Sunday, August 20, 2006

Singapore Kopitiam's Football Lingo

Was flipping through the Strait Times this morning and saw this interesting piece of article on the sports column. We know Singapore doesn't have the league or player to attract us, so we're all watching the English Premiership. And combine it with our love for gambling, the heartlanders are all really into it as well. They'll all hang around at the 'kopitiams' (coffee shop) and placing their bets over at the 7-11s.

Here are the lingoes they used for the teams and players:

NOTE: Hokkien is another type of Chinese dialect, just like Cantonese or Hainanese.

Teams:

Arsenal: Tua Pao (Hokkien for big cannon) - Arsenal are known as Gunners, therefore big cannon.

Chelsea: Chia See (Hokkien for car breakdown)

Middlesbrough: Mee Rebus, Marlboro

Tottenham: Tor Tor Hum (???)

West Ham: See Hum ('see' is 'west' in Chinese)

Fulham: Foo Hum

Newcastle: New Car Sir

Watford: What For

ManYoo: Man Urinal

Southampton: Sotong (squid in Malay) - Most likely because the scoreboard puts Southampton as 'SOTON'

Leeds: Lid


Players:

Dirk Kuyt - Dirk Kite (Pronounce Dee-urk Kowt) - Even your SkySports commentator got it wrong.

Michael Carrick - Michael Curry

Petr Cech - Peter Check (Pronounce Padder Check)

Fabio Aurelio - Oreo

Arjen Robben - Ah Jen Robber (Pronounce Arian Rob-burn)

Wayne Rooney - Gu Ni, Looney

Djibril Cisse - Sissy (Pronounce Ji-bril See-Say)

Hernan Crespo - Cray Poh, Kay Poh (HAHAHAHA) - Kay Poh is busybody in 'Singlish'

Florent Sinama-Pongolle - Na Ma Punggol (Correct, what!)

Claude Makalele - Meh Ker Lily (Pronounce Mac-Ke-Leh-Lay)

Gabriel Henize - Hind Zee (Pronounce Hin-Zeh)

*M18 Content Below:

Frank Lampard - Lam Par!! (Pronounce Lam Par as well HAHAHA) - 'Lam Par' ...points to a certain male testicle in Hokkien.....

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