calefare

English

Etymology

Originally from Hong Kong Cantonese 茄哩啡 (ke1 le1 fe1, “extra; background actor”), a loanword from English carefree.

Popularized by the 2008 comedy series of the same name.

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛlɛfɛː/, [-fɛː˦], [-fɛː(˦˧)]

Noun

calefare

1. (Singapore, slang) An extra (actor playing a minor role)
   • 2008 July 30, “Are you sure this is how you spell calefare?”, in Calefare (blog), Singapore:

     And since the producers decided to spell it as “Calefare”, we, the calefare, are sticking with it.