siew dai

• siu dai

From Chinese, though ultimate source language unascertained. Apparently 少底, literally "less base", from 少 (“less”) + 底 (“base; bottom”) in Cantonese pronunciation, referring to the condensed milk, used for sweetening, that sits at the bottom of the cup. In Cantonese this would be pronounced siu² dai², but the compound has not been traced in Cantonese.

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): [ˈsjuː˨˦ ˌt˭aɪ˨]

siew dai (not comparable)

1. (Singapore, colloquial, informal) Less sweet (as a preference when ordering coffee or tea).
   • 2007, iwatch_ueat, “Tong Ya coffee: super crispy kaya toast!”, in ishootieatipost‎^[1], retrieved 1 April 2016:

     Ordering a cup of Kopi C Siew Dai (Coffee with evaporated milk and less sugar) makes you feel very Singaporean.

   • 2009, Dominic, “Hello, Google!”, in blog.gothere.sg‎^[2], retrieved 1 April 2016:

     But nothing beats that cup of kopi-o siu dai from the nearby kopitiam uncle who knows you best.

   • 2012, Low Kay Hwa, I Believe You:

     “I like coffee better.” He smiled. “Kopi-O siew dai.

   • 2015, Wong Kim Hoh, “Former kopi boy's still full of beans”, in The Straits Times (Singapore)‎^[3], retrieved 1 April 2016:

     Before he opens it, he asks what I would like to drink, then shouts out to a woman stirring a cup of Milo vigorously: “One kopi peng siew dai, and one teh si for me.”