Chimbridge Singlish Dictionary

definitions

noun

1. short for opeh leaf or opeh hak

How symbolic the passing of "opeh" the good, sturdy, dried palm leaf, which was used for noodles, rojak, and other dishes.

— 1981 August 9. The Straits Times, "Food in a flash: A question of taste". p.23

synonyms:

opeh leaf opeh hak
2. (rare, possibly a backformation) Areca catechu, the areca palm (also known as the betel nut palm). Its nuts were wrapped in a betel leaf (sireh) and chewed as a stimulant, a traditional practice which has largely been abandoned in modern Singapore (though it is still legal) due to the discovery that it causes oral cancer. Its large leaf bases or leaf sheaths are traditionally dried (after which they turn a pale brownish-tan colour) and used to wrap food such as Hokkien mee, chee cheong fun, and chai tow kway.