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:
bao toh baotoh pautoh pao toh paotoh
pau toh
→
Hokkien:
包刀
poj:
pau-to
Detailed etymology
definitions
verb
- to tell on somebody behind their back; to backstab; to rat someone out
Have you ever wondered how the hack did your boss or your colleagues know about the small, little mistakes that you make? ... Well, you know who the culprit is! It is the gossip monger a.k.a the bao toh king/queen!
— 2020, Michael Thong. 5 Proven Steps to F**K Work Politics. Partridge Publishing Singapore. ISBN: 9781543758665