Some would say I’m boh liao for writing this post. However, I say poppycock, don’t talk cock! I enjoy sharing information about slang. It’s shiok, the bee’s knees, although it does come across as cobblers. Don’t say I’m siao or doolally. Just relak, keep your pecker up, even if you buay tahan. I’m off to spend a penny. Toddle pip. Bye-bye.

Singlish

Singapore is changing so fast and along with it the style of communications. As language evolves, words and phrases are created and some are lost. Here we present some uncommon Singlish phrases along with ones in common use.

Singlish	Meaning
Blur like sotong	To be extremely clueless
Boh liao	Nothing better to do
Buay tahan	Cannot stand it
Cheem	Something is profound or deep or intellectual
Chop chop kali pok	Do it Fast, don’t waste time
Chope	Reserve a seat
Don’t fly my kite	Please do not go back on your word
Don’t play play	Don’t fool around
Got problem is it?	Do you have a problem?
Hao lian	Arrogant, cocky or smug
Issit?	Used in various contexts, to question in both positive and negative forms, or as a response in a rhetorical quizzical manner.
Jia lat	Oh dear! Used to describe a terrible situation
Kan cheong	Nervous, harried or uptight
Kiasu	Somebody who fears losing out
Kong si mi	What are you saying?
Liddat oso can!?	In response to feats of achievement or actions which are almost impossible, or unexpected. Usually with tinge of awe, sarcasm or scepticism.
Own time own target	To act on your own initiative
Pai seh	Shy or to have a sense of shame
Relak lah!	used to ask someone to chill, cool it
Sabo	To play a trick on someone. Short for “sabotage”, but with an everyday usage
Shiok	Extreme pleasure or the highest quality
Siam	Get out of the way!
Sian	Bored, tired, or sick of something
Siao ah you?	Are you crazy?
Talk cock	Talking nonsense / senselessly
Wah lao!	Exclamation of shock
Why so liddat	An appeal made to someone who is being unreasonable
Ya ya papaya	An arrogant person

Vintage British Slang

Here is a good example of some vintage British slang that has all but been forgotten in 21st century Britain. However a couple have remained.

Vintage Slang	Meaning
Bangers and mash	Sausages and mashed potatoes
Bees knees	Excellent – the highest quality
Bob’s your uncle	There you have it
Cheerio	Goodbye
Chin up	Something that you say to someone in a difficult situation in order to encourage them to be brave and to try not to be sad
Cobblers	Nonsense
Cor blimey	An exclamation of surprise
Doolally!	unbalanced state of mind
Fancy a brew	Would you like some tea
Forty winks	Take a short sleep during the day
Gorden Bennett	An exclamation of surprise
It’s all gone a bit pear shaped	It describes a situation that went awry, perhaps horribly wrong
Keep your pecker up	Remain cheerful – keep your head held high
Mind your P’s and Q’s	Mind your manners
Piece of cake	Something very easy
Popped his clogs	He’s dead
Poppycock	Foolish words or ideas
Spend a penny	To use a public lavatory
Stiff upper lip	Exercises great self-restraint in the expression of emotion
Stone the crows	An exclamation of incredulity or annoyance
Talk of the devil	Something that you say when a person you are talking about arrives and you are not expecting them
Tally ho	Pointing out or spotting a target (Used in fox hunting)
There’s nowt as queer as folk	Said to emphasize that people sometimes behave in a very strange way
Tickety boo	Going smoothly, doing all right
Tie the knot	To get married
Tit fer tat	Equivalent retaliation
Toddle pip	Goodbye
Tosh	Rubbish; nonsense
Tough as old boots	Very strong, and not easily made weaker
Waste not want not	It is advising against waste because you might want it in the future
What a palaver!	What a load of pointless discussion