caused the death of her childhood boyfriend while resisting arrest
· Extradited to US to stand trial ON THE ISLAND
· Bravely led the first exploration into the jungle
· Helped try to rescue Claire and Charlie when they were kidnapped by sinister Ethan Rom
· Recovered US Marshal's Halliburton case full of guns from island pond
· Also in the case was her most cherished possession, a metal toy plane that belonged to her childhood sweetheart
· Delivered Claire's baby in the middle of the jungle
· Exposed to the group as a fugitive by Sawyer after trying to steal his place on the raft

Dominic Monaghan
Charlie Pace
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Bass player for successful
UKband Drive Shaft; his younger brother Liam was lead singer
· Heroin addiction lasted far longer than band's fame
· Turned to crime to support his habit
· Went to
Australiato convince brother to re-form band ON THE ISLAND
· Locke helped him kick drug addiction
· Rescued Jack from cave-in while in withdrawal
· Befriended Claire, convincing her to move to caves
· Almost killed when they were kidnapped by sinister Ethan Rom; Jack saved him with CPR
· Hunted down and shot Ethan Rom in revenge
· Tempted by heroin found on wrecked smuggler's plane
· Nicknamed Claire's baby Turnip Head

Jorge Garcia
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Won $156 million lottery with numbers from patient in a mental institution: 4 8 15 16 23 42
· Suffered from bad luck after win: grandfather died, new house burned, mom broke foot
· Bought the box company Locke works for with his winnings
· Traced the numbers to another unlucky man in
Australia
· Almost missed the flight, but tenaciously made it on board in spite of several omens warning him to stay off the plane ON THE ISLAND
· His laid-back humor keeps the survivors' spirits up
· Secretly believes his bad luck caused crash
· Owes Walt $20,000 for losing in backgammon
· Developed two-hole island golf course
· Took census revealing Ethan Rom wasn't on plane
· Panicked when he saw the winning numbers on the mysterious hatch right before Locke blew it open

Malcolm David Kelley
Walt Lloyd
BEFORE THE CRASH:
· Nine-year-old son of Michael
· Lived with mother Susan and her husband in
Australia
· Going to live with Michael after the death of his mother
· Attached to his dog, VincentON THE
ISLAND:
· Befriended by Locke
· Likes reading a Spanish-language comic book found after the plane crash
· Burned the raft his father built in an effort to stay on the island
· Kidnapped after setting out on the rebuilt raft with Michael

Naveen Andrews
Sayid Jarrah
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Communications Officer for Iraqi Republican Guard in first Gulf War
· Tortured and interrogated prisoners for the Iraqi government
· Helped his childhood love Nadia escape prison
· Recruited by US and Australian agents to infiltrate a terrorist cell which included his best friend from college
· Foiled the terrorist cell's bombing attempt but watched his friend commit suicide as a result
· Racing to LA to reunite with
Nadia
ONTHE
ISLAND
· Repaired transponder, picked up distress signal
· Attacked by Locke while locating signal transmitter
· Mistakenly tortured Sawyer to get hoarded medicine
· While exploring, captured by crazy French woman who's been alone for 16 years—escaped with her island maps
· Despite romance with
Shannon, stopped her from killing Locke in revenge for Boone's death
· Rigged radar for raft

Harold Perrineau
Michael Dawson
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Construction worker, sketch artist
· Brutal car accident resulted in long hospital recovery
· Ex-girlfriend used accident to gain full custody of their son Walt
· Got custody of his son back when the ex died from a rare blood disorder
· Afraid he can't take care of Walt by himself ON THE ISLAND
· Befriended Sun, which made her husband jealous
· Envious of his son Walt's friendship with Locke
· Finally bonded with his son over box of drawings and letters to Walt that the ex had kept hidden
· Built raft, but his son burns it to remain on the island together
· Built and launched second raft, only to have his son kidnapped several miles from shore

Josh Holloway
James "Sawyer" Ford
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Watched parents die in murder/suicide after being swindled out of their life savings by "Sawyer"
· Became a con man and adopted the name and methods of the man he holds responsible for his parents' deaths
· Obsessed with hunting for the original "Sawyer" for revenge
· Killed the wrong man thinking he was "Sawyer"
· Encountered Jack's father in an Australian bar
· Deported from
Australiafor head-butting the Minister of
Agriculture
ONTHE
ISLAND
· Good ol' boy plays all the angles and hoards supplies, booze, sunscreen, etc.
· Stubbornly allowed Sayid to torture him
· Carrying on a hot and heavy flirtation with Kate
· Bought his way onto raft with hoarded supplies
· Shot by Walt's kidnappers during incident on raft

Terry O'Quinn
John Locke
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Collections supervisor for a box company
· Master of war and strategy games
· Raised in a foster home
· As adult, found his ailing biological father who conned him out of a kidney then cruelly cut him off again
· In wheelchair for last 4 years—reason unknown ON THE ISLAND
· Miraculously able to walk again after crash
· Uses his skills to hunt and live off the land
· Discovered unnatural sealed hatch to unknown underground area
· Visions led him to drug smuggler's plane
· May have caused Boone's death by allowing him to explore a plane wreck precariously perched in a tree canopy
· Unafraid of island's "monster security system"
· Believes the island has brought them all here for a reason—it's their fate

Daniel Dae Kim
Jin-Soo Kwon
BEFORE THE CRASH
· A fisherman's son who courted Sun in secret but insisted on asking her wealthy father for permission to marry
· Worked for her father as an enforcer after their wedding
· Refused to tell Sun about her father's shady dealings
· Planned to run away with Sun while on a business trip in the
USON THE ISLAND
· An outsider because he doesn't speak English
· Tried to make friends by sharing seafood he caught
· Wears handcuff souvenir from a fight with Michael
· Estranged from Sun when he discovered she secretly learned English
· Made up with Sun before leaving on raft
· Dove off raft to rescue Sawyer after he was shot

Yunjin Kim
Sun Kwon
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Rich girl who married Jin despite him being from a lower class
· Only companion was Shar-Pei puppy Jin gave her
· Learned English in secret so she could run away from her failing marriage
· At the last minute, decided to stay with her husband and board flight 815 ON THE ISLAND
· Eager to help, but Jin's jealousy holds her back
· Cured
Shannon's asthma attack with herbal remedy
· Planted herb garden to grow "medicine"
· Revealed she could speak English to the group when her husband was accused of burning the raft
· Estranged from Jin because of her secrets
· Attempted to poison Jin in order to keep him from risking his life by going on the raft

Emilie de Ravin
Claire Littleton
BEFORE THE CRASH
· Her boyfriend convinced her to have his baby
· Desperate to give up her baby for adoption after he walked out on her
· A psychic insisted she must raise child herself, "Danger surrounds this baby"
· Out of the blue, the psychic arranged adoption in
Los AngelesON THE ISLAND
· Feels outcast because of her pregnancy
· Thinks the psychic knew the plane was going down
· Kidnapped with Charlie by stranger Ethan Rom
· Reappeared with no memory of time since the crash
· Kate helped deliver her son, Aaron
· Helped Locke make cradle for Aaron
· Relieved to discover Sawyer's voice soothes her crying baby
· Remembered escaping from the French woman by scratching her