buay tahan

English

Etymology

From Hokkien 𣍐 / 袂 / 𫧃 / 袂 (bōe, “cannot”) +‎ Malay tahan (“to endure; to withstand; to bear”), which in Hokkien would be 袂打限 (bōe tá-hān). The equivalent expression in Malay is tak boleh tahan.

Pronunciation

Verb

buay tahan

  1. (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

Almost always used without an explicit subject.

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