chao ta

English

Alternative forms

• chow ta, chao tah, chow tah, chao tar, chow tar

Etymology

From Hokkien 臭焦 (chhàu-ta).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): [ˈtʃʰaʊ˦˨ ˈtaː˦˨], [- ˈtaː˦]

Adjective

chao ta (comparative more chao ta, superlative most chao ta)

1. (colloquial, Singapore) Burnt and charred (e.g., from overcooking).
   • 2015 February 18, Andrea Seet, quoting Dr Wong Seng Weng, “How many floors to walk up to burn off that bak kwa? A guide to post-CNY exercise”, in The New Paper, Singapore:

     The 'chao ta' (burnt) portions of the bak kwa indicate that the meat has been exposed to extremely high temperatures.