mat

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Malay:

mat

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

noun

  1. (chiefly of a male Malay person) a guy; a dude; a John Doe; a generic name for an anonymous or unknown male person
  2. (possibly derogatory) a Malay man; a male person of Malay ethnicity

    3. In its purest form, “sial” means “jinx” but mats have refined the art of using the word to include it at the end of their every sentence.

    — 2008 February 9, herpluginbaby. "the idiots guide to malay". https://herpluginbaby.livejournal.com/2974.html

  3. (derogatory, likely from a shortening of or association with mat rep) a young, delinquent Malay man, often associated with negative stereotypes such as smoking, drinking, truancy, lepaking, low education, and a certain style of dress such as tapered jeans and wearing trucker caps intentionally adjusted such that they sit too high on the head

    4. It’s a group she knows well having grown up alongside many mats and minahs: “They had problems with money, family and working for a living. A couple of them got into trouble with the law.”

    — Lee Shu Yu (quoting Nessa Anwar). Centre42, "Homage to Mat and Minah Reps". https://www.centre42.sg/editorials/9416/homage-to-mat-and-minah-reps/

    synonyms:

    matrep

usage notes

Male equivalent of a minah.


related:

minah mat rep minah rep tan ah kao Tan Ah Kao Ah Seng roti john mat salleh mat roker mat rok mat motor mat rempit

entries starting with

'mat'