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kao bei kao boh

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.

also can:

kao peh kao bu khau peh khau bu khau pe khau bu khao pe khao bu kau peh kau bu kao pei kao bu khao pei khao bu kao peh kao boh khao be khao bho kau beh kau boh kao bei kao boh khao bei khao bho

khao peh khao bu

→

Min nan:

哭爸哭母

poj:

khàu-pē-khàu-bú

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

verb

  1. (idiom) to complain (as if a petulant child crying to one's father and mother, or as if one's parents have just died); to whine; to complain to high heaven

    2. Joo Chiat PAP activist Khartini Abdul Khalid had commented that Singaporeans "kao peh kao bu" ... because it shows they ultimately have faith that the PAP Government can solve problems and is trusted to do so responsibly.

    — 2013 December 9, Neo Chain Chin. Today, "PAP leaders call on activists to ‘fight for what it believes in’". p.8

    synonyms:

    khao peh KPKB

usage notes

Sometimes shortened to khao peh. The variant pronunciation 'boh' or 'bho' is from Teochew.


related:

khao peh khao bu lim peh lin lao peh referee kayu khao peh KP KPKB QQ2

categories:

vulgar sayings

other credits:

jtpenguin for discussion and insights on etymology.