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cabut /jah-buut; ÈdZAbUt/ v. [Mal., extraction by force, but not with needless violence (Wilkinson); draw (a sword, a card), pull out (hair, tooth, plant) (Winstedt); compare chabut lari to clear out, hooking it (Wilkinson); skeddadle (Winstedt): lari to go at a run, escape, evasion (Wilkinson); run, run away, abscond, desert (Winstedt)] Also formerly chabut.  Leave or go off from a place, esp. in a hurry.

cake lapis var. of Kueh Lapis 1.

campong var. of Kampung.

can die int. [Eng.]  An exclamation expr. fatigue, esp. after some difficult or strenuous activity.
1991 Valerie Tan The Straits Times (Section 3), 9 August, 19 can die – said as the result of some taxing activity.

cannot make it a. [Eng.] Also abbrev. CMI.  Falling below the expected standard, not up to scratch; fig. unattractive, ugly.
2005 Renee Tan The Sunday Times, 27 February, 38 .. CMI (“cannot make it” – used to refer to people who are ugly or pathetic.  2006 Zul Othman Today, 20 July, 37 A noble effort but somehow the only words that came to mind were “cannot make it, lah”.

capteh var. of Chatek.

carafare /kah-rah-fair, kAùrAùÈfEù/ n. [Cant., film extra]  An idle person, a layabout; a supporter, a hanger-on.

cari makan see entry under Makan.

carrot cake n. [Eng. mistransl. of Mand. 萝卜糕 luóbo gāo radish cake or pudding: 萝卜 luóbo radish (luo trailing plants (Chi.–Eng. Dict.) + bo a term applied, in combination, to such roots as the carrot, turnip, radish, etc. (Mathews); compare 红萝卜 hóng luóbo carrot: 红 hóng red) + gāo cake, pudding (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A Chinese steamed savoury pudding made chiefly of grated radish and flour and sometimes with minced pork, mushrooms, etc., often served diced and fried with egg and salted vegetables.
2000 Cheong Suk-Wai The Straits Times (Life! This Weekend), 22 June, 10 Singapore carrot cake is carrot in name only, made as it is of white radish and rice flour, steamed to form springy, jelly-like slabs. Hawkers then toss the chye tow kuay about in a wok with egg, bits of chye por (salted white radish) and chilli.. Decide whether you want it black or white – that is, with copious dribblings of thick dark soya sauce or just a dash of it.  2000 Chua Lee Hong The Straits Times, 20 December, H15 He knows where to find good fried carrot cake (in Ang Mo Kio), kaya bread (Killiney Road) and chicken rice (River Valley).  2006 Melissa Sim The Sunday Times, 6 August, 3 If you think nothing tastes better than lard-fried carrot cake, taste again. In a blind taste test carried out last Thursday, four out of five Sunday Times readers said carrot cake fried in vegetable oil was tastier, overturning the popularly held belief that the dish must be fried in lard, or not at all.  2006 Wong Ah Yoke The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 15 October. Pan-fried carrot cake: Again, Crystal Jade comes up tops with its aromatic cakes.. that are soft without being mushy. They taste great too.

carry v. [Eng. transl. of Mal. Angkat]  Angkat.
1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 72 You are all trying to ‘carry’ me, right?

Phrase: carry balls v. phr. [Eng. balls the testicles < transl. of Mal. bola ball].  Angkat Bola.

cartoon a. [Eng.]  Idiotic, ridiculous.

catch no ball v. phr. [Eng.]  Liak Bo Kiu.
2001 Suhaila Sulaiman The Straits Times (Life! This Weekend), 4 January, 5 Catch no ball? If your phone works like a natural extension of your arm, you’d have no problem at all deciphering the above paragraph.  2004 Janadas Devan The Straits Times (Very! Singapore), 20 August, 20 ‘[C]atch no ball’.. someone who misses the drift of things.

CB abbrev. of Chee Bye.

CB leaf abbrev. of Chee Bye Leaf.

century egg n. [< Eng. century a group of a hundred things; a hundred]  A Chinese item of food consisting of a duck egg (or, less commonly, a chicken egg) cured in its shell using a mixture of quicklime and ash, clay and water, or other materials, supposedly for about a hundred days, and coated with straw. The process causes the egg to solidify, with the white of the egg becoming dark and translucent and the yolk taking on a dull greenish hue, and imparts it with a sharp flavour and odour. Century eggs are used in various dishes, including rice porridge, and are also eaten as an appetizer with sliced ginger and soya sauce for dipping.
¶ Century eggs are known in Cant. as 皮蛋 p‘i t‘an pickled eggs (literally ‘an egg with a skin’) [p‘i skin of the body, a hide, fur; a wrapper, a covering + t‘an egg (Eitel)] and in Mand. as pídàn preserved egg [pí skin + dàn egg (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)].
2005 Wong Ah Yoke The Sunday Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 2 October. The poached chicken, which is flanked by century egg and noodles, sits in a spicy sauce of chilli and Sichuan pepper that will set you tingling with delight as a numbing fiery sensation takes over your tastebuds.  2006 Teo Pau Lin (quoting Chan Chen Hei) The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 1 October. Which are the best restaurants in Hong Kong? / No restaurant is good in everything. Most specialise in one thing. I’d say Yung Kee for their pei dan (century egg). It’s so fragrant, you won’t be able to find it anywhere in Hong Kong.  2006 Wong Ah Yoke The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 15 October. Century egg with meat congee: Crystal Jade’s porridge.. is a little too thick and comes with cubes of pork. Imperial Treasure’s.., which is thin and smooth with strands of pork, is tastier.  2006 Teo Pau Lin (quoting Benjamin Seck) The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 31 December, L28 Just three shops away, there’s another zhi char (restaurant-style coffee shop) place that does a vegetable with century egg and salted egg dish.

cha tow peng /chah thow peng, tSAù TaU pEN/ n. phr. [Hk. 柴 ch’hâ fire-wood + 头 t’haôu the head + 兵 peng a weapon of war; a person who uses such a weapon, a soldier (Medhurst); Mand. chái firewood + tóu head + bīng soldier (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A soldier who is dull and uncomprehending, thick-headed soldier.  Compare Kayu.
1978 Leong Choon Cheong Youth in the Army 305 cha thau peng. ‘Deadwood soldier’: Hokkien. The phrase is conferred on a soldier who neither responds nor comprehends, ie a typical end-product of the present educational system. Equivalent slang in Malay is kayu.

chabut var. of Cabut.

chai poh var. of Chye Por.

chai sim var. of chye sim.

cham sheung /chum siong, tSÃm sI�N/ v. [poss. < Cant. 斟 cham to adjust, to choose, add to, deliberate + 商 shéung to deliberate (Eitel); Mand. 斟(酌 zhēnzhuó consider, deliberate (zhēn pour (tea or wine) + zhuó pour out (wine), drink; consider, think over, use one’s discretion) + 商 shāng discuss, consult (Chi.–Eng. Dict.); compare Gwee who suggests Hk. 参 cham + 详 siang; Mand. cān join, enter, take part in; refer, consult + xiáng detailed, minute; details, particulars; know clearly (Chi.–Eng. Dict.): see 2006 quot. below]

[2006 William Gwee Thian Hock A Baba Malay Dictionary 53 cham siang [參詳] to discuss and deliberate]

Co-operate with, negotiate with.
1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 117 Oi! Peng yu, eh! Cham seong tam poh!  136 cham seong tam poh. Compromise (or negotiate) a little.

chandu /chahn-doo, ÈtSAnduù/ n. [Mal.]  Opium that has been prepared for consumption.
1894 N.B. Dennys A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya 258 The preparation of opium, i.e., its conversion into chandu, as it is called when it is fit for smoking, is as follows.. Chandu is prepared opium. ..  1865 John Cameron Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India 214. In the condition in which it is imported from Calcutta and Bombay, opium is a very different article from that which administers to the sensual enjoyment of the consumer, and the conversion of the imported article to chandoo, or the treacly consistency required for smoking, is one of the monopolies secured for the protection of the farmer.  [1955 R.J. Wilkinson A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 184 chandu .. Prepared opium..]

change parade n. [Eng.] mil. slang  A form of collective punishment where the soldiers in a platoon, etc., are ordered to change into different sets of uniforms, equip themselves and fall into parade formation, all within short periods of time.
2002 Koh Boon Pin & Lee Geok Boi Shoulder to Shoulder 14 The tough training of BMT [basic military training] is still the same but the unreasonable punishments are gone. The notorious change parade has been banned.

change underwear v. phr. [Eng.] mil. slang  Replace a heavily-marked Talc sheet overlaying a map with a fresh, blank sheet.
2002 Koh Boon Pin & Lee Geok Boi Shoulder to Shoulder 26 Change underwear. Change the exercise telt sheet. “I cannot see the map underneath. Change underwear.”

changkul /chahng-kuul, ÈtSANkUl/ n. [Mal., poss. < Arab. جنكل changul talons, claws; a hook, a fork]  A tool similar to a hoe consisting of a rectangular iron blade fixed transversely at the end of a short or long handle, used in agriculture and gardening, and by soldiers for digging trenches.
1894 N.B. Dennys A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya 71 Changkol. – The hoe with which all agricultural and planting work is performed by Klings, Malays and Chinese in the Settlements and Peninsula. A long or short handle is fitted according to the work to be done.  [1955 R.J. Wilkinson A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 186 changkul. Hoe for digging and breaking up earth (Ht. Abd. [Hikayat Abdullah] 42, Sid. Rama [Hikajat Siddha Rama (Batavia: Balai Poestaka)] 22).  1963 Richard Winstedt An Unabridged Malay–English Dictionary 63 changkul, hoe (Malaya’s spade)]

chao /chow, tSaU/ a. [Hk. 臭 stinking; rotten; ill-favoured (Medhurst); Mand. chòu smelly, foul, stinking; bad smell, stink, notoriety; stink, smell, emit a bad odour; disgusting, abominable, detestable, disgraceful; suffering decay, unwelcome (Comp. Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  Dirty, foul, smelly, stinking; detestable, disgusting, unwelcome. Used in the following comb. forms.

Comb.:

chao chee bye /chee bı, tSiù bÃI/ int. [see Chee Bye] vulg. & offensive  An exclamation expr. anger, contempt, derision, frustration, etc.  Compare Kan Ni Na.

chao kang /gahng, gAùN/ a. [Hk. 孔 k’hang a hole (Medhurst); Mand. kǒng hole (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  Mean, nasty.
1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 35 He was the most chao kang instructor one could have.  68 Sie-eh chao kang. Just because you don’t like me, is it ..? Say so, lah!  136 chao kang. Literally, dirty hole.

chao kuan /kooahn,kUAùn/ a. [Hk. 款 kuan (Gwee: see quot. 2006 below); Mand. kuǎn sincere; receive with hospitality, entertain (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  Unfair, unscrupulous.
2004 Colin Goh The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 1 August, L16 [A] knight without honour in the savage land of chao kuan (unscrupulous) restaurants.  2004 Chua Mui Hoong The Straits Times, 20 October, H6 As Hokkien-speaking Singaporeans have been wont to say, the PAP government can be chao kuan (not playing fair, stacking the odds in its own favour).  2005 Colin Goh The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 18 December, L12 .. Jose had left Christmas cards with every single neighbour.. It was less a sharing of season’s greetings than a not-so-subtle hint that he wanted an end-of-year tip. .. There’s the chao kuan (miserly) factor which we Singaporeans know too well about, and that may be why Jose felt he had to drop a fat hint rather than rely on our altruism.  [2006 William Gwee Thian Hock A Baba Malay Dictionary 54 chau kuan [臭款] bad habit]

chao private n. phr. [Eng.] mil. slang  A derogatory form of address for a soldier of the rank of private.
1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 58 We hooted, threw our caps into the air and congratulated one another on becoming ‘chou privates’.  80 The only kind of satisfaction for us chou privates.  136 chou private. ‘Dirty’ private. A supposedly derogatory term for the image of a private.

chap chye /tzahp chı, tzAp tSÃI/ n. [Hk. 杂 chap to mix, to blend together + 菜 ch’haè vegetables (Medhurst); Mand. zá mixed + cài vegetables (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A Peranakan dish consisting of mixed vegetables including cabbage, black fungus and lily flower buds, and other ingredients such as transparent rice vermicelli and tim chok (dried sweet beancurd strips).
2004 Justin Cheong Today (Festive Special), 10 December, 2 One tends to associate turkey and ham with Christmas. But for Ivan’s family, there would be.. chap chye (mixed vegetables)..  [2006 William Gwee Thian Hock A Baba Malay Dictionary 54 chap chai [雜菜] mixed vegetable stew; in disarray]  2006 Eveline Gan Weekend Today, 22–23 July, 24 I used to think that nobody could rival my nenek’s (grandma) delicious chap chye, but I changed my mind.. While the mixture of cabbage, vermicelli, black fungus, lily flower buds and tim chok (dried sweet beancurd strips) may not look very appetising, this dish is what I’d call comfort food, and it’s very tasty, too.

chap go mei /chahp go may, tʃɑp gɒ meɪ/ n. [Hk. 十五 chap go (chap + go) + 暝 mei; Mand. shíwǔ fifteen; fifteenth (shí ten + wǔ five) + míng (of the sun) set; (of the sky) grow dark; dusk, evening twilight (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  The 15th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, which is also the first full-moon day of the new year and the last day of the Chinese New Year; the Lantern Festival. Traditions associated with the festival include the carrying of lanterns by children and the eating of Tang Yuan.
¶ Known in Mand. as 元宵节 Yuánxiāo Jié the Lantern Festival: yuánxiāo the night of the 15th of the first lunar month (yuán first, primary + xiāo night) + jié festival, red-letter day, holiday (Chi.–Eng. Dict.).
[2006 William Gwee Thian Hock A Baba Malay Dictionary 54 chap go [十五] fifteen; fifteenth  chap go mei [十五暝] fifteenth and last night of the Lunar/Chinese New Year festivities]

chap ji ki /chahp jee kee, tʃɑp dʒiː kiː/ n. [Hk. 十二 chap ji (chap + ji) + 支 ki; Mand. shí’èr twelve (shí ten + èr two) + zhī branch, offshoot (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A gambling game popular among Peranakans played by four players using narrow cards based on the 12 pieces in Chinese chess.
[2006 William Gwee Thian Hock A Baba Malay Dictionary 54 chap-ji-ki [十二支] the twelve-number betting game]

chapalang /chah-pah-lahng, ÈtSapùalùaùN/ n. [origin uncertain, perh. < Hk. 吃饱人 chëăh pá láng people who have eaten their fill: chëăh pá to eat to the full (chëăh to eat + pá (colloq.) to be satisfied, to be full, to enjoy satiety) + lang a man (Medhurst); Mand. chī eat + bǎo full + rén people]  A person who drifts from one activity or place to another (?).
2001 Michelle Ho The Sunday Times (Sunday Plus), 14 January, P6 Chapalang clubbers.. These drifters check out any scene as long as something is there for them, be it free booze or hot babes.

chapteh var. of Chatek.

char kway teow /chahr kuay tiow, tSAr kUeI tIaU/ [Hk. 炒 char fry; Mand. chǎo + Kway Teow]  A sweet-savoury dish consisting of kway teow fried with soya sauce, bean sprouts, cockles, etc.
1978 Leong Choon Cheong (quoting Tay Poh Hock) Youth in the Army 49–50 Not long after, to his $2 per day Poh Hock added another $2 by working from 3 p.m. to well past midnight for another hawker, this time a char kway teow man.  2002 Magdalene Lum (quoting Elisa Chew) The Straits Times (Life!), 2 April, L6 The best char kway teow can be found at McCalister Road [in Penang, Malaysia].  2005 Teo Pau Lin (quoting Ryan Chioh) The Sunday Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 2 October. What’s your ultimate favourite food? .. Char kway teow. My favourite stall is in Wei Xuan Eating House, Block 22, in Havelock Road. It’s a little bit sweet and wet, has loads of lard, and the cockles are cooked just right. My record was eating there three times a week.  2006 Teo Pau Lin (quoting Joyce Thomas) The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 13 August, L24 In the 1970s, char kway teow hawkers used a lot of lard, a lot of ingredients and fried it in a way that made it very fragrant. Now, you can’t find that kind of standard anywhere.  2006 Anthony Bourdain New York Times Magazine (from Travel.nytimes.com), 24 September. The next day, he took me out to a hawker center near the airport for a Chinese-based comfort-food classic: char kway teow (fried flat rice noodles). Originally a poor-man’s lunch thrown together by fishermen, the dish has become a guilty pleasure for Singaporeans unafraid of its high-cholesterol charms. Hill Street Fried Kway Teow, Seetoh insisted, offered the best char kway teow in Singapore. A superior frying technique was of paramount importance – one must not burn the noodles. “Watch the master!” Seetoh urged, as an old gentleman tossed Chinese sausage, cockles, flat noodles and crispy pork cracklings into a sizzling wok and then poured in some dark soy. A minute or so before being unceremoniously dumped onto plates, a beaten egg was added, and it was still cooking when the steaming orders hit our table. It was an unlovely-looking brown heap, but I felt myself slowly seduced as I spooned on some chili sauce, my hangover from the previous evening’s festivities fading quickly. As with so much of the best of Asian cooking, this gooey mess was in fact a complex combination of distinct flavors and textures: sweet and savory, spicy and rich, gluey and crunchy.

Comb.: Penang char kway teow see Penang Char Kway Teow.

char siew /chah sioo, tSaù sIU/ n. [Cant. 叉 ch‘á to fork up; a prong + 烧 shiú to ignite, to burn, to roast, to bake (Eitel); Mand. chāshāo: chā fork n.; work with a fork, fork v. + shāo burn; cook, bake, heat; stew after frying or fry after stewing; roast (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  Chinese boneless lean pork (or, less commonly, other types of meat), seasoned with various ingredients including sugar or honey, five-spice powder, red food colouring, soya sauce and rice wine or sherry, and barbequed or roasted. It is usu. sliced and eaten with a sweet sauce.
2001 David Kraal The Straits Times (Life!), 20 February, L6 Otak-otak, char siew, babi pangang and roast duck were bought from secret stalls that produce only the best.  2002 Chua Minyi The Sunday Times, 31 March, 30 From chicken char siew noodles and Portuguese food to bubble tea.  2006 Teo Pau Lin The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 13 August, L24 [L]ipsmacking dishes that are rarely found now – .. home-grilled char siew with unashamed portions of fat..

Comb.:

char siew fun /fun, fÃn/ n. [Cant. 饭 fán a meal, food for one person; cooked rice (Eitel); Mand. fàn cooked rice or other cereals (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A Chinese dish consisting of pieces of char siew, slices of cucumber, etc., served with rice and a sweet sauce.
2001 Neil Humphreys Notes from an Even Smaller Island 62 You cannot go far wrong if you ask for char siew fun, which is barbequed pork rice.

char siew noodles n. [Eng. transl. of Mand. 面 miàn noodles; or cognates in other Chi. dialects]  Char siew, vegetables, etc., served with noodles.

char siew pau /pow, paU/ n. [Cant. 包 páu bun (Eitel); Mand. bāo]  Also ellipt. pau.  A dimsum (savoury Cantonese-style snack) in the form of a white steamed bun filled with minced char siew.
2005 Teo Pau Lin (quoting Ryan Chioh) The Sunday Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 2 October. I always order char siew pau for dimsum in a restaurant. It’s the benchmark to see if the overall standard is good.  2006 Teo Pau Lin & Eunice Quek The Straits Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 24 June. Staples like har gao (prawn dumplings, $2.80) and char siew pau ($2.80) are made fresh every day. .. Signature dishes: Har gao, siew mai, char siew puff and egg tarts..  2006 June Cheong (quoting Tan Siang Yee) The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 29 October. I feel like I need something salty like char siew pau (roast pork buns) as well.

char siew rice n. [Eng. rice, transl. of Mand. 饭 fàn cooked rice or other cereals (Chi.–Eng. Dict.); or cognates in other Chi. dialects]  Char Siew Fun.

char siew su /soo, suù/ n. [Cant. 酥 sò, sú crisp (Eitel); Mand. sū crisp, short; shortbread (Chi.–Eng. Dict.); compare Cant. 酥饼 sú peng short cakes (Eitel); Mand. bǐng a round flat cake (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A dimsum (savoury Cantonese-style snack) in the form of an oblong piece of flaky pastry filled with minced char siew.

chari makan see entry under Makan.

chari point /chahri poın(t), tSAriù p�In(t)/ v. [Mal. chari find, look for, seek, search + Eng. point]  Act in a manner so as to give someone else a good impression of oneself; try to score points with one, strive to get into one’s good books.
1978 Leong Choon Cheong Youth in the Army 305 chari point. It means ‘to find a point’: a favourable understanding with someone or to get into his good books: Malay/English.  1985 Michael Chiang Army Daze 37 Chari point (Malay). To look for marks; to try and score points. Describes those trying to get into the good books of superiors.

chatek /chah-tek, ÈtSAtEk/ n. [Mal. (?)] Also capteh, chapteh.  1 A toy made of feathers attached by their quills to weights such as round pieces of rubber, which is kicked using the inner side of the foot.  2 A game played with a chatek, the object of which is to try for as long as possible to keep a chatek in the air by kicking it continuously without allowing it to fall to the ground.
1 2001 Chan Kwee Sung The Straits Times (Life!), 29 October, L6 The dominant game was that played with a shuttlecock, a bigger version of capteh made with a thick pile of paper discs impaled with chicken feathers. This was kicked over a net by single, double or team players.  2 2000 Chan Kwee Sung The Straits Times, 1 September, 92 Dickenson Hill.. was frequented in days of yore by evening strollers equally attracted to regular chatek or shuttlecock matches by popular players in Chinatown.  2005 Lee U-Wen Today, 22 August. Another anecdote in the book came from former Raffles Girls School principal Carmee Lim, who, in her school days, earned a reputation as the “chatek queen” for her uncanny ability to manoeuvre the small feather-shuttle using both legs. But her strict expatriate principal disapproved of her behaviour and chided the young Ms Lim for her unladylike actions.  2006 Jessica Lim The Sunday Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 12 November. [T]eams from 16 primary schools feverishly chalking up hits with a chatek, plotting a winning strategy in a game of Police and Thief and cartwheeling over rubber-band ropes. .. Chatek queen Cai Xiao Dan, 15, kept one in the air for 78 hits, despite not having played with the shuttlecock-like toy for four years.

chau peng /chow peng, tSaU pEN/ n. & v. phr. [Hk. 走 chaóu to run, to run away, to run quickly + 兵 peng a weapon of war; a person who uses such a weapon, a soldier (Medhurst); Mand. zǒu walk, go; run + bīng soldier (Comp. Chi.–Eng. Dict.)] mil. slang  A n. phr. A soldier who is absent without official leave (AWOL), a deserter.  B v. phr. Of a soldier: be absent without official leave, go AWOL; desert from the armed forces, an army unit, etc.
1978 Leong Choon Cheong Youth in the Army 305 chau peng. (1) To run AWOL. (2) Soldier gone AWOL: Hokkien. Soldiers who chau peng tend to be privates and low in IQ and educational profile. By contrast, more intelligent and better-educated men and officers tend not to chau peng or go AWOL: but they skive or chiah chua.

†chaybah /chay-bah, ÈtSeIbA/ int. [origin unkn.]  An exclamation expr. exultation, triumph, etc.; all right!, woo hoo!, yeah!

cheapo n. & a. [Eng. cheap + –o] A n. A cheapskate, a miser.  B a. In the manner of a cheapskate: miserly, stingy, ungenerous.
A 2003 Suzanne Sng The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 14 December, L8 The gift the Cheapo brings, if any, is recycled from last year’s gift exchange. .. [I]t can be difficult handling Cheapos, who can be male or female.  2005 Lionel Seah The Straits Times (Urban) (from Straits Times Interactive), 29 September. What is the right way to wear perfume? .. Technically speaking, the old-fashioned way is that you spritz the scent a few times into the air using an atomiser and then walk into the mist. The whole idea is that you are covered evenly in the heavenly scent. Of course, the cheapos among us would say the surroundings – not you – end up smelling lovely.

chee bye /chee bı, tSiù bÃI/ n. & int. [poss. Hk. 雌 ch’he the female of birds (Medhurst) + bye (?); Mand. cí female + (?) (Comp. Chi.–Eng. Dict.)] Often abbrev. to CB. vulg. & offensive  A n. The female (external?) genitalia: vulva, cunt, pussy.  B int. An exclamation expr. anger, contempt, derision, frustration, etc; cunt!
A 1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 136 C–B–. Highly vulgar, negative name for vagina.  B 1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 35 This type of C–B– standard, no f—g respect for me, is it?  2001 Magistrate Adam Nakhoda (quoting Cpl. Mohamed Sadri bin Farich) Public Prosecutor v. Verghese Alan, 20 January, Magistrate’s Appeal Case No. 2329 of 2000, [2001] SGMC 7, para. 21, Magistrate’s Court (Singapore). Q. You mentioned Accused saying bad words. What were they? A. “Bastard”. A Chinese bad word “Chee Bye”, “Who bribed you”, “Get out of here”, and “Corrupt police”.  2003 Magistrate Eric Tin Keng Seng Public Prosecutor v. Koh Boo Ching, 24 October, Magistrate’s Arrest Case Nos. 6238 and 6240 of 2003, [2003] SGMC 37, para. 6, Magistrate’s Court (Singapore). You... are charged that you on or about the 25th day of June, 2003 at or about 1.05 am at car park of Blk 136 Potong Pasir Ave 3, Singapore, did use abusive words to one, Jumarie Bin Jumahat who is a Parking Enforcement Officer of Housing Development Board, a public servant, to wit, “Kua Si Mi Lan Chau, Chee Bye”, which literally mean in English as “See What Penis, Vagina”, in the execution of his duty as such public servant, and you have thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 13D(1)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act, Chapter 184.  2003 ‘Pak Cham Kai’ Talkingcock.com, 14 December. Then got one of their occifer saw me making Maggi mee in the barracks, and arrow me to come and make for them. Chee bye!  2006 Neil Humphreys Final Notes from a Great Island 28–29 As the lift doors opened, I heard a voice mutter “chee bye”. .. [I]sn’t chee bye a wonderful vulgarity? It is truly delightful and easily my favourite Singaporean expletive, precisely because it does not sound like one. It is Hokkien for “vagina”, but it is so much jauntier than its British four-letter equivalent..  36 “Cannot tahan already, the chee bye,” one of the cleaners said. Do not hold back mate. Say what you really think.

Comb.:

chao chee bye see entry under Chao.

chee bye leaf n. [Eng. leaf] Often abbrev. as CB leaf. mil. slang  The large, oval, prominently-veined leaf of a plant, Dillenia suffructicosa, with showy yellow flowers (sometimes called the CB plant), poss. known in Malay as simpoh (simpuh, simpur) ayer (but see quot. 1955 below), the split stalk of which is said to resemble the vulva. It is usu. avoided by soldiers for camouflage purposes.

[1955 R.J. Wilkinson A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 2, 1109 simpur. A large tree, Dillenia sp. It bears a white flower (bunga s. [simpur]) the shape of which (conventionalized) enters largely into Malay art design.. S. is used also of other plants: s. ayer (Cleistanthus hirsutulus).. Also simpoh. [Watson [Malayan Plant Names] gives: s. ayer = Wormia pulchella..]  1963 Richard Winstedt An Unabridged Malay–English Dictionary 335 simpor, small trees with hard wood and showy yellow flowers (Dillenia spp.)]

1985 Michael Chiang Army Daze 37 CB leaf. A broad leaf trainees are discouraged from using as camouflage during field training. Decency forbids the explanation of CB.  [1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 52 It seemed very strange singing to an audience of CB plants, coconut trees and oil palms.  136 CB plants. Tropical shrub with leaves resembling a certain part of the female anatomy.]

chee cheong fun /chee chiong fun, tSiù tSI�N fÃn/ n. [Cant., pig’s intestines noodles (f. their appearance): 猪 chü the pig, one of the ‘six domestic animals’ of China + 肠 ch‘éung the bowels, the intestines + 粉 fán rice flour, crumbs (of rice) (Eitel); Mand. zhūcháng fěn: zhū pig, hog, swine + cháng intestines + fěn noodles, vermicelli (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)] Also cheong fun.  A Chinese dish consisting of broad flat pieces of dough made from rice flour which are rolled up and steamed. They are served plain with a dark sweet sauce, chilli sauce and a sprinkling of sesame seeds, or cooked with ingredients such as Char Siew or shrimp and served with light soya sauce.
2006 Wong Ah Yoke The Straits Times (Life!) (from Straits Times Interactive), 6 March. There is even chee cheong fun stuffed with shark’s fin and seafood.  2006 Teo Pau Lin (quoting Wong Hon Mun) The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 30 July, L28 When I was growing up in Kampar [in Malaysia], there was this woman who sold chee cheong fun from her house. Every lunch time, there would be this long queue that formed outside her door. I really missed it when she stopped selling it in the 1970s. Her chee cheong fun was really fresh. The skin was thin and it had lots of radish and dried shrimp filling.  2006 Wong Ah Yoke The Straits Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 15 October. Shrimp rice roll (cheong fun): Crystal Jade’s smooth sheets of rice flour.., which are embedded with crunchy lumps of shrimp meat, are about the best you can find in Singapore.

chee sin /chee sin, tSiù sIn/ int. [Cant. 叉 (or 止) chí cross (or poss. chí to stop, to desist) + 线 sín a thread (Eitel); Mand. chā cross (or zhǐ stop) + xiàn thread, string, wire (Chi.–Eng. Dict.) (?)] joc.  An exclamation expr. that the person being addressed is mentally unsound or crazy.
1991 Valerie Tan The Straits Times (Section 3), 9 August, 19 chee sin – crossed wire, something wrong in the head. Rose to popularity with the 1970s Cantonese Hongkong serials.

cheeko n. & a. [poss. < Eng. cheek or cheeky + –o; or Hk. 痴 chee + 哥 ko (Gwee: see quot. 2006 below); Mand. chī silly, idiotic; crazy about; (dial.) insane, mad + gē (elder) brother (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A n. A person (usu. a man) obsessed with sexual matters, a sex maniac.  B a. Of or relating to a cheeko; sexually obsessed.
1978 Leong Choon Cheong Youth in the Army 164 There was the ‘cheeko’ Mr Wong who was the school’s PT instructor. When instructing the girls, he was free with his straying hands.

Comb.: cheeko pek /pe, pE/ n. [Hk. 伯 pek, Mand. bó father’s elder brother, uncle (Chi.–Eng. Dict.): see Ah Pek]  Also cheeko peh.  An older or elderly man obsessed with sex, an older or elderly male sex maniac, a dirty old man.
2005 Neil Humphreys Weekend Today, 10–11 December, 24 The criticism of Crazy Horse Paris, a topless dance revue that opened this week, has been staggering. Lest someone think I’ve started a degree course at the School of Chee Ko Peks, I’m utterly indifferent to the show. If Singaporeans and tourists want to spend upwards of $85 to watch some partially-naked women dance cheekily under flashing lights, that’s their prerogative.  [2006 William Gwee Thian Hock A Baba Malay Dictionary 57 chi ko pek [痴哥伯] a brazen male flirt]

cheem /cheem, tSiùm/ a. [Hk. 深 ch’him deep (Medhurst); Mand. shēn deep; difficult, profound (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)] Also chim.  Profound, complicated, beyond one’s understanding.
1994 C.S. Chong NS: An Air-Level Story 66 A cheem steel sculpture that resembled pieces of haphazard, strip-welded metal put together.  91 Their language was too cheem for me to understand.  136 cheem. Complex or too subtle.  1998 Koh Buck Song The Straits Times, 9 August, 2 [N]othing chim (deep) or enduring..  2000 Kelvin Tong The Sunday Times (Sunday Plus), 9 April, 7 This is too cheem (deep).  2005 Jill Alphonso (quoting ‘Kumar’ (Kumar Chinnadurai)) The Straits Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 28 July. The jokes are a little more ‘cheem’. Some aren’t so raunchy but are definitely still politically incorrect..  2006 Colin Goh The Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from Straits Times Interactive), 4 June. The heightened cheem-ness factor..

cheemology /chee-mah-lo-gee, ÈtSiùmAÇl�dZiù/ a. [Cheem + Eng. –ology]  Cheem.
2004 Wong Kim Hoh (quoting Mark Lee) The Sunday Times, 22 February, 42 Very cheemology. I don’t know.

cheena /chee-nə, ÈtSiùn«/ a. [Mal. china, cina Chinese] Also cina. derog.  Overly Chinese or oriental.
1991 Valerie Tan The Straits Times (Section 3), 9 August, 19 Cheena – very Chinese in outlook.  2000 Liew Kai Khiun The Straits Times (Life!), 4 February, 5 It certainly looks foolish to queue up for some ‘cina’-looking soft toy in a neighbourhood fast food outlet.  2000 Clarissa Oon The Straits Times (Life!), 14 February, 9 Stuck in a photo studio making cheena poses.  2000 Yeow Kai Chai The Sunday Times (Sunday Plus), 2 July, 5 He has been accused of making Fann Wong look like a cheena ah lian.  2003 Suzanne Sng (quoting Hana Ibrahim) The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 18 January, L10 The trendy wares she touts attract mostly young Chinese women looking for something stylish and not overtly ‘cheena’. Pointing to a chinoiserie handbag, Ms Hana says: ‘It’s not just the ‘cheena’ items like these which are selling well.’  2007 Janet Huang The Sunday Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 29 April. Love of Chinese seen as ‘cheena’ [title] .. [A]nyone showing earnestness in learning Chinese is likely to be perceived as ‘cheena’ (slang for conservatively Chinese). .. If speaking Chinese well means one is perceived as ‘cheena’, nothing needs to be said for even having a passion for learning Chinese.

cheh /che, ÈtSE/ int. [Mal., an interjection of disbelief or disapproval: nonsense! shame! (Wilkinson); fie! for shame! (Winstedt)]  An exclamation expr. exasperation, derision, etc.
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 196 cheh.. Nonsense! shame! – an interjection of disbelief or disapproval; cf. chěh! kamu sěmua cheh! karna tiada adat hamba Mělayu: shame! shame on you all! we Malays are not in the habit of acting like that; Mal. Annals [Malay Annals] 123.]  2004 Colin Goh The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 22 August, L14 ‘Tcheh,’ groused the Mother-in-Law..  2006 Kelvin Wong (quoting Simon Chua) The Sunday Times, 17 December, 41 You never know! Chey... haha. If I have the chance, why not?

chempedak /chem-pə-dahk, tS«mp«ÈdÃk/ n. [Mal.]  The plant Artocarpus polyphema, a variety of the jackfruit or jack (Artocarpus integrifolia); the edible fruit of this plant, similar to that of the jackfruit but having a stronger flavour.
1865 John Cameron Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India 397 Appendix I. LIST OF THE FRUITS TO BE FOUND IN THE BAZAARS OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS [compiled by Dr. Ward].  398 Champadoo .. Arctocarpus integrifolia .. The jack. Farinaceous, mucilaginous, and nutritive.  1894 N.B. Dennys A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya 137 Fruits. – A total list of some 63 “fruits” has been compiled as indigenous to the Malay Peninsula. Some of these, however, are repugnant to Europeans and seldom touched by Malays. The following catalogue will be found to include all which are likely to come under the notice of the ordinary resident or visitor:– .. Champadak (large jack fruit)..  234 In the fruit season, scarcely anything else is eaten, and from morning to night, man, woman, and child may be seen eating durians, mangosteens, chempedaks (a species of jack), and other fruits.  1976 Planting and Maintenance of Fruit Trees 8 Trees of the following species raised from seeds will also begin to bear fruit after two to three years of growth: Jackfruit, Chempedak, Custard Apple and Soursop.  2001 David Kraal The Straits Times (Life!), 20 February, L6 The chempedak is so good. I think I’ll eat 90 seeds to mark the occasion.

chenchalok var. of Cincaluk.

chendol /chen-dəl, ÈtSEnd«l/ n. [< Mal. chendul thin broth with cakes of dough floating in it]  A Malay dessert consisting of Agar-Agar, red beans, kernels of corn, etc., in coconut milk sweetened with Gula Melaka.
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 210 chěndul. Cooked sago passed through a sifter and mixed with a syrup of coconut, sugar and salt. In Acheen it is a thin broth of sago or glutinous rice sweetened with coconut milk and syrup.]  2000 Chua Lee Hoong The Sunday Times, 26 November, 35 The story of the man who invented durian chendol.  2002 Magdalene Lum (quoting Elisa Chew) The Straits Times (Life!), 2 April, L6 Along Penang Road [in Penang, Malaysia], you will also find delicious desserts like chendol and ice kacang.  2006 Thng Lay Teen The Sunday Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 26 February. If chendol is your thing, look for the chendol seller opposite the Clock Tower along Jalan Laksamana [in Malacca, Malaysia]. This tourist icon serves the timeless dessert the way I remember it being peddled by street vendors in Singapore in the 1960s.

cheng tng /ching təng, tSIN t«N/ n. [Hk. 清 ch’hèng pure, clear, clean + 汤 t’he^ng hot water; broth; any warm liquid (Medhurst); Mand. qīngtāng clear soup, light soup: qīng unmixed, clear + tāng soup, broth (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  A Chinese dessert served hot or cold consisting of a clear, brownish syrup sweetened with rock sugar with a variety of ingredients including barley grains, dried Longans, red dates, snow fungus, and strips of beancurd skin and crystallized winter melon [Mand. 冬瓜 dōngguā winter melon, white melon: dōng winter + guā gourd, melon], etc.
2005 Kwen Ow Today, 7 March, 33 [D]esserts such as Malay kueh, sago with gula melaka, cheng tng, egg tarts, pandan chiffon cakes and almond cookies among others.  2005 Theresa Tan The Straits Times (Mind Your Body), 14 December, 15 Chicken rice ought to be crowned one of the seven food wonders of Singapore, along with laksa, dry mee pok, chilli crab, satay, rojak and cheng tng, in my opinion.

chengai /cheng-ı, ÈtSENÃI/ n. [Mal.] Also chengal, chingei.  A durable, dense, hard wood from the tree Balanocarpus heimii (also known as Neobalanocarpus heimii) or from the Hopea sangal (formerly Hopea curtisii); the trees themselves.
1839 Thomas John Newbold Political and Statistical Account of the British Settlements in the Straits of Malacca, vol. 1, ch. 7, 442 The trees chiefly in use for purposes of house and ship are the Chingei,.. the red and white Meranti for planks, etc.  1865 John Cameron Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India 403 Appendix II. LIST OF THE CHIEF FRUIT AND FOREST TREES INDIGENOUS TO THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS [From Colonel Low’s Dissertation]. (The Malay term Kayoo, wood, or Pokok, tree, should be prefixed to each name.) .. Chingei .. A high tree, from 18 to 25 feet in circumference, used for ship and boat building; stands the salt water well; is much used on the Tennasserim coast; the wood itself floats; fracture rather short; it grows in sandy grounds.  1894 N.B. Dennys A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya 420 Chingei ... ... caryophyllus sylvestris.  [1955 R.J. Wilkinson A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 210 chěngai. See chěngal (Balanocarpus). .. chěngal. Gen. name for certain trees that give a very handsome timber, «chingai-wood». They include: (i) Balanocarpus heimii (the best; = ch. batu, ch. mas, ch. siput); (ii) Hopea curtisii (ch. pasir); (iii) H. globosa (ch. paya); and the unid. [unidentified] ch. kampong, ch. kěladi, ch. tandok. Also (Ked. [Kedah] chěngai; (N.S., Pk. [Negri Sembilan, Perak]) pěnak.  1963 Richard Winstedt An Unabridged Malay–English Dictionary 69 chěngai, K., Pk. [Kedah, Perak], chěngal, a large tree with very hard commercial timber, Balanocarpus heimii: = pěnak, Jo., N.S. [Johor, Negri Sembilan]; also Hopea spp.]  2002 Neo Hui Min The Straits Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 23 November. The Hopea sangal tree had long been thought extinct here, until nature enthusiasts surveyed the Changi area and found one. But on Wednesday, that survivor was felled, even though it was in a tree conservation area on state land. .. It is believed that this tree gave Changi its name, as the common name of the tree is Chengal Pasir or Chengal Mata Kuching.  2003 Selina Lum The Straits Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 5 March. A property management company may have to pay about $76,000 in compensation to the National Parks Board (NParks), for chopping down a rare old tree in Changi, inside a gazetted conservation area. This would be on top of the fine DTZ Debenham Tie Leung must pay for failing to seek NParks’ approval before felling the Hopea sangal tree on Nov 20 last year. Thought to be the last of its kind in Singapore, it grew on state land behind 46 Halton Road in Changi and was estimated to be more than 150 years old. Twenty of its seeds are now being grown in NParks’ nursery. .. It is an offence under the Parks and Trees Act to fell without permission any tree with a girth exceeding 1 m. The Hopea sangal tree measured 3.4 m around. .. The species, commonly known as the Chengal Pasir, is believed to have given the Changi area its name.  2003 Victor R. Savage & Brenda S.A. Yeoh, Toponymics 81. The native place-name Changi is found very early in Singapore’s history. In the 1828 map by Franklin and Jackson, the extreme southeastern tip of the island is referred to as Tanjong Changi. The local name Changi must have been a significant point for the Malay world, especially in the days of the sixteenth century Johor kingdom located on the Johor River. Vessels using the Johor Straits would have to pass Changi. There are various versions of the etymological roots of the name Changi. One source says that is comes from a climbing shrub, the changi ular (apama corymbosa), which grew in the area. Another claims that it gets its name from a tall tree, the dhengai (balanscarpus heimii), which abounded in the area in the early nineteenth century. Changi could also be a variation of the local timber named chengai. This heavy local timber is commonly used for buildings and furniture and is valued for its strength and renowned for its deep rich colour.

cheong fun var. of Chee Cheong Fun.

chhek /chek, tSEk/ n. [Hk. 尺 ch’hek a foot measure (Medhurst); Mand. chǐ] hist.  A Chinese unit of length, equivalent to about ⅓ metre (more accurately, 0.37465 metre).
1970 Metrication Act 1970 (No. 52 of 1970), s. 5(b). Conversion of imperial standard units to metric system units. The values expressed in terms of .. the local customary system of weights and measures, may be converted into the values expressed in terms of the International System of Units in accordance with Schedule C. .. Schedule C .. Conversion of Local Customary Units to Equivalent SI Units .. 1 chhek = 0.37465 metre exactly.

chhun /chuun, tSuùn/ n. [Hk. 寸 ch’hùn an inch (Medhurst); Mand. cùn] hist.  A Chinese unit of length, equivalent to one-tenth of a chhek or 37.465 millimetres.
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 241 chun. .. Chinese inch; tenth of Chinese foot.]  1970 Metrication Act 1970 (No. 52 of 1970), s. 5(b). Conversion of imperial standard units to metric system units. The values expressed in terms of .. the local customary system of weights and measures, may be converted into the values expressed in terms of the International System of Units in accordance with Schedule C. .. Schedule C .. Conversion of Local Customary Units to Equivalent SI Units .. 1 chhun = 37.465 millimetres exactly

chia /chiah, tʒɪɑ/ v. [Hk. 吃 chëăh to eat (Medhurst); Mand. chī eat, take; have one’s meals, eat (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)] Also chiah, chiak.  Eat, swallow.

Comb. and phrases:

chia bo liau /boh liow, b«U lIaU/ v. phr. [Hk. 无 bô not, not at all (Medhurst) + 了 leáou finished, done; Mand. wú not have, there is not, without + liǎu ended, finished, settled, disposed of (Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]  (That which) cannot be completed.
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