bo chup
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Hokkien 無插／无插 (bô-chhap, “indifferent; to not care about”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
bo chup (comparative more bo chup, superlative most bo chup)
- (Singapore, informal) indifferent; not caring about something; unbothered.
- 1991, Tan Ooi Boon, The Straits Times, 15 April
- p. 17 I guess many people will just act bo chap (don’t care). Nobody wants to confront a criminal and get into trouble.
- p. 17 I guess many people will just act bo chap (don’t care). Nobody wants to confront a criminal and get into trouble.
- 1994, C.S. Chong, NS: An Air-Level Story
- p. 127 People simply bo chap their looks in what was, after all, an all-male working domain.
- p. 135 bo chap. Simply don’t care.
- 2000, Leong Liew Geok, “Forever Singlish” in Women without Men
- p. 130 No class Singlish here to stay, / No big shot can have his way / With how people talk, what people say. / Rules are rules: our bo chap mouth refuse / To listen, follow or to choose!
- p. 130 No class Singlish here to stay, / No big shot can have his way / With how people talk, what people say. / Rules are rules: our bo chap mouth refuse / To listen, follow or to choose!
- 2000, Clarissa Oon (quoting Jeffrey Tan), The Straits Times (Life!), 23 September
- p. 5 When you ask for feedback, there is a certain bo-chap-ness (apathy).
- p. 5 When you ask for feedback, there is a certain bo-chap-ness (apathy).
- 2000, Jessica Tan, The Straits Times (Life!), 29 December
- p. 8 Desperately in need of a makeover, these two not-so-gorgeous but talented damsels definitely bag the most bochap (can’t be bothered, in Hokkien) look prize.
- p. 8 Desperately in need of a makeover, these two not-so-gorgeous but talented damsels definitely bag the most bochap (can’t be bothered, in Hokkien) look prize.
- 2003, The Straits Times, 17 October
- H6 [A] recent Gallup poll.. found that many workers here have a bo chap (don’t care) attitude towards work.
- H6 [A] recent Gallup poll.. found that many workers here have a bo chap (don’t care) attitude towards work.
- 2004 Dharmendra Yadav (quoting Goh Chok Tong), Today, 19 May
- p. 3 In March, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong reflected about the ‘bo-chap’ (can’t be bothered) attitude of young Singaporeans.
- p. 3 In March, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong reflected about the ‘bo-chap’ (can’t be bothered) attitude of young Singaporeans.
- 2005 Sue-Ann Chia, The Straits Times, 11 March
- H9 Companies that are “boh chap” about safety face stiffer penalties.
- H9 Companies that are “boh chap” about safety face stiffer penalties.
- 2006 Elgin Teo (quoting He Shuwei), The Sunday Times, 30 July
- p. 10–11 ‘Bochap’? Not us, say teens [title].. [A]re Singaporean youths really so “bochap” (indifferent in Hokkien)? .. “We are not ‘bochap’. We are aware of issues concerning Singapore’s progress; it’s just that there’s nothing we can actually do at this stage,” opines Shuwei.
- 1991, Tan Ooi Boon, The Straits Times, 15 April
Usage notes[edit]
- While used often in speech, typically attested as italicized or in quotation marks in writing.
References[edit]
- A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English (Online), http://www.mysmu.edu/faculty/jacklee/singlish_B.htm