Singlish is what happens when English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and Hokkien walk into a hawker centre and never leave. Every sentence ends with "lah", everything "can" or "cannot", and if something is good it is "shiok". The government tried to stamp it out. The people said no lah.
Alamak
The all-purpose oh-no exclamation of Singapore and Malaysia, borrowed from Malay and now deep in Singlish. Covers the whole spectrum from mild dismay to full-blown disaster. Burnt your toast, alamak. Missed the MRT, alamak. Your mother-in-law just walked in on movie night, alamak. Pairs brilliantly with a face palm and usually kicks off a longer complaint in three languages at once.
Chope
The Singaporean art of reserving a seat at a hawker centre by dropping a packet of tissues on the table before you go queue for food. Completely unofficial but universally respected, move someone elses tissue packet and you will get the death glare of your life. The word itself comes from choose, but it has evolved into a full verb for claiming anything, a table, a parking spot, a spot in line.
Steady lah
An expression of admiration meaning impressive, well done, or you really have got it together. "Steady" carries all the cool composure and "lah" is the quintessential Singlish particle that makes everything feel like home. Used when someone pulls off something skilful, handles pressure like a boss, or just generally proves they are reliable. The highest casual compliment in the Singlish toolkit.
Bojio
A playful accusation meaning you did not invite me, from Hokkien bo meaning no and jio meaning invite. You fire this at friends when they went somewhere fun, ate somewhere good, or did something exciting without including you. It is less about real hurt and more about gentle guilt-tripping them into including you next time.
Blur like sotong
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.