die liao

English

Etymology

die + liao (indicates a change of state), from Hokkien 了 (liáu) or Teochew 了 (liao2), with the tone of Mandarin 了 (liǎo).

Partial calque of Hokkien 死了 (sí liáu).

Pronunciation

Phrase

die liao

  1. (Manglish, Singlish, intransitive, hyperbolic) Used to suggest that one is doomed, or as good as dead.
    Synonyms: (Manglish, Singlish) die already, si liao
    • 2001 September 19, destrius', Everything2‎[1]:
      […] the exam so hard, i die liao lah (that paper was tough as hell, i'm sure to flunk).
    • 2014 February 9, Unregistered, “Engineer in SMRT”, in Salary.sg Forums‎[2], archived from the original on 22 March 2014:
      dont join smrt lar.. with their frequent breakdowns, they are facing alot[sic] of scrutiny from the public, stakeholders and regulators. anything goes wrong n they need a scapegoat den u die liao.
  2. (Manglish, Singlish, intransitive) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see die,‎ liao.
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