Angmoh: Caucasian, literal translation means ‘Red Hair’
Aiyah siao liao is it?: Have you already gone crazy?
Alamak: Exclamation of disbelief
Can lah: Yes
Can not lah, I bailiking oreddy: I can not take you, I am returning home
Eskew me: Excuse me
Fetch tomollow: Will deliver it tomorrow
Geelo one: Zero
Ger vely chio, boy vely yan dao: Girl very pretty, boy very handsome
Gongxi Facai: May you be happy and prosperous
Good lah you buy vely cheap:
Good ger: Good girl
HDB: Housing Development Board, Government housing
Hokkien: A Chinese dialect
Hong Bao: Red packet, usually containing even denominations of new notes for Chinese New Year
Hup ply: Half price
I hepch: I will help you
Jia Lat!: Serious situation
Kuali: A wok style cooking pot
Lai dat: Like that
Lah: The salt of Singlish dialogue, an utterance used to underline meaning or place emphasis to a short sentence.
Makan: To eat
Not nice lah too skinny: Not good too thin
Out Station: Away from the office or country usually on business
Red Sea Rig: Formal attire for men consisting of the bow tie and cummerbund without the dinner jacket
Solid: simply great, superb
Shiok: great, delicious
Sorry ah, can say again: Can you repeat that?
Tai Tai: Wealthy socialites, the equivalent to ‘Ladies who lunch’
Tai Chi: Slow ritual movements developed in China for a system of exercise
Tok kok: To talk rubbish
Tok kok one: You talk rubbish
Tomollow: Tomorrow
Towkay: Boss man
Wah so swee: Wow what a beautiful girl
Wait a while ah: One moment
Want or not: would you like this one or not
Want to sio, sio not: Literal translation means hot as in woman but also has sexual connotations
Where you stay: What is your address
Wow she dam jude man: Wow she is really pretty
Void deck: Common walkway or area under the Government housing estates
Bee Hoon: Dried rice vermicelli noodles
Bubur Cha Cha: Desert made with coconut milk, sago, sweet potato and yams
Char Kway Teow: Flat rice noodles with egg, clams, and Chinese sausage in a sweet black sauce
Chicken Adobo: Chicken pieces marinated in vinegar, garlic and soy sauce and then fried and simmered until tender
Kang Kong: A local green vegetable similar to spinach
Kaya: Kaya is a sweet coconut spread usually served on fried bread or toast
Lapu Lapu: local fish
Laska: Spicy coconut gravy with rice-flour noodles, chunks of seafood, bean curd, eggs and bean sprouts
Lechon: Roasted suckling pig
Lumpia: The Filipino version of Popiah
Nasi Goreng: Fried rice with prawns, egg, lettuce and seasonings
Nian Gao: Sweet round golden cake made with sugar and glutinous rice
Pancit: A Filipino dish of noodles, shrimp, pork, fish, meat or vegetables flavoured with black soy sauce and eaten with many variations
Popiah: Flower wrappers filled with bean sprouts crabmeat, prawns, eggs, sausage, yam, lettuce and spices
Prawn Mee: Chinese yellow noodles, with prawns, shrimp paste, galangal, bean sprouts and chilies
Satay: Barbecued kebabs of mutton, chicken or beef served with a spicy peanut sauce
Stengah: A long cool drink, Malay for half and half usually whisky with soda
Teochew Porridge: savoury rice porridge with spices, chicken or prawns, onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric
Tom Yum Soup: A spicy Thai soup made with chilies, lemon grass, lime leaves, fish sauce, coriander, prawns and mushrooms served with boiled rice
