Tuesday, 25 May 2021

thambi

I was reminded of this word when I read a kiasu joke. In my childhood it was a generic term for a young Tamil man, as in:

The kopitiam thambi will bring over your coffee

It occurred to me to look it up today, and it means little brother. I suspect it's no longer correct to use. However I think bang, short for the Malay abang, brother, is ok. Sort of like bro in English.

No thambis here, serve yourself