COMMENT | New word for M’sians – 'tiong'
COMMENT | I have every reason to believe the word “tiong” will soon enter the Malay lexicon courtesy of our tortured politics. Further, I predict a brilliant future for its use and acceptance among all Malaysians in the same way as other recently borrowed Chinese words.Words like “chin-chai” (anything is fine) and “chun chun” (great, excellent). Or “ngam ngam” (just nice), “ma chai” (sycophant) and “ta pau” (take away). Or the wonderfully versatile “kau kau”, used in describing someone giving the other a good piece of their mind or ordering a strong cup of coffee as in, respectively: “Saya taruh dia kau kau” (I gave him a piece of my mind) or “Uncle, satu kopi kau kau” (One strong cup of coffee, uncle). “Kau kau” comes into its own when describing things taken to the extreme like in...