pok kai

English

Alternative forms

• pokai, pok-gai, pok-kai

Etymology

Cantonese 仆街 (puk1 gaai1, “fall onto street, drop dead, go to hell”), from 仆 (puk1, “fall”) + 街 (gaai1, “street”).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔk̚ kai/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

pok kai (not comparable)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia, slang) Having no money; broke; bankrupt.
   • 2003, Sylvia Toh Paik Choo, The complete Eh, Goondu!:

     Out shopping, child to parent. “Daddy I want this, daddy I want that.” Daddy, “Daddy pok kai awreddy, ask your mummy.”

   • 2010 March 12, “No Words”, in Pearl‎^[1], retrieved 2015-11-05:

     Today I went to Swensen's for dinner, even when I'm totally pok-gai.

   • 2015, “Pok Gai”, in Singaporelang - What the Singlish?‎^[2], archived from the original on 3 March 2019:

     After buying my girlfriend her branded bag, I’m officially pok kai, please don’t ask me to go shopping or clubbing with you.