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kopi licence

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:

kopi o licence kopi-o license kopi o license kopi license kopi licence

kopi-O licence

Singlish:

kopi

+

O

+

English:

licence

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

noun

  1. a driving licence obtained by bribing the driving examiner with money, said to be enough for them to buy a cup of kopi-O with
  2. Driving schools have been warned not to participate in illegal 'kopi-O' driving licence issuance, or face instant revocation of their licences if caught.

    — 2024 June 24, KS. Carz, "Loke: Stay Away From “Kopi-O” Licence, eTesting Mandatory By 2030". https://www.carz.com.my/2024/6/loke-stay-away-from-kopi-o-licence-etesting-mandatory-by-2030


adjective

  1. (by extension) describing a bad or reckless driver, by the insinuation that they obtained their driving licence through bribery

usage notes

The term is sometimes also simplified to 'kopi licence'; compare kopi lui and kopi money.