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:
lau khui lau kui laukhui laukui lao kui laokhui laokui lau kwee lao kwee
lao khui
[ˈlaʊ˦˨ ˌkʰui˩]
简
繁
→
Hokkien:
落气
落氣
poj:
làu-khùi
Detailed etymology
definitions
adjective
- shameful; embarrassing; disgraceful
You think you are going for a vacation izzit? No wonder our athletes thought like this and we lost miserably. So lau kui.
— 2004, Bukit Ho Sweerean, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)
verb
- to lose face; to disgrace oneself
usage notes
More commonly an adjective in Singlish, but both uses are valid.