Singlish, love it or hate it.
Even if you lean towards the latter, you can’t deny the fact that there’s something unique about it. If you were to travel to another continent, odds are, you’ll have great difficulty conversing with locals there. It’s not your fault, our local unique slang tends to slip out.
Some of these phrases might sound foreign to your ear. Some might make you laugh like a drain. Some might even make your mouth water.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
1. Blur like sotong
What it means: blur – silly, scatterbrained, empty-headed, blockheaded, dopey
Sotong is the Malay Language word for Squid. The word ‘sotong’ is widely used in Singapore to refer to squid dishes.
We all know, squid spurts black ink and makes everything blurry. Let’s hope you won’t hear someone use this Singlish phrase to describe you — because it’s an insult to your intelligence.
How to use it: “Walau-eh, you dropped your phone into the toilet bowl and you still flush it? Why?! Why you so blur like sotong?”
Where to find the best sambal sotong: Chomp Chomp Ru Yi BBQ
Ru Yi BBQ’s dishes are hot on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside — it will leave you licking your plate and spoon and fork. The sambal sotong is sinful and makes your tummy feel like the Valley of Fire. But dear God almighty, is it worth it.
Address: 210 Toa Payoh Lorong 8, Stall No. 72, Singapore 310210 (not located at Chomp Chomp)
Contact: +65 8133 7688
Opening hours: 5pm – 11pm daily
Price: >S$8
2. Chop chop kali pok
What it means: Work faster
Kali pok refers to curry puff. Chop chop simply means hurry up. The two separate phrases were put together because they rhyme and sound catchy. Chop chop kali pok is often uttered by the impatient P.E. teacher or your BMTC instructor.
How to use it: “My 88-year-old grandma can run faster than you. Faster, chop chop kali pok!”
Where to find the best curry puff: AMK Curry Puff.
Thick crust. Check. Spicy. Check. Fragrance. Check. (Apparently, the owner of AMK Curry Puff, Mr Leo, used to be a shareholder in Tip Top Curry Puff!) If you love food with a tinge of tradition, you must head down to Toa Payoh. Word is, the curry puff is still finger-licking good even when it’s cold.
Address: Super 28 Coffee Shop, Block 184 Toa Payoh Central, #01-372, Singapore 310184
Contact: +65 9672 6621
Opening hours: 10am – 8:30pm
Price: >S$1.40
3. Stylo Milo
What it means: A fashionable, stylish person. A little tricky – it could be used as a compliment or sarcastic insult.
How to use it: “Wah piang, you wear socks with sandals? You stylo milo man.”
Where to find the best Milo Dinosaur: Spize.
Most drink stalls at coffee shops could probably do a Milo Dinosaur for you, but Spize is one of those stalls that does it the best. Of course, it seems nuts to order the drink alone – it’s milo + milo powder. If you’d like something to go along with your drink – try Spize’s seafood aglio olio and chicken chop. Each bite is more delicious than the last.
A word of caution, though — you may get a sugar rush!
Address: Bedok outlet – 336 Bedok Road, Singapore 469512
(Visit their official site for River Valley and Rifle Range outlets)
Opening hours: Weekdays – 12pm to 2am & weekends – 12pm to 3am
Price: Iced Milo Dinosaur S$3.50, Iced Milo Godzilla S$4.50
Milo Dinosaur: Iced Milo topped with Milo powder
Milo Godzilla: Iced Milo topped with Milo powder, and ice cream or whipped cream
4. Ya ya papaya
What it means: An insufferable stuck-up person.
There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. The phrase, ya ya papaya, leans towards the latter.
How to use it: “Just now, I congratulate Alex on his promotion, and you know what he said to me? He said ‘Of course, I deserve it.’ Cannot stand that guy, so ya ya papaya.”
Where to find the best green papaya salad: Beer Thai House Restaurant.
Lovers of spicy food, a heads-up! Granted, Beer Thai’s signature dishes are the mango salad and pineapple fried rice, but its loyal customers will have you know that the papaya salad can easily hold its own. It’s appetising and authentic.
Address: Golden Mile Tower #01-50/51, 6001 Beach Road, Singapore 199588
Contact: + 65 6297 7644
Opening hours: 11am – 11pm daily
Price: >S$6
5. Agak-agak (a.k.a agar agar)
What it means: A rough estimation.
It’s supposed to be agak-agak (a Malay Language phrase), but for some odd reason, someone gave it a new twist and called it agar-agar. It’s stuck since then. Sigh, we Singaporeans with our pronunciation…
How to use it: “Ah ya, don’t ask me to calculate for you. My maths very jialat, got a D for my PSLE. You own self agar agar la.”
Where to find the best agar agar cake: Cake Story.
Their cakes are so adorable. You’ll want to take a picture of it and post it on Instagram. Lo and behold, you’ll receive massive likes! They have a decent range of agar agar cakes for you to choose from – Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse, Barbie Ball, just to name a few.
On top of that, the store hand-makes kueh lapis, cookies, cup cakes and jolly cheese cakes.
Address: Block 194 Kim Keat Avenue, #01-402, Singapore 310194
Contact: +65 9645 6545
Email: [email protected]
Price: >S$45
Know any great Singlish phrases that have to do with our local dishes? Give us a shout-out on Facebook and you’ll win our love!
(Header image credit: angmohdan.com, words by author & editor)
Also read: You Can Now Fish & Dine At Singapore’s First Kelong Restaurant! You’ll Want To Check This Out!
