guai lan

English

Alternative forms

kwai lan

Etymology

Derived from Hokkien 怪𡳞 (koài-lān, literally “strange dick”).

Pronunciation

(Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˈkwaɪ lɑn/
(General American) IPA^(key): /(ˈ)ɡwaɪ ˈlɑn/, /ˈkwaɪ-/

Adjective

guai lan (comparative more guai lan, superlative most guai lan)

(Singapore, informal, colloquial) Hard to please or satisfy; irritating, loathsome.
- 1999 May 23, “The Loanshark Look”, in The New Paper, Singapore:
  I'd say it's the "kwai lan" (gangster) look.
- 2003 July 21, Z-Bone, “Triple X Carsticker”, in Google Groups‎:
  you so guai lan for wat
- 2005 August 3, Joleen Lim, “guai lan”, in Blogspot‎, archived from the original on 2 February 2017:
  damn guai lan..cannot take it..
- 2013 March 20, JeevS GOne, “Oppa Guai Lan Style (Oppa Gangnam Style Parady)”, in YouTube‎:
  Tribute to my “guai lan” friend!
- 2013 September 3, The Marijuana Chronicles, Singapore:
  After all these years, the bugger still had the same kwai lan air he had even when he was fifteen.

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