agak-agak

English

Alternative forms

• agak agak, agar-agar

Etymology

From Malay agak-agak, a reduplication of agak (“to estimate”).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˈɑɡɑ(ʔ) ˌɑɡɑ(ʔ)/

Verb

agak-agak (invariable)

1. (Manglish, Singlish) To estimate or guess.
   • 1998 August 23, chong, “Tapai (fermented tapioca)”, in soc.culture.malaysia‎^[1], retrieved 2018-09-05:

     I am only trying my very best to recall what my granny did.....not agak agak, best of luck!!

   • 1998, EyEwItNeSs, soc.culture.malaysia‎^[2], retrieved 2018-09-05:

     We fail to estimate how many are present in a HUGE UM*NO roadshow...and we fail to agak-agak the number ppl in and outside of cars crying "repom" slogans on a NOT SO LONG road as Jalan TAR.

   • 1999, Adam Brown, Singapore English in a Nutshell‎^[3], Singapore: Federal Publications, →ISBN, page 3:

     When cooking, for example, if asked how much sugar you put in, you could reply 'I just agak-agak.'

   • 2004, Uncle Yap, “Star: Damn chun blur sotong kena hantam kau kau”, in soc.culture.malaysia‎^[4], retrieved 2018-09-05:

     "Don't agak agak or we may end up on the wrong road."

   • 2018, M. Bakri Musa, “Opening Minds Through Education”, in Seeing Malaysia My Way‎^[5], retrieved 2018-09-05:

     Then we should ensure that they have the necessary quantitative skills so they could think with some degree of precision and not merely agak agak (wild guesses).

Adjective

agak-agak (not comparable)

1. (Manglish, Singlish) Involving guesswork.
   • 1972 March 12, Edgar Koh, “the Comedians”, in New Nation, page 7:

     A man who together with his partner - a few years and several hundred sketches ago - came out with the "agak agak" philosophy.

   • 1975 January 23, Betty L. Khoo, “When a man wears the apron and cooks to woo”, in New Nation, page 23:

     Instinct and a brash and breezy "agak agak" style is the way men occasional chefs, not professional ones cook.

   • 1991, Kok-Yong Tan, “Currency exchange rates (was Re: Working in Singapore)”, in soc.culture.asean‎^[6], retrieved 2018-09-05:

     Yes, although I would like to think of it as "agak agak figures."

   • 2007, Sidney Cheung, Chee-Beng Tan, editors, Food and Foodways in Asia: Resource, Tradition and Cooking, Abingdon: Routledge, →ISBN:

     Kelly always said,'We Baba follow the agak-agak principle.'

See also

• agaration