暗牌
Chinese
[edit]dark; gloomy; hidden dark; gloomy; hidden; secret |
cards; game pieces; signboard cards; game pieces; signboard; plate; tablet | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (暗牌) | 暗 | 牌 | |
| simp. #(暗牌) | 暗 | 牌 | |
| Literally: “hidden badge”. | |||
Etymology
[edit]Arising from the fact that detectives do not wear police uniforms in Malaysia and Singapore.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]暗牌
- (Malaysian and Singapore Hokkien, Teochew) detective
Synonyms
[edit]References
[edit]- Chia, Caroline, Hoogervorst, Tom, editors (2021), “Chapter 5 Native Lexical Innovation in Penang Hokkien: Thinking beyond Rojak”, in Sinophone Southeast Asia: Sinitic Voices across the Southern Seas (Chinese Overseas: History, Literature, and Society; 20 [Open Access])[1], Brill, →ISBN, page 176