ma lai kou /mah lı
kou, mɑː lʌɪ ɡəʊ/ n. [Cant.,
Malay cake: 马 ma [...] + 来 lai [...] + 糕
kou [...]; Mand. 马来(人
mǎlái(rén Malay [person] +
gāo cake, pudding, pastry
(Comp.
Chi.–Eng. Dict.)] A light, spongy steamed cake.
2006 The Straits Times (from
Straits Times
Interactive), 15 October. Alkaline water is sometimes used as a rising agent in the same way that baking
soda is. For instance, it is stirred into ma lai kou batter, where it reacts
with acids in the brown sugar to produce bubbles that yield a light, fluffy
steamed cake.
ma si sa ko
/mah see sah kor, mɑ si sɑ kɔ/
phr.
[Hk. 嘛是三块 ma si sa ko
obviously it is only three dollars:
ma
int. expressing that a statement is obvious +
si
be, is + sa
three + kor
basic unit of money;
Mand. ma shì sānkuài]
mil. slang
Used by soldiers to expr. that they need not work too hard as they will be
paid the same salary whether exert themselves or not, or as a criticism of
soldiers who are perceived to be too hardworking.
1978
Leong Choon Cheong
Youth in the Army
309 ma si sa ko. Literally, ‘also $3’: Hokkien. Usually expressed by recruits
when performing a particularly strenuous task. The implication is that no matter
how hard you work you will get paid $3 a day. Sometimes, this is a comment made
by passers-by when they see a soldier working too hard. This together with slang
like bo peng yau si
or than chiah peng
may reflect certain attitudes in work ethics.
mabok
/mah-boh(k), mɑˈbo(k̚)/
a.
[Mal.]
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 2, 717 mabok. Intoxication.
Properly of anything that «turns one’s head».. But if no other cause is
mentioned m. [mabok] means «drunk»; bapa’ pěmabok ěmak pěmadat
(the father a drunkard, the mother addicted to opium), Si Jamin [Si-Djamin
dan Si Djohan (2nd ed.) (Batavia: Balai Poestaka)] 13.]
Intoxicated, drunk.
2004
Neil
Humphreys
Weekend Today,
19–20 June, 6 If this mabok
(drunk) ang moh
cause problem, can kick him out. Cannot
tahan
if he vomit in my car.
mah
/mah, mɑ/
int.
[Mand.
嘛
ma]
Used to expr. that something is apparent, obvious or self-evident.
2003
Tan
Shzr Ee (quoting
Anthony Teo)
The Sunday Times,
5 October, L2 Must stick to tradition
mah,
keep the flavour of the place.
2004
Colin Goh
The Sunday Times (LifeStyle),
22 August, L14 ‘Tcheh,’
groused the Mother-in-Law, wiping the patina of dust off the Father-in-Law’s
[columbarium] cubicle and grimacing at the gaping hole above him. ‘Move out
should also clean up after yourself
mah.’
2005 Wong Kim Hoh (quoting
Bryan Wong)
The
Sunday Times, 18 December, 41 Q: You love cars and you love your hair.
Would you rather always have a great set of wheels or a great head of hair? Why?
A: Of course hair lah! If no wheels, never mind – my friends all have mah!
mah jie
/mah tse, mɑ tsɛ/
n.
[Cant. 妈
má
an old woman; a mother; a nurse +
姐
tsé an
elder sister; a term of respect for a young lady (Eitel); Mand.
mājiě:
mā
mother +
jiě
elder sister (Chi.–Eng.
Dict.)]
See quot. 2003.
2003
Tan
Shzr Ee
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle),
14 December, L2 In the old days, Samsui women regarded themselves as different
from the genteel Mah Jie from Shunde in China. These were indentured female
domestic help who spent an entire lifetime serving one single family. .. Madam
Wong [a Samsui woman] concedes: ‘I suppose we did have benefits over them. Mah
Jies had to be on call 24 hours with a family, while we got to go home. And
Samsui women are allowed to get married.’
2004
Clarissa Oon
The Straits Times (Life!),
20 August, L3 Abolished by law in 1961, these grisly shophouses were where
ah ma jies,
samsui women and other single immigrants with no families went to die. The
Cantonese called that stretch
Sei Yan Kai,
or ‘Dead Man’s Street’. 2006
Krist Boo
The Straits Times
(from Straits
Times Interactive), 22 June. Marina Bay.. had a morbid past. There, Mah
Jies were locked in cages and drowned by other maids of the sisterhood in the
1800s for sins like breaking their vows of celibacy. 2006
Tan Dawn Wei
The Straits Times
(Life!) (from Straits
Times Interactive), 11 September. [A] majie (housekeeper) in the
family’s employ put her in a dress and took her to a nearby provision shop.
mah mee
/mah mee, mɑ miː/
n. [origin of mah uncertain; compare Mal. mami, bami, derived from Chi. (Wilkinson,
Winstedt)
+ Mee]
A Chinese dish consisting of vermicelli with pork, prawns or shredded fish, and
cress.
1947 P.C.B. Newington
(foreword by A.J.H. Dempster,
Assistant Food Controller of Perak)
Good Food
1 And here I would like to add a request that in the next edition Mr Newington
includes recipes for the ever-popular mahmee and “Gula Malacca” in the
preparation of which most Europeans are quite ignorant.
maintain
balan /ba-lən,
ˈbalən/
int.
[Eng. <
maintain balance]
Mal. slang
Relax, don’t panic, stay cool.
1991
Valerie Tan
The Straits Times (Section 3),
9 August, 19 maintain balan
– stay cool (..balance is plural, so
balan
is singular).
makan
/mah-kahn, ˈmɑkɑn/
n. & v.
[Mal. makan
food, a meal; eat, consume]
A
n.
Food, a meal. B
v.
Eat, have a meal.
A 1990
Mickey Chiang
Fighting Fit: The Singapore Armed
Forces 150 The victuals,
the makan,
on board its longer range ships is in the hands of a well-trained chief cook.
2001 Neil Humphreys
Notes from an Even Smaller Island 186 Hallo, what you want, ah? No lah,
cannot. I’m watching movie one. No, cannot what. Show damn good. Yeah, after
show, can. We go for makan. Can, no problem.
2001
The Straits Times,
4 November, 13 As far as Singaporeans are concerned, even voting will not stand
in the way of a good makan.
2006
Jeremy Au Yong
The Sunday Times
(from Straits
Times Interactive), 4 June. Makan Queen to whip up giant feast. Violet
Oon to oversee meals for IMF-World Bank meeting, with creations like ginseng tea
jelly [title] B 1991
Valerie Tan
The Straits Times (Section 3),
9 August, 19 makan
– to eat (direct translation from the Malay).
2000
Yeow
Kai Chai (quoting
David Gan)
The Sunday Times (Sunday
Plus), 2 July, 5 We talk
about where to makan,
where got nice food, just joke-joke.
2000
Teo Pau Lin
(quoting
Dasmond Koh)
The Sunday Times (Sunday
Plus), 3 December, P26
When I go out to makan
(eat), sometimes I get extra fishball or prawns
lah.
2003
Chua
Mui Hoong,
The Sunday Times (LifeStyle),
16 November, L16 I made lifelong friends, including a bunch of us who still meet
to makan, celebrate birthdays and share sorrows. 2005
Kwen Ow
Today, 7 March, 32
[A] hot makan spot for diners who value the opportunity to enjoy robust
Singaporean flavours in a lavish and comfortable
setting. 2006 Stephanie Yap
The Sunday Times
(from Straits
Times Interactive), 3 September. ‘He would take us to eat at a different
place every day. Sometimes, we would drive 5km just to try a new place. Then he
would order a lot of different dishes and tell everyone, ‘makan, makan’,’ said
Mr Teo. ‘Makan’ means ‘eat’ in Malay.
Comb.:
cari
makan, chari makan /chah-ree, ˈtʃɑriː/
v. phr.
[Mal.
cari,
chari hunt for (person, thing); seek a livelihood (Winstedt)
< Skt.
चर्
ćar to move one’s self, go, walk, move, stir, drive (in a carriage,
etc.), roam about, walk about, wander (in these senses applied to men, animals,
water, ships, stars, etc.); to graze; to spread, be diffused; to be active; move
or travel through, pervade, go along follow; to behave; conduct one’s self; to
live, be, remain in any position, act, to be engaged in, occupied with, busy
one’s self with; to undertake, set about, undergo, observe, practice, do or act
in general (Monier-Williams)
(?)]
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 2, 190 chari. To look for; to go
in search of; to try to find. .. Often with special reference to the quest of a
livelihood.]
Work to feed oneself, work for the sole purpose of
making a living.
1991
Valerie Tan
The Straits Times (Section 3),
9 August, 19 cari makan
– to find food, in Malay. The reason one gives as to why they work if they don’t
quite like the job (eg
How’s work? Cari makan,
lah). 2008 Hui Yew-Foong
The Straits Times,
3 September, A23 [T]hey arrived in Sabah to cari makan, as the saying
goes, or to eke out a living. .. Sabahans do not begrudge them the right to
cari makan. Rather, their fear is that the foreigners will usurp their
political birthright.
makan
session n. [Eng. session] A gathering at which food
is served, a communal meal.
makcik /mahk-chik,
ˈmɑk̚tʃɪk̚/
n. [Mal., maternal aunt; the younger of two aunts (Wilkinson);
aunt younger than one’s father or mother (Winstedt):
mak, ma’ mother; aunt or elderly lady treated as a mother by
informal adoption (Wilkinson) +
chik, chi’ = kechik, kechil minor, junior, lesser]
Mal. (A polite term of address for) a middle-aged or elderly Malay
woman who may or may not be a relative; a Malay ‘Auntie’.
Compare
Pakcik.
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 225 chik. Minor; junior;
lesser. In expressions like ma’chik (younger of two aunts).. Also chi’.
Short for kěchil or kěchik. 1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 2, 715 ma’. Mother. Also mak
and ěmak. More familiar than ibu or bonda; used also to
aunts and old ladies treated as mothers by informal adoption. .. maternal aunt
(.. ma’chi’..) 1963
Richard Winstedt
An Unabridged Malay–English Dictionary 224 m. [mak] tua,
m. (su)long aunt older than one’s father or mother; m.
muda, m. (kě)chik aunt younger..]
2005
Tan Chek Wee
Today, 9
December, 47 It could be the ah pek, ah soh, ah chek, or
even the pakcik or makcik – this syndrome [of] seat-patting spans
all the major races in Singapore (well, all right, I have yet to see an ang
moh doing so), transcending sex, educational level and age. 2006
Juliana June Rasul
Today,
25 July, 30 Don’t let the glamour shots fool you. Sheila Majid is a makcik
(auntie) on the phone. A conversation with her is peppered with aiyohs
and lahs, which quickly undermine any expectations of diva-like
behaviour. 2006 Chua Mui
Hoong
The Straits Times
(Life!) (from Straits
Times Interactive), 29 September. [A] fair number of endearing makciks
in tudung (head-scarves). 2006
Wong Ah Yoke
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle) (from
Straits Times Interactive), 26 November. By being located in the Orchard
area and boasting an elegant white and bright interior, the restaurant has a
certain hipness but the fare is still good, old home cooking. Both tai tais and
makciks will feel at home here. 2009
Imran Jalal (quoting
Zack Zainal)
The Straits Times
(Urban), 3 July, 14 My 13-year-old son, Benjamin, once commented that my
fans are usually makcik (aunties) and pakcik (uncles). 2013
Yip Wai Yee (quoting
Siti Khalijah Zainal)
The Straits Times
(Life!), 14 December, E26 She says she will “very likely” be playing at
least two new characters: One of a “Malay makcik (aunty)”.. “The makcik
character will be very loud and talks a lot. She’s very noisy and knows
everything. ..”
malau
/mah-low, ˈmɑlaʊ/
n.
& a.
[origin unkn., poss. < Cant.
ma lao
monkey (?); or 玛瑙 má nò agate, cornelian (Eitel); Mand.
mǎnǎo
agate, common in Taiwan]
derog. mil. slang
A
n.
A native of
Taiwan, a Taiwanese person.
B
a.
Of Taiwan, Taiwanese in
origin.
Comb.:
malau
peng
n.
[Hk. 兵 peng
soldier; Mand. bīng] mil. slang
A Taiwanese soldier.
malu
/mah-loo, ˈmɑluː/
v. &
a.
[Mal. malu
modest, bashful] A
v.
Embarrass, humiliate. Pa.
t. & pple.
maluated.
B
a.
Embarrassing, humiliating. Also
maluating.
A 1991
Valerie Tan
The Straits Times (Section 3),
9 August, 19 malu
– Malay for embarrassed, may be conjugated like an English verb (eg
I was really malu-ated).
B 2004
Yong
Shu Chiang (quoting
Ong Su Choo)
Today,
13 May, 32 They remark that I’m still here after so many years.. It makes me
feel so malu
(embarrassed) also. 2006
Colin Goh
The Sunday Times
(from Straits
Times Interactive), 26 February. .. I learnt that my spam filter had
hidden from me notifications that the website I started, TalkingCock.com, had
won an award. Very malu for a so-called webmaster. 2006
Goh Chin Lian (quoting
Khaw Boon Wan)
The Sunday Times,
23 July, 11 I’ve asked some Singaporeans why they don’t have this habit [of
wearing masks when they have the flu]. They say ‘Oh, very shy, malu..’..
mama,
mamak /mah-mah(k),
ˈmɑmɑ(k)/
n.
[Mal. mamak maternal uncle; (loosely) any uncle (Wilkinson);
Minangkabau & Negri Sembilan Mal., maternal uncle; a polite form of address to
half-Indian half-Malay elders (Winstedt)
< Tam.
மாமா
māmā,
மாமன்
māman,
மாமான்
māmān mother’s brother, maternal uncle,
father-in-law, father’s sister’s husband; மாமகன்
māmakan
maternal uncle (Burrow
& Emeneau,
Tam.
Lex.) < Skt.
मामक
māmaka my, mine; maternal uncle < Skt.
माम
māma my, mine; mother, uncle (Monier-Williams)]
derog. An Indian person.
2005 Colin Chee
The Electric New Paper,
12 July. We were comfortable calling each other names. Our Punjabi friends
became ‘Ba-ees’. Our Indian pals were ‘Mamaks’, our Malay friends were ‘Oi-Ahmad’,
and our Eurasian friends were ‘Gragos’. And they would all call us ‘Chinks’ or
‘Paleface’.
mama shop,
mamak shop /mah-mah,
mah-mah(k),
ˈmɑmɑ, ˈmɑmɑ(k)/
n. phr.
[See Mama, Mamak]
Also mama stall, mamak stall. A sundry shop or general
provision shop, traditionally operated by Indians.
2000
Boey
Kim Cheng
The Straits Times (Life! Books),
9 October, 4 Entranced by the
mama
stall which, besides the usual provisions, had a wide selection of condoms with
very luridly suggestive pictures.
2000
Tay
Shi’an
The Straits Times (Life! This
Weekend), 23 November, 10
Located next to each other, the two mama (‘mama’ means uncle in Tamil) shops
have co-existed for over 20 years. 2006
Sandra Leong (quoting
Abdul Bashir Saidek)
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle) (from Straits
Times Interactive), 11 June. You can’t be an old-fashioned ‘mama’
(Indian) shop anymore.
mangali
/mahng-gah-lee, mɑŋˈɡɑli/
n.
[Chi. mispron. of Eng.
Bengali]
derog.
An Indian person.
manja /mahn-jah,
ˈmɑndʒɑ/
v. & a. [Mal., special fondness; (Brunei & Sarawak Mal.) to coax, to wheedle (Wilkinson);
(Johor & Penang Mal.) spoilt (of child, girl); manjakan spoil, coddle (Winstedt)]
A v. Adore, coddle, spoil. B a. Easily affected emotionally, sensitive.
A 2008 Tan Chek Wee
Today,
15 August, 40. To manja something, in colloquial Singlish, is to adore
it.
B 2006 Clara Chow (quoting
Ovidia Yu)
The Straits Times
(Life!), 18 December, 4 She [Eleanor Wong] can be quite manja and think that
people don’t like her plays.
market
n. [Eng.] football betting Betting odds.
2006 Chan Yi Shen
The Sunday Times,
20 August, 34 Singapore’s EPL [English Premier League] lingo [title].. Market:
betting odds
masak-masak
/mah-sahk, ˈmɑsɑk̚/
n.
[Mal. masak
cooked (of food); masakan food; style of cooking; memasak to cook
(Winstedt)]
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 2, 745 masak. .. cooked (of
food).. Měmasak: to be engaged in cooking. Masak is not used of
boiling the rice to be eaten with the dinner proper; m. [masak] nasi
means to cook the dinner, tanak nasi is to boil the rice for it. M.
is used rather of preparing the «curry».. Masak-masakan are cooked dishes
served up with rice..]
nursery
A children’s pastime in which they pretend to cook using toy utensils;
transf.
a task involving the use of equipment.
1994
C.S. Chong
NS: An Air-Level Story
69 Our masak masak
turned out to be a minature Telecoms. 138
masak masak.
Reference to the favourite children’s pastime of play-cooking. 2006
Leong Su-lin
The Straits Times
(Life!) (from
Straits Times Interactive), 3 April. As a child, he played with toy cars
as well as ‘masak masak’ with his sisters. 2007
Tan Hui Leng (quoting Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong)
Today
(from Todayonline.com),
17 March. Biomed drive isn’t masak-masak: PM [title] .. “This is not just masak-masak
(playing house), this is serious business and serious work, internationally
recognised,” said Mr Lee, who noted that the Government had given careful
thought before investing public funds in research and development.
mass orgy
see Orgy.
Mat
/maht, mɑt̚/
n.
[Mal., a proper name, short for Muhammad or Ahmad
< Arab.
محمّد Muhammad highly praised, praiseworthy (Johnson); Arab.
احمد
Ahmad much commended (Wilkinson)]
Mal. slang, poss. derog. A Malay man;
spec., a Mat
Roker. Also attrib.
2008 Wong Kim Hoh
The Sunday Times,
14 December. My friend Jon was gobsmacked. A young woman had just accused him of
being condescending and racist at a party. And it was all because he described
his neighbour’s penchant for Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses as ‘very Mat’. The term
Mat Rok is loosely used to refer to young Malay men who sport long hair, leather
jackets, torn jeans and love heavy metal. 2008
Mark Wong
The Sunday Times,
21 December, 26 .. “Mat”, mentioned in the article, is still a touchy term that
even I would avoid using in public, though it would be interesting to see how
this could change in the next few years.
Comb.:
Mat Rok
/rok, rɒk̚/
n. & a.
[< Eng. rock, rocker]
Also Mat Rock. Mal.
slang A n.
Rock or heavy metal music and the lifestyle associated with it as adapted by
young Malay men. B a.
Of or relating to Mat Rok.
Mat Roker,
Mat Rocker
n.
A 1991
Valerie Tan
The Straits Times (Section 3),
9 August, 19 Mat Rok talk [title] The young Malay boys with leather jackets,
ripped jeans, sunglasses, and long hair, have their own kind of talk that has
begun to grab attention.
2002
Paul Zach
The Straits Times (Life!),
12 April, L11 Dispelling Mat Rock myths [title] It makes for a poignant start to
Reflections of The Misunderstood Mat Rockers, one of another great crop of
offerings at the 15th Singapore International Film Festival in which music plays
a leading role. 2008 Wong
Kim Hoh
The Sunday Times,
14 December. The term Mat Rok is loosely used to refer to young Malay men who
sport long hair, leather jackets, torn jeans and love heavy metal. B 2002
Paul
Zach
The Straits Times (Life!),
12 April, L11 The Mat Rock culture – the rock music and its lifestyle of the
West, as adapted by young Malay men since the 1970s. .. Adi’s 56-minute
documentary is interspersed with snippets of Mat Rock bands performing to
head-banging crowds of mostly young men like themselves. .. The movie could
benefit by building up to a full-on Mat Rock experience.
Mat Salleh
/sah-lay, ˈsɑleɪ/
n.
[Mal.,
poss. < Eng. mad sailor]
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 2, 747 M. [Mat] Salleh:
nickname for a European. 1963
Richard Winstedt
An Unabridged Malay–English Dictionary 229 Mat Salleh a nickname
for Englishmen.]
A male Caucasian, a male white person. See also
Ang Moh,
Kentang.
¶ The derivation of the term from Datu Paduka Muhammad Salleh, known as ‘Mat
Salleh’ (see the quot. from The New Straits Times below) is doubtful:
it is unlikely that the name of a 19th-century North Borneo freedom fighter who
opposed British rule would come to be used to refer to his enemies. The
suggestion in the 2004 Straits Times quotation that Mat Salleh had
American descendants appears to be a misreading of text on the Knowledge
Jihad website (http://americanmuslim.blogs.com/weblog/2004/10/who_is_mat_sall.html,
accessed on 13 August 2005).
[2000 Joseph
Binkasan & Paskalis Alban Akim
The New Straits Times,
9 March, 2. Remembering Mat Salleh. A permanent tribute to one of Sabah’s
earliest freedom fighters. Tucked away in the middle of a paddy field at Kampung
Tibabar in Tambunan, about 70km from Kota Kinabalu, is a concrete structure in
memory of Datu Paduka Mat Salleh. Better known as Mat Salleh, he initiated
nationalistic fervour and opposition to foreign rule. Between 1881 and 1941,
Sabah, then known as North Borneo, was under the London-based British North
Borneo Chartered Company's administration. The locals were unhappy due to
alleged exploitation and one man that stood up and led a rebellion against
British rule was Datu Paduka Muhammad Salleh better known as Mat Salleh. To the
British, he was a rebel but to locals, he was a warrior. He was killed in a gun
battle with the British police on Feb 1, 1900. Appropriately, in recognition of
Mat Salleh as one of Sabah’s earliest freedom fighters, the State Government
built a permanent memorial fort in a garden at the exact site where he was
killed at Kampung Tibabar in Tambunan. .. Outside the memorial, a monument with
a bronze plaque with a citation reads: “This plaque marks the site of Mat
Salleh’s Fort which was captured by the North Borneo Armed Constabulary on the
1st February 1900. During this engagement, Mat Salleh, who for six years led a
rebellion against the British Chartered Company administration, met his death.” Sabah Museum director Joseph Pounis Guntavid said the British had put up the
monument in remembrance of their success in ending the reign of Mat Salleh’s
rebellion to their rule. “But a search and study on Mat Salleh’s actions
strongly indicated that he was not a rebel but a warrior who went against
foreign rule, fighting for North Borneo’s self-government,” he said. He said it
was for this reason that the State Government opened the permanent memorial on
Sept 20, last year.]
2000
Dennis Wee with
Sylvia Fong
Making Luck
with Your Hands
40 Really nasty Mat Salleh
supervisors who treated us no better than animals.
2004
Ong
Soh Chin
The Straits Times (Life!),
30 October, 4 I asked a few Malay friends if they knew the origins of the term
‘mat salleh’, which is also used to describe a Caucasian. Nobody knew. One Malay
friend thought it was a variation of ‘sailor’. Another thought it was merely a
generic name given to Caucasians in the early days because it was hard to
remember foreign names. .. An Internet search produced results which said that
Mat Salleh was actually a freedom fighter in old Sabah who battled the
colonials. Other reports said his descendants eventually settled in other parts
of the world, with one going to the United States and marrying a Caucasian
woman. I know. Your guess is as good as mine.
2004
Bruce Lockhart
The Straits Times (Life!),
12 November, 11 [W]e are quite confortable being called ‘ang moh’ or ‘Mat Salleh’
to our faces.
mata
kuching
n.
/mah-tah kuu-ching, ˈmɑtɑ
ˈkʊtʃɪŋ/ [Mal., cat’s eye:
mata
eye + kuching
cat]
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 2, 748 m. [mata] kuching
(cat’s eye; fruit, Nephelium maingayi..).. 1963
Richard Winstedt
An Unabridged Malay–English Dictionary 188 mata k. [kuching] (Nephelium
malaiense, a fruit popular with Malays.]
The plant Nephelium
malayense; the edible
fruit of this plant which resembles the
Longan.
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]. 401 Mata kuching .. (Not
ascertained) .. A small fruit growing in thick bunches, consisting of a rough
brownish-coloured round shell, containing a deep purple-coloured seed,
surrounded by a whitish, opalescent looking pulp like a cat’s eye, hence its
Malay name; much prized.
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:– .. Mata kuding..
1976
Planting and Maintenance of
Fruit Trees 8 Such grafted
trees like Mango, Durian, Mata Kuching, would fruit much later, say at least 5
to 7 years from planting.
mati
/mah-tee, ˈmɑti/
int.
[Mal., death; extinction; to perish (Wilkinson); dead
(of living things, water, wind) (Winstedt);
poss. < Arab. مات māta, مت maut to die, to perish, to lose life,
to become dead (Wehr)]
An exclamation expr. that some thing or situation cannot be
rectified or undone, or that someone is sure to get into trouble for doing
something wrong. See also
Gone Case,
Habis.
1991
Valerie Tan
The Straits Times (Section 3),
9 August, 19 mati
– finished, die.
MC
/em-see, ˈɛmsiː/
n.
[Eng., abbrev. for
m(edical c(ertificate]
A medical certificate: a certificate issued by a doctor excusing a person from work
or duties.
2004
Teo
Cheng Wee
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle), 8 February,
L13 Civil servant M.J. Zhang knows a thing or two about how to fake an illness
to get an MC. That was how he laid hands on more than 15 medical certificates
during his army days.. 2006
Leong Hon Chiew
Straits Times
Interactive, 4 July. Medical certificates (MCs) issued by dentists are
indeed valid in so far as they certify that in the dentist’s opinion a person is
unfit for work or school for the period of time stated in the MC because of a
dental problem. 2006 Tan
Chek Wee
Today
(from Todayonline.com),
5 July. The “MC takers”, genuine and fake. The former have no choice because
their bosses only recognise MCs from a polyclinic – aware, probably, that their
employees would have had to waste half a day waiting.
Comb.:
MC king n. [Eng.]
A person who frequently obtains MCs, a malingerer. See
King.
2004
Teo
Cheng Wee
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle), 8 February,
L13 MC Kings may have many fake illnesses up their sleeves, but doctors also
have their ways to verify them.
mee
/mee, miː/
n.
[Hk. 面 meēng (colloq.)
flour, wheaten flour (Medhurst); Mand. miàn
noodles
(Chi.–Eng.
Dict.);
poss. through Mal.
mi flat strips of dough eaten as macaroni (Wilkinson)] Noodles made
from wheat flour, usu. yellow in colour.
Comb.:
bak chor mee
see entry under
Bak.
Hay
Mee
Hokkien mee,
Hokkien fried mee see entry under
Hokkien.
Lor
Mee
Mah Mee
mee goreng
/gor-reng, ˈɡɔːrɛŋ/
n. [Mal. goreng
fry in a pan] Noodles fried in a
Malay style, which are flavoured with chilli sauce and tomato ketchup.
2000
Arlina
Arshad (quoting
Nur Sarah)
The Straits Times,
27 December, H8 I have been looking forward to this day very much, spending time
with the family and eating traditional food, like mee goreng and rice.
2006 Sandra Leong
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from
Straits Times
Interactive), 11 June. .. Muslim favourites like prata and mee goreng..
2006 Tan Hsueh Yun
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from
Straits Times Interactive),
26 November. One forkful of the mee goreng and my dining companion and I were
trying to figure out what gives the dish such a wonderful kick. Turns out, it’s
a very solid sambal belacan. The dish isn’t overly sweet and the chef doesn’t go
crazy with the ketchup. 2012
Thng Lay Teen
The
Sunday Times (SundayLife!), 7 October, 30 But it was the mee goreng ($4
for one or $6 for two persons) which caught my friend’s eye and I was glad I
changed my order. Every strand of noodle was evenly coated in a lovely gravy mix
of homemade chilli, chilli sauce and ketchup, with a most pleasing result.
Ponggol mee goreng
/pong-gol, ˈpɒŋɡɒl/
n.
[Mal. Ponggol,
Punggol
a
Singapore place-name] See quot. 2003.
2003
Teo
Pau Lin
The Sunday Times,
5 October, L41 Ponggol mee goreng.. [Ponggol Choon Seng Seafood] claims to have
created Chinese-style mee goreng in 1956, which is more moist and uses more
seafood ingredients than the Malay and Indian versions.
mee kia
/giah, ɡiɑ/
n. [Hk. 子 kia
child; Mand. zǐ]
1 Fine noodles made with wheat flour. 2
A Chinese dish containing mee kia,
Fishballs,
Fishcake,
minced pork, etc.,
either dry or in soup.
1
2006 Sandra Leong
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 8 January, L4 [M]ee pok is typical Teochew
hawker fare where flat yellow noodles are drowned in chilli sauce and served
with fishballs, prawns, fish cake slices, minced pork, pork slices, herkeow
(minced pork in fish skin) and sinful cubes of pork lard. .. the noodles can
also come in the form of kway teow (flat white noodles) and mee kia (skinny
yellow noodles). 2009 Tan
Hsueh Yun
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 11 January, 27 For such a humble dish, minced
pork noodles can really get people worked up. .. I always ask for mee kia or
skinny wheat noodles, chilli and extra vinegar. 2 2006
Teo Pau Lin (quoting
Soh Gim Teik)
The Sunday Times
(from Straits
Times Interactive), 12 March. What local dish, if it ceases to exist,
would dramatically lower the quality of your life? / Dry mee pok or mee kia. As
it is, you can’t find it anywhere else in the world. Malaysia has something
similar but not exactly the same as Singapore’s.
mee pok
/pok, pɒk/
n. [Hk.
薄
pok
flat, thin; Mand.
báo]
1 A kind of flat noodle made
with wheat flour, resembling fettuccine. 2
A dish containing mee pok,
Fishballs,
Fishcake,
minced pork, etc.,
either dry or in soup. The dry version is
Mee Pok Tah.
1 2008 Foong Woei Wan
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle), 12 October, 32 [T]he ingredients [of bak chor mee] are cooked
to the right degree, from the mee pok (springy) to the liver (still red-rimmed
and rich-tasting).
2 2001
Angela Ee
The Sunday Times
(Sunday Plus), 25
February, P11 I first learnt to appreciate the multi-cultural richness of
Singapore through fish-head curry, satay,
mee pok,
dhosai
and a hundred other dishes. 2006
Sandra Leong
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 8 January, L4 [M]ee pok is typical Teochew
hawker fare where flat yellow noodles are drowned in chilli sauce and served
with fishballs, prawns, fish cake slices, minced pork, pork slices, herkeow
(minced pork in fish skin) and sinful cubes of pork lard. .. the noodles can
also come in the form of kway teow (flat white noodles) and mee kia (skinny
yellow noodles). 2006 Wong
Ah Yoke
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 8 January, L4 The magic of good mee pok, a
dish probably unique to Singapore, lies in its various ingredients. The Teochew
dish is made with flat egg noodles and beansprouts which are blanched and then
tossed in lard and chilli sauce. Some hawkers add a splash of black vinegar to
lift up the taste. Toppings usually comprise fishballs, fishcake, lean pork,
minced pork and herkeow, a piece of fish paste with a minced-pork filling. 2006
Charlie Tan
The Straits Times
(National Day Supplement), 9 August, 17 Mee pok, dry.. I have it for
breakfast regularly. When I was a boy, my mother would buy us mee pok for 20
cents a bowl from a roadside stall. Chilli and lard are the two essential
ingredients that make this mee pok shiok. When I eat it and feel the springiness
of the noodles and the crunch of half-cooked bean sprouts, I’m happy. 2006
Pang Kok Keong
The Straits Times
(National Day Supplement), 9 August, 17 Fresh mee pok soup with lots of
freshly cut chilli padi and vinegar from my mother’s noodle stall in Jurong.
There’s a bite to the egg noodles while the soup is light yet full of flavour.
And the fishballs have great texture. It’s my ultimate comfort food.
mee pok tah /ta,
tɑ/ n. [Hk.
干
tah dry; Mand. gān (?)] The dry
version of mee pok
2.
2005 Tay Yek Keak
The
Sunday Times (from
Straits Times
Interactive), 7 August. I actually had no idea how contagious this
feeling of happy hunger was until I saw the movie Charlie And The Chocolate
Factory recently. The way Johnny Depp’s eyes (he plays a choc nut) widened when
he saw his river of chocolate is the same way mine react when I see my bowl of
mee pok tah.
2011
Sandra Leong
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle), 12 June, 13 My boyfriend has envisioned that we will run
towards each other in slow-motion like long-lost sisters or at least bond over a
common craving for mee pok tar.
mee rebus
/rə-buus, rəˈbʊs/
[Mal. rebus
boiling in and with water (as distinct from boiling by immersion in boiling
water)] A Malay dish consisting of noodles served with a thick brown gravy
and other ingredients such as bean sprouts,
Lontong, etc.
2003
Elisabeth Gwee
The Sunday Times (LifeStyle),
19 October, L14 Laksa, mee rebus, nasi lemak or vegetarian bee hoon.
2015 Thng Lay Teen
The Sunday Times
(SundayLife!), 22 February, 21
What I also like here is the delectable mee rebus ($3). The gravy was thick
enough to coat every strand of the yellow noodles and the generous serving of
beansprouts added to the crunch.
mee siam
/seeum, siːʌm/
n. [Mal. < Thai เลียม
Siẽm
Siam, the Siamese (Pallegoix);
according to
McFarland
< Khmer 
Siěm Siam, Thailand (Headley)] A Malay dish consisting of
Beehoon in a
savoury, sour and spicy sauce served with hard-boiled egg, dried beancurd, bean
sprouts and a wedge of lime.
2005 Theresa Tan
The
Straits Times (Mind Your Body), 28 December, 13 I always thought mee
siam was a Malay dish, until I did this review. Originally a Thai invention
(Siam is the old name for Thailand), the dish has become a Nonya speciality
cooked by Malays, Indians and Chinese hawkers here. Mr Chew Keok Lye is a
Chinese hawker who learnt how to make this dish from one of his Malay friends
two decades ago and continues to improvise the recipe till this day. His version
is light, tasty and, best of all, not oily at all. This is because Mr Chew boils
the vermicelli, instead of frying it like most hawkers do. The piquant gravy is
made from a blend of dried shrimps, tamarind juice, bean paste, ginger, garlic,
onions and lemongrass. The first three items are a must, says Mr Chew, to get
the unique sweet, sour and salty taste. .. It is served with the usual dried
beancurd, beansprouts and egg. 2011
Lee Hui Chieh
The Straits Times
(Mind Your Body), 21 July, 22 Brown rice vermicelli had been drenched in a
tangy gravy and topped with half a hard-boiled egg, cubes of fried tau kwa (firm
soya bean curd), spring onion and a generous dollop of sambal chilli, to make
the mee siam. The dish created by the Peranakans – descendants of Chinese and
Indian immigrants in Penang, Malacca and Singapore who melded Malay culture with
their own – is commonly made with white rice vermicelli. ... The orange gravy
was also flavourful – simultaneously spicy, sweet and sour..
mee soto
/soh-toh, ˈsoto/
n. [Ind. soto a kind of meat soup or stew (Echols
& Shadily, Ind.–Eng.); Jav. saoto, soto a soup
or stew made with bean sprouts, cabbage, chicken and soy sauce (Horne)] A Malay or Indonesian dish consisting of
shredded chicken, bean sprouts and noodles in a curry-flavoured soup.
Compare
Soto Ayam.
2011 Lee Hui Chieh
The Straits Times
(Mind Your Body), 21 July, 22 [T]he mee soto had been whipped up using thick
wholegrain noodles rather than the noodles made of egg and refined wheat flour
that are typically used in the Malay dish. The blanched noodles were soaked in
spicy chicken soup and sprinkled with shreds of steamed chicken, bean sprouts,
spring onions and of course, sambal chilli. .. After slurping up most of the
brown soup and yellow noodles, I felt satisfied but also guilty.
2015 Rebecca Lynne Tan
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle), 1 November, C20 [T]he mee soto ($3 for yellow noodles in
chicken soup) I order.. is better than I remember when I had it earlier this
year. .. The hot soup has many layers of flavours and a perfect balance of
spices – not one outshines the others. ..
The dollop of piquant chilli also makes the broth a joy to slurp up. The chilli
complements the flavourful broth very well. I also like that the noodles here
are blanced before boiling soup is added to it, which ensures that it is as hot
as it can be.
mee soup n.
[Eng. soup] Noodles in soup.
2006 Wong Ah Yoke
The Sunday Times
(from Straits
Times Interactive), 26 February. The prawn mee soup ($12) was good, too,
with its robust stock. The bright-red prawns laid on top of the yellow noodles
also looked very attractive, although I would have preferred them to be shelled.
mee sua
/suuah, sʊɑ/
n. [Hk. 线 sua
string, thread; Mand.
xiàn]
1 White wheat vermicelli which is softer in texture then
Beehoon
when cooked. 2 A dish which has mee sua as its main ingredient.
1
2001
Sylvia Lim
The Sunday Times (Sunday Plus),
4 February, P7 A mound of soft white wheat vermicelli called
mee sua.
2006 Wong Ah Yoke
The Sunday Times
(LifeStyle) (from
Straits Times Interactive),
1 October. Another noodle dish, Oriental crabmeat fried mee sua.., is a bit of a
misnomer. The noodles are not mee sua but deep-fried egg noodles (sheng mian).
And they come in a soupy gravy. 2008
The Straits Times (Life!),
31 October, C17 [M]ee suah, a Chinese noodle that the Hokkiens eat at
celebrations such as birthdays, weddings and Chinese New Year.. 2011
Lee Hui Chieh
The Straits Times
(Mind Your Body), 23 June, 22 [M]ee sua (wheat vermicelli).. 2 2012
Cheryl Faith Wee (quoting
Ruth Anne Keh)
The Sunday Times (LifeStyle),
11 March, 4 Red rice wine chicken mee sua is a special dish that my family
usually eats for birthdays, special occasions and whenever we feel like it. The
mee sua, or longevity noodles, is accompanied by small pieces of chicken and a
hard-boiled egg. .. My grandmother still makes the rice wine needed for this
dish. She mixes red yeast with rice and ferments it in what she calls an urn but
which looks to me like a large vase, which is about 1m tall. It is left in a
dark room for about three months. After it is ready, she puts the wine and some
residue from the mixture into glass bottles and gives some to my mum. It does
not need to be refrigerated.
mee tai bak
/tı bahk, tʌɪ bɑk/
[Teo. tai bak
(?)] Also mee tai mak.
Lo Shee Fun.
2000
Susan Long
The Sunday Times,
26 November, 36 Istana butler J Kathiravan serves up a
mee tai bak
breakfast. 2006 Teo Pau Lin
(quoting Wong Hon Mun)
The Sunday
Times (LifeStyle), 30 July, L28 I would have mee tai mak (short, thick
noodles), either in soup or dry, with fishballs, pork balls or yong tau foo at
this noodles shop near my house. It’s very good. 2006
Christopher Tan
The Sunday
Times (LifeStyle), 6 August, L26 Bee tai mak are stubby, thick white
noodles made of rice flour (typically mixed with other starches too, such as
tapioca flour), whose tapered ends make them look like giant headless
beansprouts. In Malaysia, they are known as lo shee fun, or “rat noodles” – an
apt description. .. A common option at fishball noodle stalls, bee tai mak can
also be used in any dish calling for fresh rice noodles, such as laksa, beef
noodles and Vietnamese noodle soups. There’s no logical reason you couldn't also
eat them in mee siam, curry mee or with kway chap gravy, say, though bear in
mind that they are more rustic than delicate in texture. 2008
Huang Lijie
The Sunday
Times (LifeStyle), 12 October, 31 It may be short, stubby, and until
recently, enjoyed mostly by children, but the noodle mee tai mak is making a
gastronomic comeback. Once a staple in Teochew minced meat noodles and fishball
noodles, it is winning new fans with its multiple reincarnations in laksa, XO
sauce noodles and even the Peranakan meatball soup, bakwan kepiting. According
to Mr Ho Nyi Sing, 60, owner of Eng Heng Noodle Factory, which manufactures mee
tai mak, the noodle’s name in Teochew refers to the sieve-like basket that was
used in the past to make it. The noodle also goes by its Cantonese monicker [sic],
lo shi fun, or literally, rat noodles, because its cylindrical shape with
pointed ends is said to resemble the rodent’s tail. Mr Raymond Tan, 36, director
of Tan Seng Kee Foods, a noodle manufacturer here which has been making mee tai
mak for more than 70 years, says the noodle enjoyed a brief surge of popularity
in the early 1980s. He says: “There were many Malaysians working here then, so
hawkers sold stir-fried mee tai mak in dark sauce, which was a popular dish in
Malaysia.”
meehoon
var. of
Beehoon.
wantan mee
see entry under
Wantan.
meh
/mair, mɛː/
int.
[Cant. 咩
mé the bleating of a sheep; a final interrogative particle (Eitel); Mand.
miē the bleating of sheep (Giles); compare
Cant.
係咩 hai mé [Mand. xì miē] is it?;
噉样嘅咩 kòm yéung ké
mé [Mand. dàn yàng kài miē] is it thus? (Eitel)] interrog.
An exclamation used at the end of a question expr. disbelief, surprise,
etc.
2000
Tee
Hun Ching
The Sunday Times (Sunday Plus),
2 April, 14 What’s wrong with this? Not suitable,
meh? It’s not the Oscars, what!
2000
Yeow Kai
Chai (quoting
David Gan)
The Sunday Times (Sunday
Plus), 2 July, 5 I am so
powerful meh!
2003
Colin Goh
The Sunday Times,
12 October, L18 [title] Our English so bad, meh? 2005
Cornelius Kan Wai-Chung
Today,
18 November, 40 I explained my theory to my Japanese and Taiwanese friends. “You
see,” I began, “the Chinese language has a phrase ‘you mei you gau cuo?’
which means ‘did you make a mistake?’. .. In Cantonese, it’s translated ‘yau
mo gau cor?’ and then simply ‘yao mo?’. So when Singaporeans took
this and transferred it into English, it literally became ‘got (have) meh?’.”
And thus, “got meh?” was born. 2008
Colin Goh
The Sunday Times (LifeStyle),
2 November, 14 [L]ike the outcome’s ever in doubt, meh? 2010
Fiona Chan
The Sunday Times (LifeStyle),
22 August, 13 You got send [e-mail] meh? I never receive leh. 2013
Tee Hun Ching
The Sunday Times (SundayLife!),
7 October, 12 “Nice meh?” I would think sourly.
mei cai
/may chı, meɪ tsʰaɪ/
n. [Hanyu Pinyin transcription of Mand. 酶 méi enzyme; ferment +
菜 cài vegetable, greens (Chi.–Eng.
Dict.)] A type of salted, preserved vegetable used in Chinese
cooking. Known in Cantonese as
Mui Choy.
2008
Thng Lay Teen
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 16 November, 27 The mei cai (preserved
vegetables, 70 cents) was also done well. It is soaked in water for a few hours
to get rid of the excess saltiness, then fried and put in boiling water. The
water is then discarded, fresh water and several ingredients are added to
simmer the vegetable till it becomes soft and nice. .. With fish soup, pig
trotters and mei cai, I could not ask for a more satisfying lunch.
mei cai
kou rou /koh roh, kʰou˞ rou˞/
n. [Mand. 扣肉 kòuròu a Chinese dish of
richly seasoned steamed pork: kòu knot, buckle; button + ròu meat,
flesh (Comp.
Chi.–Eng. Dict.)] A Hakka dish consisting of fatty pork braised
with mei cai.
2009 Alessa Pang
The Straits Times (Saturday),
24 January, B6 As descendants of Hakka immigrants from Meixian, a county in the
north-eastern part of Guangdong province in China, they prepare traditional
dishes such as luo bo wan (steamed radish balls), dong jiang yan gu ji
(salt-baked chicken), ji jiu (chicken in wine), as well as mei cai kou
rou (braised pork slices with preserved vegetables) for the reunion dinner
each year.
merlion,
Merlion /mər-lı-ən,
ˈməːˌlʌɪən/
n. & v. [Eng. mer- comb. form forming nouns denoting imaginary
beings of the mermaid kind, or persons or animals distinguished by their
affinity for water (OED) + lion] A n. 1
A mythical creature with the head and trunk of a lion and the tail of a
fish.
¶ The merlion is represented on a celebrated monument that spouts water from its
mouth that was first installed on a promontory at the mouth of the Singapore
River on 15 September 1972.
2 transf. One who vomits after excessive drinking. B v. Vomit after excessive
drinking.
A 1 c. 1973
Singapore 1973 (Ministry of Culture, Singapore)
Prelim. Matter: Illustr. (caption) The Merlion, a 26-foot structure erected on a
promontory at the mouth of the Singapore River. 1979
Edwin Thumboo
Ulysses by the
Merlion Ulysses by the merlion.. But this lion of the sea / Salt-maned,
scaly, wondrous of tail, / Touched with power, insistent / On this brief
promontory... / Puzzles. .. The lion of the sea, / This image of themselves.
2004
The Straits Times (from
Straits Times Interactive),
9 May. When Singapore craftsman Lim Nang Seng was commissioned by then
Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to construct the Merlion statue in 1972, he
roped in all eight of his children to help. .. The family took three months to
complete the 8.6m-tall, 70-tonne cement Merlion statue, working till late into
the night using kerosene lamps for light before returning to their three-room
flat in Bukit Merah. There was no proper scaffolding built and both brothers
[Lim’s sons] recall being very frightened when they were working on the
Merlion’s head. .. As the Merlion was located at the mouth of the Singapore
River, Mr Lim had to run to the Satay Club constantly on the opposite side of
the river, or hire a bumboat to go out into the mouth of the river, to check his
work. The Merlion statue was Mr Lim’s pride. ‘Even after completion, my father
would visit the Merlion almost every day,’ says Peter. ‘When the Merlion
couldn’t spurt water properly, he would be the first to call the authorities,’
adds Albert. Mr Lim even considered the Merlion his ninth child. 2005 Singapore Tourism Board website <http://app.stb.com.sg/asp/form/form01.asp>.
At the end of the 4th century A.D., Temasek was destroyed by the Siamese,
according to some historians, but by the Javanese according to others. As
recorded in the legend in the Malay Annals, Prince Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya
empire rediscovered the island later in the 11th century A.D. On seeing a
strange beast (which he later learnt was a lion) upon his landing he named the
island Singapura which is a Sanskrit word for Lion (Singa) City (Pura).
The Merlion, with its fish-like body riding the waves of the sea, is symbolic of
the ancient city of Temasek. At the same time, its majestic head recalls the
legend of the discovery of Singapore by Prince Nila Utama in the 11th century,
when Singapore received its present name. ..
The Merlion was first built as an eight-metre tall sculpture in 1972 and was
located at the mouth of the Singapore River to “welcome all visitors to
Singapore”. Built by a local craftsman, Lim Nang Seng, who won several prizes in
the Singapore Handicraft and Design competition organised by the Singapore
Tourism Board (then known as the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board) in 1970, it
was commissioned for approximately $165,000 in 1971, and formally installed on
15 September 1972 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the then Prime Minister.
The Merlion, a symbol to welcome all visitors to Singapore, has since moved. On
15 September 2002, it settled into its new home at Merlion Park, located next to
One Fullerton, overlooking scenic Marina Bay, with the park opened by Minister
Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. 2006
Kate Smith
Today
(from Todayonline.com),
20 June. I would chain myself to the Merlion until I was given permanent
residence. 2006
Neil Humphreys
Final Notes from a Great Island 51 How could I leave Sentosa without
watching its light-and-laser show, with musical fountains, dancing fountains,
and a fiery Merlion shooting green beams out into the night? 2 2005
Hong Xinyi
The Sunday Times
(from Straits Times Interactive), 19 June. Merlion. Army use: People who
spew vomit after drinking copious amounts of alcohol to celebrate the end of
their national service. Civilian use: People who spew vomit. B 2005
Hong Xinyi
The Sunday Times
(from Straits Times Interactive), 19 June. After drinking 20 tequila
shots in half an hour, he Merlioned. 2005
Lorraine Lim
Today, 3
September. When it comes to cultural icons, Singapore can boast many contenders.
Yet, instead of inspiring pride, many Singaporeans appear to have a love-hate
relationship with some of these symbols. The Merlion, for example, is already
well established in the local vernacular: It means “to vomit”. That suggests how
much respect there is for the nation’s No 1 tourism symbol.
Mid-Autumn Festival n. [Eng. transl. of Mand.
中秋节 Zhōngqīu Jié: zhōng middle, mid + qīu autumn +
jié festival] A Chinese festival held on the 15th day of the eighth
lunar month (usu. in mid- to late-September of the Gregorian calendar) around
the date when the moon is at its fullest in the year. Traditions associated with
the festival include appreciating the beauty of the moon [Mand.
赏月 shǎngyuè: shǎng admire, enjoy,
appreciate + yuè the moon] in the open air; the preparation, giving and
eating of Mooncakes
and pomelos; and the carrying of lanterns by children. Also known as the
Lantern Festival
2.
¶ The festival may have originated from mid-autumn harvest celebrations, or from
ancient ceremonies held in honour of the moon or the moon goddess, Cháng’é
嫦娥. It appears that the latter custom
can be traced as far back as the ancient Xia Dynasty [Mand.
夏朝 Xìa Cháo] (c.2070–1600
b.c.) and Shang Dynasty [Mand.
商朝 Shāng Cháo] (c.1600–1046
b.c.). There are varying accounts of
the Chinese legend of Chang’e, but one version known at least since the Period
of the Warring States [Mand. 战国 Zhàn Guó] (475–221
b.c.) is that Chang’e and Houyi
were immortals in heaven. The ten sons of the Jade Emperor [Mand.
玉皇大帝 Yǜ Huáng Dà Dì], the ruler of heaven,
transformed themselves into ten suns, scorching the earth. Having failed to stop
his sons from destroying the earth, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi for help.
Houyi, using his archery skills, shot down nine of the suns, becoming a hero.
This aroused the jealousy of some immortals, who slandered Houyi before the Jade
Emperor. The Jade Emperor thus banished Houyi and Chang’e to live as mortals on
earth.
This version of the
legend goes on to state that Houyi, sorry that
Chang’e
had to lead a mortal’s life for his sake, went on a long and perilous journey to
obtain a pill of immortality the Queen Mother of the West [Mand.
西王母 Xī Wáng Mǔ], the ruler of the western
paradise and the goddess of immortality, so that he and
Chang’e would be able to live
together for eternity.
The Queen Mother warned him that each
of them would only need half of the pill to become immortal. Houyi asked Chang’e
not to open the case in which the pill was kept. One day, when Houyi was not at
home, Chang’e’s curiosity overcame her. She opened the case and found the pill
just as Houyi was returning home. Afraid that Houyi would catch her discovering
the contents of the case, she swallowed the whole pill. This caused her to float
into the sky until she landed on the moon, whereupon she became the moon
goddess. According to another version of the legend, Houyi became a tyrannical
leader and obtained an elixir of immortality for himself. Chang’e, not wishing
the people to suffer under Houyi’s rule for eternity, drank the elixir herself
and floated to the moon.
The Mid-Autumn Festival increased in popularity during
the Ming Dynasty [Mand. 明朝 Míng Cháo] (1368–1644)
and Qing Dynasty [Mand. 清朝 Qīng Cháo] (1644–1911),
possibly because of the success of a plan by Liu Powen, a military
advisor to rebel army leader Chu Yuanchang, to use mooncakes to smuggle messages
in uprisings to overthrow the Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty [Mand.
元朝 Yuán Cháo] (1271–1368).
2005 Lu Gong Ming
The
Straits Times reprinted from the China Press (Malaysia) (from
Straits Times
Interactive), 13 August. August, a month that is a prelude to the
Chinese mid-autumn festival, can also be said to be a month of national day
celebrations. Malaysia’s National Day is on Aug 31, while that of Singapore
falls on Aug 9.
2006 Clarissa Oon (quoting
Lu Jichun)
The Straits Times
(from
Straits Times Interactive),
10 June. [Chinese] [o]fficials and experts have suggested raising the status of
traditional Chinese festivals like the Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn, putting them
on a par with the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year. .. ‘When children today
think of the Dragon Boat Festival, all they can think of is eating zongzi. For
the Mid-Autumn Festival, they can only think of eating mooncakes.’
Milo
dinosaur /mı-loh, ˈmʌɪləʊ/
n. [Eng. Milo proprietary name for a chocolate malt powdered milk
additive invented by a team of Australian scientists led by Thomas Mayne in 1934
and produced by the Nestlé company < Gk. Μίλων Milon athlete and pupil of
Pythagoras, born in the Greek city of Kroton in southern Italy, famous for
extraordinary bodily strength and the victor in wrestling six times at the
Olympic Games, the first time in 540 b.c.
+ dinosaur, poss. < the fact that the brown Milo powder resembles earth]
An iced milk-based beverage of Milo topped with Milo powder sprinkled on the
surface.
[2005 Nestlé website (http://www.nestle.com/Our_Brands/Beverages/Milo).
Milo is a delicious low-fat chocolate malt energy drink packed with essential
vitamins and rich in flavor. .. Milo is available both as a powdered milk
additive and in convenient Ready to Drink cans. .. The number one chocolate malt
beverage brand in the world, Milo is manufactured at the Nestle plant in
Australia at Smithtown, near Kempsey on the Macleay River. .. Around 18 million
cups of Milo are consumed worldwide per day, that is 6.5 billion cups a year. ..
The name Milo comes from a Roman athlete in Greek mythology named Milon who was
famous for his feats of strength. Legend has it that he once carried a
four-year-old bullock through the stadium in Olympia, Greece! 2005
Nestlé Australia website (http://www.nestle.com.au/milo/milohistory).
.. Your parents probably drank MILO when they were
children too, as MILO has been around since 1934. For some time Nestle had been
trying to develop a chocolate energy drink, but had been having problems
creating a fully dry product. It was a research team, headed by Thomas Mayne,
who finally hit on the idea of using the latest vacuum shelf drying technology.
The following year, MILO was launched at the Sydney Royal Easter Show to instant
acclaim and popularity.]
2006
The Straits Times
(National Day Supplement), 9 August, 19 [advertisement] Our best times spent
are at “sarabat stalls” where we’ll gleefully “attack” a tall ice-cold MILO
DINOSAUR – a miraculous product of the 90s.
Milo
godzilla /god-zi-lə,
gɒdˈzɪlə/ n. [prob. a
fanciful elaboration of
Milo Dinosaur; Eng. Milo (see
Milo Dinosaur) + Eng. Godzilla,
a fictional gigantic dinosaur-like monster with the body and tail of a
tyrannosaurus covered in rough grey scales, the long arms of an iguanodon and
the dorsal fins of a stegosaurus; the name
was first used in the U.S. film
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) directed by Inoshiro Honda
(1911–1993) and was an alteration of Jap.
ゴジラ
Gojira, the name of the monster in the original 1954 Jap. film of that
name, said to be f. Jap.
ゴリラ
go(rira < Eng. gorilla + Jap. 鯨,
くじら
ku)jira whale, app. adopted from the nickname of a burly film-set
employee (Wikipedia,
OED) >
Eng. Godzilla a large or strong example of its type; a person or thing of
monstrous proportions or strength (OED)]
An iced milk-based beverage of Milo topped with ice-cream or whipped cream.
2006 Serene Luo
The Straits Times
(Digital Life), 8 August, 3 I know the difference between teh, teh-O, teh-C,
teh-peng, teh-O-peng, kopi-gau, kopi-siew-tai, kopi-chino, milo-dinosaur,
milo-godzilla, ta-chiu, and I have drunk and loved them all.
Miloccino
/-cheenoh, -tʃino/
n. [Eng. cappu)ccino] Milo (see
Milo Dinosaur) topped with
frothed milk like a cappuccino. Compare
Kopi-chino,
Tehccino.
2006 Colin Goh
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from
Straits Times Interactive), 10 September. [A]t many late-night supper
spots, the suffix ‘-ccino’ is added to a bewildering array of frothy beverages,
from the ‘Tehccino’ to the ‘Miloccino’. I once even heard someone ask the
waiter: ‘I want Horlicks. Can make it ccino, one?’
Minah
/mee-nah, ˈmiːnɑ/
n.
[Mal. <
Aminah
a
common Malay female name < Arab. Aminah]
[1955 R.J. Wilkinson
A Malay–English Dictionary, vol. 1, 25 Aminah. Ar. A proper name
for women; shortened commonly to Minah or Nah. It was the name of
the Prophet’s mother. vol. 2, 775 Minah. Ar. A feminine proper
name; short for Aminah..]
Also minah.
Mal. slang A Malay woman,
esp. one who is physically attractive.
1991
Valerie Tan
The Straits Times (Section 3),
9 August, 19 Minah
– chick (Minah is short for Aminah, a common Malay name. Here it means girl,
preferably pretty). 2013 Yip
Wai Yee (quoting Siti Khalijah
Zainal)
The Straits Times
(Life!), 14 December, E26 She says she will “very likely” be playing at
least two new characters: .. a young “minah” character, which is a stereotype of
a rambunctious Malay girl. “.. The minah character will be one who wants to shed
her minah image by being all ghetto and talking like a black person. ..”
ming
jiang kueh
/ming jiahng kuay,
mɪŋ ʤɪɑŋ kʊeɪ/
n. [Teo.
面 ming7 powder made from
ground grain +
煎 ziang1 cook food in a small
amount of hot oil + 粿 guê2 a steamed
foodstuff, with or without a filling, made from rice flour and water kneaded
together into soft pieces that are impressed into various shapes using moulds (Chaozhou
Dict.); Mand. miàn wheat flour + jiān fry in shallow
oil + guǒ (literary language) powder made from rice or wheat (Comp.
Chi.–Eng. Dict.)]
A Chinese dessert consisting of a thick folded pancake filled with sweetened
crushed peanuts or, more recently, other fillings.
2005 Teo Pau Lin
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 3 April, L26 Ming jiang kueh, the peanut-filled
pancake from the days of our grandparents, has been enjoying a revival of late.
.. Widely known to have originated from China’s Guangdong province, the snack
was brought by Chinese immigrants to places like Singapore, Sabah, Penang and
Jakarta from the turn of the 20th century. Translated literally, ming jiang kueh
is Teochew for “flour pan-fried cake”. It is pronounced as mang chang kueh in
Hokkien. .. [H]ow does the new breed of ming jiang kueh actually taste? Done
the old-fashioned way, the new chains cook their pancakes fresh on the spot
using big, round iron pans. Then, they spread on the peanut and sugar filling,
flip half of the pancake over, and cut in into slices. 2006
Hannah Tan
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from
Straits Times Interactive),
4 June. Competition is giving a new fillip to traditional snack ming chiang kueh
(pancakes).. The pancake has evolved beyond simple red bean and peanut versions
to tuna, chilli shrimp and chicken floss types. 2007
Arlina Arshad
The Straits Times
(from
Straits Times Interactive),
9 February. [T]he cafe did not materialise because the operator ‘wanted to sell
sugarcane, ming chiang kuay (pancakes) and tau huay chwee (soya bean drink)’,
which went against the mall’s ‘hip and trendy’ image.
mood
n. & v.
[Eng.] A
n.
ROD Mood. B
v.
Be in an ROD mood.
mooncake
n.
[Eng. transl. of
Mand.
月饼
yuèbǐng:
yuè
moon + bǐng
round, flat cake]
A round Chinese cake traditionally eaten during the
Mid-Autumn Festival
consisting of pastry impressed with a patterned mould and filled with
Lin
Yoong (lotus seed
paste), hard-boiled duck egg yolks,
etc.
¶ The custom of exchanging mooncakes as gifts during the Mid-Autumn Festival
appears to have originated during the Southern Song Dynasty [Mand.
南宋朝 Nán Sòng Cháo] (1127–1279).
2000
Josephine James
The Straits Times,
11 September, 37 Zhong Qiu
Jie, celebrated on the
15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, is believed to have
originated as a festivity marking the harvest season. .. People would drink wine
and eat mooncakes while admiring the moon, which was at its biggest and
brightest. .. Mooncakes, pomelos and tea are traditional
gifts of the season. The round
cakes symbolise the moon and family reunions. Mooncakes have also been used to
advantage in revolutions. In the 1300s, when the Hans were oppressed by the
Mongols, the mooncake was used to call people to take up arms through concealed
slips of paper. 2004
Joyce Teo
The Straits Times,
28 September, H1 Two legends lay claim to the mooncake tradition. One is to
celebrate legendary beauty Chang-Er, who flew to the moon. Another holds that
mooncakes were first used to hold secret messages that began the revolution
which ended the Yuan Dynasty in the 14th century. 2006
Clarissa Oon (quoting
Lu Jichun)
The Straits Times
(from
Straits Times Interactive),
10 June. When children today think of the Dragon Boat Festival, all they can
think of is eating zongzi. For the Mid-Autumn Festival, they can only think of
eating mooncakes. 2006 Teo
Pau Lin
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle) (from
Straits Times Interactive),
10 September. Mr Tan Chock Soon gets incensed each time the annual Mid-Autumn
Festival rolls around. He likes his mooncakes made the traditional way – plain
lotus seed paste with one salted egg yolk. But each year, he is greeted by
newfangled flavours that get ever more bewildering. ‘Ice cream, durian, wasabi,
is there really a need to be so modern?’ asks Mr Tan.. Hand-made mooncakes have
thinner and softer skins, because they are individually wrapped by hand around
fillings, before they are shaped inside wooden moulds and baked. .. Opened about
70 years ago in Chinatown, this old-world shop [Tai Chong Kok] specialises in
Cantonese-style pastries. During Mid-Autumn Festival, its Cantonese-style
mooncakes – the type with lotus seed paste wrapped with a thin layer of baked
skin – attracts long queues. .. It also sells snowskin versions and filling
options include red bean paste and green bean paste. .. This 60-year-old bakery
[Thye Moh Chan Cake House] specialises in Teochew-style mooncakes, which are
characterised by their flaky skins. They come in three different sizes. The
small ones.. are filled with a mixture of candied winter melon, sesame seeds,
orange peel and red bean. The medium ones.. are about the size of your open
palm, and are filled with the same mixture. There is a durian option, too.. The
largest one.. is flat and only 1cm thick, filled with chewy malt sugar paste. ..
Hokkien-style mooncakes.. are similar to the Cantonese ‘wife biscuit’, filled
with candied winter melon paste and have a slightly salty taste..
Comb.:
Mooncake Festival n. [Eng.] Mid-Autumn
Festival.
†muffadet /muf-ə-det,
ˈmʌfədɛt/
n. [corruption of Eng. hermaphrodite] Eurasian slang
An effeminate male. See also
Ah Kua A1,
Bapok.
mugger
n.
[Eng., regarded as rare and perhaps obs. < mug v. read or
study in a concentrated manner, learn by hard or concentrated study; perh.
related to mug v. pout, grow sullen, mope < mug n. a face, esp.
an unattractive one; prob. < mug n. a drinking vessel, freq. cylindrical
(and now usu. with a handle), generally used without a saucer, perh. in allusion
to drinking mugs made to represent a grotesque human face which were common in
the 18th century] 1 A student who works with particular diligence
or concentration; a swot. 2 A person overly concerned with studying,
a bookworm.
1 1883
James Payn
The
Canon’s Ward, ch. 8. ‘A mugger’ – a comprehensive term understood to
include all persons with an ambition for University distinction. 1900
H.G. Wells
Love and Mr. Lewisham, ch. 8, 77 That beast Lewisham – awful swat...
Frightful mugger. 2003
Clara Chow
The Straits Times (Life!),
9 December, L4 While other 16-year-olds were playing their air guitars and
flinging their hair at home back in 1994, I was a sad
‘mugger’,
cramming for my O-level examinations.
Phrase:
mugger toad.
mui choy
/mooay choy, muːeɪ tʃɔɪ/
n. [Cant. 酶 mui [...] + 菜 choy
[...]; Mand. méi enzyme; ferment + cài vegetable, greens (Chi.–Eng.
Dict.)] The Cantonese name for
Mei Cai.
2008 Chris Tan
The
Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 16 November, 28 Once upon a time, preserved
items such as kiam chye, mui choy and chai poh would have been homemade by every
Chinese family for its daily consumption. They are not as easy to make as they
might seem, requiring successive rounds of drying, seasoning, salting, brining
or steaming.
mum mum
/mum mum, mʌm mʌm/
n. & v.
[poss. imit. of the sound of eating; or < Mysore Kannada
ಮಮು
mammu that which is mumped (chewed with toothless gums): food in the
language of children < Mysore Kannada ಮಮ್
mam, ಮಮಮ್
mammum, ಮೊಮು
mǒmmu a sound in imitation of chewing (used by children) (Kittel)]
nursery
A
n.
Food, esp. a child’s meal.
B
v.
Eat, have a meal.
A 2004
Teo
Cheng Wee
The Sunday Times (LifeStyle),
20 June, L10 Jacob is obsessed with food and has a continuous urge to eat. In
fact, his first words ‘mum mum’ referred to food, not his mother.
munjen
/mun-jən, ˈmʌnʤən/
n.
[< Tam. மஞ்சள் mañcal
turmeric; yellow colour as that of turmeric; or < Tulu
ಮಂಜಲೆ
mañjale a yellow or tawny-coloured man (Tulu
Lex.); compare Tulu ಮಂಜಳ್
mañjaḷ,
ಮಂಜಲ್
mañjaḷu,
ಮಂಜಾಳ್
mañjaaḷụ,
ಮಂಜೊಳು
mañjoḷu,
ಮಂಜೊಲು
mañjolu
Indian saffron, the long rooted turmeric (Curcuma long) Linn.
Zingiberaceae; tumeric root;
yellow (Tulu Lex.); Kannada ಮಂಜಳ
mañjaḷa
Indian saffron (Curcuma longa), turmeric (Kittel);
Koḍaga
mañja; Malayalam
മണണ
mańńa yellow or turmeric colour < Malayalam
മണണഴ
mańńaḷ
Indian saffron (Curcuma longa), turmeric; yellow dye (Mlm.
Lex.)] Tam. slang
A Chinese person.
2004
Ong
Soh Chin
The Straits Times
(Life!), 30 October, 4
‘Munjen’ is actually a variation of ‘munjal’, a Tamil term for Chinese people
which literally means ‘turmeric’, referring to the spice’s yellow colour.
murtabak
/mə-tə-bahk, mətəˈbɑk˺/
n.
[(?)] An Indian dish consisting of a prata filled with spicy meat and onions.
2002
Michelle Ho & Ruby Pan
The
Straits Times (Life! This Weekend),
12 April, L27 The outlet is famous for its chicken
murtabak
of varying sizes. 2004
Judi
Low
Streats,
6 February, 46 The murtabak is a prata filled with spicy meat and lots of
onions. Although always regarded as Indian food, this dish is unknown in India.
murukku
/muu-ruuk-uu, ˈmʊrʊkʊ/
n. [Tam. முறுக்கு murukku to twist (as a rope), twirl, spin (as a
potter his wheel); n. twisting, turn or thread of a screw, ball of thread;
a kind of cake made of flour
(Burrow
& Emeneau,
Tam.
Lex.); a writhing, wresting or twining; a kind of cake (Percival,
Tam. Dict.)] A South Indian snack food made of dough from
chick-pea, rice or wheat flour, or a mixture, flavoured with spices such as
asafœtida, chilli, cumin and sesame seeds, which is then twisted into a
noodle-like strand, coiled into a flat spiral shape, and deep
fried.
2006 Vasanthan Govindasamy
Today
(from Todayonline.com),
24 October. Deepavali would mean a celebration not only for us but also for the
entire row of residents. Auntie Norma helped my mother with her “murukus”, while
she made some Malay kuih. 2008
Wang Hui Fen
The
Straits Times (Life!), 28 October, B6 Preparations for the celebration
[of
Deepavali] start weeks before with a spring cleaning of the home. New
clothes are bought, and women make cakes, sweetmeat and other tidbits – the
favourite being murukku. 2014
Chris Tan
The Sunday Times
(SundayLife!), 12 October, 21 “Murukku” means “twisted” in Tamil. The term
is colloquially used to refer to deep-fried crispy snacks in general, although
each kind has its own proper name. .. Pressed murukku: Cooks squeeze murukku
dough from wood or metal murukku presses, whose interchangeable discs allow
different shapes to be pressed out, from flat ribbons to deeply ridged loops or
round noodles. Murukku can also be rolled and shaped by hand. .. Murukku are
also called chakri, chakli or chakkali in other dialects. .. Achu murukku/achappam..:
Flower- or star-shaped wafers made by dipping a metal mould into thin batter and
then into hot oil, forming a lacy shape. Almost identical snacks are found as
far afield as Sweden, Iran, Turkey and Italy, so the recipe is probably a very
old one propagated by religious or colonial expansion.
my one
pron.
[Eng.] Mine.
[1982 ‘Paik-Choo’ (Toh Paik Choo)
Eh,
Goondu! 9 My’s One The use of this indicates that “my” is more
powerful than “mine” and therefore “my’s one” is the strongest possessive of
all. As opposed to “Your’s one.” This is not “mine,” but “my’s one!” in a raised
voice.]
2009 Huang Wenwu
Today,
17 April. I was reading at a bookstore but was interrupted when a kid cried out:
“That is my one!” I shuddered. Where did she pick up such grammar? One wonders
if we’ve made any progress from 20 years ago, when I recall such Singlish
phrases were commonplace at my kindergarten.
