bao toh
English
Alternative forms
- pao toh
Etymology
Hokkien 包刀 (“bun knife”), referring to backstabbing.
Pronunciation
(Singapore) IPA(key): /pɑʊtəʊ/
Verb
bao toh (third-person singular simple present bao tohs, present participle bao tohing, simple past and past participle bao tohed)
- (Singapore, informal) To inform on someone behind his or her back; to betray someone.
- 2003-09-01, “pao toh”, in Talkingcock.com, retrieved 2015-11-02:
- Eh butok lah! Which bastard paotoh to teacher that I carry handphone to school? Now kena confiscate!
- 2011, Jonathan Heng, “Bao Toh, v.”, in Singslang.blogspot.sg, retrieved 2015-11-02:
- I saw Gary looking at his textbook during the test. Wanna bao toh him?
- 2014-07-03, David Lee, “Beng in Brazil: Not the Only Singaporean to Leave a Mark at the World Cup”, in Tnp.sg, retrieved 2015-11-02:
- Don't pao toh (snitch on) me hor!
- 2015-09-27, PeaNutButter Studios, “Everyday Singlish”, in Youtube.com, retrieved 2015-11-02:
- Hey! Don’t bao toh me leh!
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Usage notes
Most commonly used in uninflected form.