Commonly found variants; note these may range from acceptable alternatives to
non-standard forms or incorrect spellings*.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
also can:
bo thau bo beh bo tau bo beh bo tau bo be bo tao bo be
bo tao bo beh
简
繁
→
Hokkien:
无头无尾
無頭無尾
poj:
bô-thâu-bô-bé
Detailed etymology
definitions
expression
- (metaphor) incomprehensible; hard to understand or follow; can't make head nor tail
- (metaphor) chaotic; all over the place; in a mess
Ah ma's accounts of events are always bo tao bo beh, leaving me even more confused about what happened by the end.
synonyms:
Whoever 'organized' the office supplies has got to do it again. Stapler cannot even find, so bo tau bo beh.
synonyms: