mat salih

Malay

Etymology

From mat (“a colloquial term for a specific person”) +‎ salih (“weird”). See also Mat Salleh.

It is presumably borrowed from English mad sailor, referring to unruly, drunk British sailors who fought at ports and a euphemism used by the colonial British authorities.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mat saleh/
• (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key): [mät̚ säle̞h, -eh, -ɪh]

Noun

mat salih (informal 1st possessive mat salihku, 2nd possessive mat salihmu, 3rd possessive mat salihnya)

1. (slang) white person, usually a male.

   Synonym: orang putih

References

“mat salih” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.