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:
tau huey tau hui tau hway
tau huay
→
Min nan:
豆花
poj:
tāu-hoe
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- a soft, silky tofu pudding, often sweetened with a sweet syrup such as honey or gula melaka and eaten as a dessert. It may be served hot or cold.
- a ragging or hazing ritual where a female person’s colleagues, classmates, friends etc. tackle her to the ground and pile their bodies on top of her, specifically when done on a female person by other female people
I grew up with “tau huay”, no matter breakfast or supper, slurping down the soft, silken, sweet beancurd, warms my stomach and brings great comfort to my soul.
— 2022, Rochor Beancurd. "What Does A Bowl Of Hot Steaming Beancurd Mean To You?". https://rochororiginal.com.sg/. acc 2024 August 5.
synonyms:
verb
- to tackle a female person to the ground and (as a group of other female people) pile on top of her, usually done as a ragging or hazing ritual
synonyms:
usage notes
In the sense of the hazing or ragging ritual, it is only used to describe female-on-female piles; otherwise, it is generally referred to as tau pok.