Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

Definition: A code-mixing phrase that upper class Hong Kongers use to refer to the breakfast set that is served all day long, but don't actually eat that often except during breakfast hours.

Usage: E.g. 食all day breakfast? 唔好喇掛，就黎六點，食返晚餐好過啦。(Eat all day breakfast? I don't think so since it's about 6 o'clock. I think it's better to eat dinner.)

Synonym: 全日早餐

Reference: https://www.hk01.com/教煮/93368/all-day-breakfast-麵包雞蛋炸薯花款多-一張圖鑒辨清楚

Definition: A code-mixing term used by working class Hong Kongers to refer to a meeting that is usually shorter than what is already brief and leaves people thinking it should have been longer.

Usage: E.g. Standup meeting講得一句太brief，judge唔到performance。(A stand-up meeting can only allow people say a few sentences that are too brief, which is hard for judging an employee's performance.)

Synonym: 站立會議; 站會

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/88607/page/1

Definition: A Kongish code-mixing phrase that local Hong Kongers use to refer to someone who is off-topic or providing irrelevant answers.

Usage: E.g. Lei dou gau m daap baat! Can you answer my question?!

Synonym: 九唔搭八

Reference: https://hklanguage.home.blog/tag/kongish/

Definition: Often pronounced as 'fi-lo' with a rising tone on the second syllable, this is a code-mixing term that is more generic to be used for a number of different items in Cantonese.

Usage: E.g. 唔該copy呢個file比我。（電腦檔案） E.g. 買多個file儲住D紀錄。（文件夾） E.g. 警察：我哋會睇返呢單case既file。（檔案）

Synonym: 文件夾; 檔案

Reference: https://aclanthology.org/O09-5003.pdf

Definition: A code-mixing term that working class Hong Kongers use to refer to computer that has become unresponsive, due to a halt or freeze.

Usage: E.g. 部電腦新買架喎，咁易hang機？！ E.g. 係咪唔夠RAM所以hang左呀？

Synonym: 當機

Definition: The Hong Kong way of referring to a female police officer (女警官).

Usage: E.g. 女警：Target出現。全世界出動！下屬：Yes, Madam！

Synonym: 女警官

Reference: https://www.gushiciku.cn/dl/0pydp/zh-hk

Definition: Often complemented with '鳩吹' meaning talking nonsense or bullsh*t, this is a code-mixing term used by native Hong Kongers to refer to the type of language exchange where people are simply talking and chatting but not quite making much effort in learning language at all.

Usage: E.g. 去唔去language exchange呀？Ｂ：你係指鳩吹exchange？(A: Want to go to language exchange? B: You mean nonsense / bullsh*t exchange?)

Synonym: 交流

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/1240271/page/2

Definition: A code-mixing word that Hong Kongers love to use to refer to '資料庫' in the IT sector.

Usage: E.g. 連得到個database未? 定係connect唔到呢?

Synonym: 資料庫

Definition: Often used as '嘥gas', this is a code-mixing term that is used by native Hong Kongers to refer to wasting one's efforts.

Usage: E.g. 你唔洗嘥gas，佢唔會聽你講。

Synonym: 嘥gas，白費功夫

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW0x5-SyI4o

Definition: A slightly more polite sounding code-mixing term that real ABC's in Hong Kong like to use instead the Cantonese equivalent '大佬', meaning 'big brother', even though the literal meaning is usually not taken when used, just like the word 'dude'.

Usage: E.g. Dude，你係到搞D咩呀？ E.g. Dude，你好還錢喇喎？ E.g. Dude，你以為你自己好型呀？

Synonym: 大佬