Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
adj
Westernized; rejecting aspects of one's own culture or heritage in favor of Western ideologies and practices.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Manglish, Singlish, derogatory, idiomatic, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Of a person, to be westernized; to have abandoned one's own cultural traditions in favor of a westernized lifestyle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Manglish, Singlish, derogatory, idiomatic, invariable, stative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Of an ethnically Chinese person, to be mostly monolingual in English and unable to speak Chinese well.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Manglish, Singlish, derogatory, idiomatic, invariable, stative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To eat potatoes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Manglish, Singlish, humorous, invariable, literally, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
From Malaysian and Singaporean Hokkien 食kentang or 食蕳砃 /食𫈉砃 (chia̍h kan-tang), from 食 (chia̍h, “to eat”) + Malay kentang (“potatoes”). Historically, the choice of potatoes over rice as a staple food, or its inclusion in one’s diet was seen as a shift towards a more Westernized lifestyle.
