พ่อแก้วแม่แก้ว

Thai

Etymology

From พ่อ (pɔ̂ɔ, “father”) +‎ แก้ว (gɛ̂ɛo, “dear”) +‎ แม่ (mɛ̂ɛ, “mother”) +‎ แก้ว (gɛ̂ɛo, “dear”), literally “dear father, dear mother”.

Pronunciation

Orthographic		พ่อแก้วแม่แก้ว b ˋ ɒ æ k ˆ w æ m ˋ æ k ˆ w
Phonemic		พ่อ-แก้ว-แม่-แก้ว b ˋ ɒ – æ k ˆ w – æ m ˋ – æ k ˆ w
Romanization	Paiboon	pɔ̂ɔ-gɛ̂ɛo-mɛ̂ɛ-gɛ̂ɛo
	Royal Institute	pho-kaeo-mae-kaeo
(standard) IPA(key)		/pʰɔː˥˩.kɛːw˥˩.mɛː˥˩.kɛːw˥˩/(R)

Interjection

พ่อแก้วแม่แก้ว

1. (dated, now often considered humorous) an expression of alarm or fright.

Usage notes

• The expression was traditionally used to address the spirits of one's ancestors in order to request help in a critical situation.