buay tahan

English edit

Etymology edit

Hokkien 袂／𫧃 (bōe, “cannot”) + Malay tahan (“endure, withstand, bear”); rendered in Hokkien as 袂打限 (bōe tá-hān). The equivalent expression in Malay is tak boleh tahan.

Pronunciation edit

(Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˌbwe˨ ˈtahan/

Verb edit

buay tahan

(Singlish, Manglish, generally intransitive, of someone) Cannot endure or stand something any longer.
- 2006, Elangovan, Smegma, →ISBN, page 39:
  Cannot wait already, buay tahan already. I hope she doesn’t complain to anyone.

Usage notes edit

Almost always used without an explicit subject.