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Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

A contemporary Cantonese-English dictionary


60 results found

team work

Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kong celebrity tutors to refer to a collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal.

Usage: E.g. 狀元培育向來都是team work. (Nurturing top scorers has always been team work.)

Synonym: 團體合作

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRGmhTQjT1N/?igsh=NWtoNHZ6OGRyOW8x (use mobile version)

high tea

Definition: A code-mixing term that upper class Hong Kongers love to use to refer to ‘下午茶’, which is afternoon tea.

Usage: E.g. 今日下晝有冇時間high tea呀? E.g. High唔high tea呀你? (下午茶)

Synonym: 下午茶

tea

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kong people love to use to refer to afternoon tea '下午茶'.

Usage: E.g. 今日有冇時間食個tea呀? E.g. 週末不如一齊去high tea好嗎?

Reference: http://www.patrickchu.net/uploads/9/0/5/3/9053324/2007_free_ppt.pdf

senior

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to an employee with an experienced background, but not necessarily the adequate skills to do the job.

Usage: E.g. 我條team條senior,叫佢廢物都覺得侮辱左廢物依個詞語,日日例牌遲到都算,咩都唔識 (E.g. As for my team's senior, I think it would even be an insult to the word 'rubbish' if I were to call him rubbish. Not only is he late every day, but also he does not know anything.)

Synonym: 資深; 高級

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2386628/page/1

no comment

Definition: A code-mixing phrase that working class Hong Kongers often use as a response to something they don't know an answer to.

Usage: E.g. Q: 返工最撚憎聽到咩口頭蟬?A: No Comment 唔係開會/回覆其他部門啲 email. 係同 team 同事有嘢唔識走嚟問你意見,答乜撚嘢 No Comment (Q: What is a catchphrase that you hate hearing the most at work? A: "No comment". But not when it is used in meetings or replying other department's email. It is when a colleague in your team doesn't know something and asks for your opinion, you reply with "No comment". XDXDXD)

Synonym: 冇意見

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2692508/page/3

gemgem

Definition: A code-mixing term that native Hong Kongers use to refer to Gemini AI.

Usage: E.g. 中四中五,兩班都係入到課室嗰刻先知「全錯」,臨時叫gemgem用10秒整理一個ppt,我依然繼續上堂。(For two classes of Form 4 and 5, I only knew that the powerpoint slides were "all wrong" the moment I entered the classroom. Then I quickly asked Gemini to organize a ppt in 10 seconds, and I still managed to teach the classes.)

Synonym: Gemini

Reference: https://facebook.com/612468728/posts/10164582559278729/?rdid=djANzUPXcw6SopFY&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F17nv7x2uZC%2F#

focus

Definition: (verb) A code-mixing term used by local Hong Kong students to refer to a less physical directing of attention onto something. Sometimes, it may be used in order to avoid sounding like one has ADHD.

Usage: E.g. 老師,我頭先focus唔到聽書,可唔可以再講多次?(Teacher, I really can't focus on listening to your lecture. Can you repeat again?)

Synonym: 專注; 集中

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/CynQSwpSd-P/?img_index=5 (use mobile version)

diu

Definition: A code-mixing term used by westernised Hong Kongers in place of the expletive f-word in English when one is angry and wants to curse. However, the usage of this term may actually only refer to scolding someone and nothing to do with cursing or having sexual intercourse at all. Sometimes, ‘ed’ or ‘ing’ is added to the verb to indicate tense in case the listener finds it ungrammatical.

Usage: E.g. Diu! I lost the game again! E.g. My teacher diu'ed me for talking in class today. E.g. Stop diuing me! It wasn’t my fault. Are you crazy?!

Synonym: 屌

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/DU5Y2vjEzbU/?img_index=2&igsh=MWlxaDBhbHJlYTR6aA== (use mobile version)

service charge

Definition: A code-mixing term that Hong Kong restaurants love to use especially during public holiday to refer to the additional fee added to a bill because it sounds more classy than '服務費' and less explicit than '加一' or '加二' in Cantonese, which mean +10% and +20% respectively.

Usage: E.g. A: 吓?食個下午茶都要加二? B: 今日係新年假期,所以有service charge。(A: What? There's +20% service charge even for an afternoon tea? B: Today is Chinese New Year holiday so there is service charge.) E.g. 到底邊個發明加一服務費?(Who on earth invented +10% service charge?)

Synonym: 加一, 加二, 服務費

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2268003/page/4

interesting

Definition: A code-mixing filler term used by westernised Hong Kongers when they don't really find the other person's topic is all that interesting in a conversation.

Usage: E.g. A: 我平時鍾意寫app,去語言交流免費教人廣東話。B: 哦,interesting, interesting... (A: I like writing apps and going to language exchange to volunteer teaching people Cantonese regularly. B: Oh, interesting, interesting...) E.g. 我見外國人成日都用interesting 黎答人,仲要面無表情,會唔會係根本interesting 係外國一直都只係解: 哦⋯⋯. (I often see foreigners use 'interesting' as a response in a conversation, but without facial expression. Could it be that 'interesting' merely means like 'oh....' from a foreigner's perspective?)

Synonym: 很有趣, 哦

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/1047783/page/1

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