suka-suka

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

PIE root
*h₁su-

Reduplication of Malay suka (“to like”), or directly from Malay sesuka-suka (“at one's leisure”).

Pronunciation

Adverb

suka-suka (not comparable)

  1. (Singlish) As one pleases, whenever, on a whim; freely and without regard for future consequences.
    • 2016 January 29, Zaqy Mohamad, “Debate on President's Address”, in Parliamentary Debates: Official Report (Parliament of Singapore), volume 94:
      Once you stand for elections, you must then be ready to serve if you are called upon as an NCMP. You cannot just have a myopic view of being "a duckweed in a pond that cannot sink roots" and not give the NCMP position any dignity and "suka-suka" swap candidates.
    • 2016, Mark Z. Danielewski, The Familiar, Volume 3: Honeysuckle & Pain, →ISBN, page 440:
      like he can’t just suka-suka go off alone here.
    • 2023, Agnes Chew, Eternal Summer of My Homeland, Epigram Books, →ISBN, page 29:
      “It’s government-owned land, you know. […] If everyone is like him, suka suka go and claim land for themselves, can you imagine what will happen?”

Usage notes

This term is never placed after the verb it modifies.

See also

References

  • Lee, Jack Tsen-Ta (2004) “suka-suka”, in A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English‎[1]
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