What it means
Means clueless, confused, completely lost. Sotong is squid in Malay, and squids squirt ink and swim in random directions when startled, so being blur like sotong means you are wandering through life without a clue. Used in Singlish constantly to describe someone who missed the memo, got the wrong day, or walked into a glass door.
Usage examples
"She showed up to the meeting on Wednesday when it was moved to Thursday. Someone even sent three reminders. Blur like sotong, this one, honest to goodness."
"My cousin came back from his army training over the weekend, blur like sotong, took the wrong bus from Bedok and ended up in Tampines for two hours before realising and calling our auntie for help with directions home to Hougang."
"The new admin officer is blur like sotong, sent the meeting invite for next Wednesday but blocked the wrong calendar, half the team turned up to an empty boardroom yesterday morning at ten and the IT guy had already gone for breakfast."
Where it comes from
Singlish staple combining the English blur, meaning confused, with the Malay sotong, squid. The image of a startled squid spreading ink and swimming in random directions captures the precise state of mind of the colleague who got the day, the floor and the room number simultaneously wrong, and Singapore offices reach for the phrase any time the kettle gets put in the fridge by accident.
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