\n<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE \u2013 We\u2019ve been together for agak-agak four years, but I\u2019m still waiting for him to ask me to BTO, really jialat.<\/p>\n
Reading the above sentence and deciphering its meaning should come as a piece of cake, or to the more Singlish-inclined, kacang putih.<\/p>\n
For others who can\u2019t make head or tail of what it means, the Oxford English Dictionary\u2019s (OED) latest update on March 24, which added some new Singlish words, might come in handy.<\/p>\n
The OED added to its word list 11 new entries with a Singaporean or Malaysian English etymology. <\/p>\n
The new entries included \u201cBTO\u201d, \u201cwayang\u201d and \u201ckaypoh\u201d that can be used in multiple forms as nouns, verbs or adjectives.<\/p>\n
The initialism BTO has come to refer to the Build-To-Order scheme, or a flat under the scheme managed by Singapore\u2019s Housing and Development Board (HDB, a 2016 entry), but is also used as a verb when applying for a flat under the scheme, said Oxford Languages, the dictionary\u2019s publisher, in a release explaining its new entries.<\/p>\n
The publisher added that the word often comes up \u201cwhen discussing a couple\u2019s relationship status, as applying for a flat together under the BTO scheme is seen as an important milestone, similar to an engagement\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hokkien loanword \u201cjialat\u201d originated from the words that literally mean \u201cto eat strength\u201d and started out being used to describe something irksome or exhausting. The Oxford entry states that it can now also be used to describe a person in trouble or difficulty.<\/p>\n
The dictionary also noted how a borrowed Malay word like \u201cwayang\u201d which would refer to a Indonesian or Malaysian theatrical performance, has developed in Singlish into putting up a \u201cfalse display intended to cheat\u201d or as an adjective to mean \u201cshowy or fake\u201d.<\/p>\n
New entries from Malaysian English included \u201cboleh\u201d, a popular rallying cry in sport and politics, as in \u201cMalaysia Boleh\u201d. \u201cMat Salleh\u201d was also added, a synonym of the Singlish \u201cang moh\u201d previously added in 2016, which means Caucasian.<\/p>\n
A couple of food dishes \u2013 assam laksa (\u201dA sour and spicy noodle soup originating in Penang) and ice kacang (\u201dA Malaysian and Singaporean dessert made of shaved ice\u201d) \u2013 were among the new entries, joining other local favourites \u201ckaya toast\u201d, \u201cnasi lemak\u201d and \u201ccurry fish head\u201d that were added in 2025. <\/p>\n
Other Singlish words like shiok, lepak and sabo were previously added in 2016.<\/p>\n
The March 2026 update also included entries from Hong Kong English, such as \u201cpeople mountain people sea\u201d, a phrase used to describe a large crowd of people, translated literally from a Chinese idiom.<\/p>\n
Oxford Languages explained that a word will be considered for inclusion in its dictionary when its editors have gathered independent examples from a good variety of sources, and evidence that the word has been in use for a reasonable amount of time.<\/p>\n
OED\u2019s March 2026 entries with Singaporean and Malaysian English origins:<\/p>\n
assam laksa (noun)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
agak-agak (noun, verb)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
boleh (verb, intransitive)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
BTO (noun, verb)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
degazette (verb)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
ice kacang (noun)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
jialat (adjective)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
kaypoh (noun, adjective, verb)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Mat Salleh (noun, adjective)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
play play (verb)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
wayang (noun, adjective)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n