mat salih

Malay

Etymology

From mat (“a colloquial term for a specific person”) +‎ salih (“weird”). See also Mat Salleh.

It is presumably borrowed from English mad sailor, referring to unruly, drunk British sailors who fought at ports and a euphemism used by the colonial British authorities.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mat saleh/
  • (Johor-Riau) IPA(key): [mät̚ säle̞h, -eh, -ɪh]

Noun

mat salih

  1. (slang) white person, usually a male.
    Synonym: orang putih

References

“mat salih” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

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