食咗 Eaten; 飯 Rice, meal; 未 Yet = Have you eaten yet?

Pronunciation: tup tup hum; 佮佮 Fit, exact; 㪠 Fit, same size

From the lyrics of "Monica"(1984) by Leslie Cheung, lyrics by Peter Lai; 誰 Who; 能 Can; 代替 Replace; 你 You; 地位 Status/role = Who can replace you? It is used to express the idea that no one can replace or fill the role of the person addressed in the song. In the context of the signal box, the phrase is used to emphasize the importance of Cantonese language and culture, suggesting that Cantonese language holds a unique and irreplaceable position in Hong Kong's identity and heritage.

逗 Ask for; 利是 Red Packet, a small red envelope with cash (mostly bill) in it; the Literal meaning is"good sign, blessing". During the Chinese New Year or other festive occasions, it is customary for parents, elders, and married couples to give red packets containing cash as a form of blessing to unmarried children and young people. To receive the red packet, the younger generation will approach the elder and offer greetings and good wishes for health, longevity, and prosperity. The elder will then present the red packet as a symbol of their blessing and well wishes for the younger person. The act of "asking for red packets" is seen as a respectful and polite way for younger generations to show gratitude and respect to their elders.

煲 Cook; 電話 Phone; 粥 Congee = Cooking phone congee. It is used to describe a phone conversation that lasts for an extended period of time, often several hours, similar to the time it takes to cook a good Cantonese-style congee.

"Chok" represents the motion of a sudden move or pull. The word has been extrapolated to refer to someone who is forcing a cool or handsome look, often by posing or making deliberate facial expressions. In this context, "chok" is used to describe someone who is trying too hard to look cool or attractive, and it can be used in a critical or mocking way.

攝 Slip in; 位 Position, space = Slipping in (space that belongs to others)

對 To; 唔 No; 住 (complement).

圍 Surround; 爐 Stove, heater; 取 Get; 暖 Warmth = Get warmth by surrounding the heater. It often used to describe the comfort and support that people can find by connecting with others who share similar experiences, intentions, standpoints, or perspectives. By surrounding themselves with like-minded individuals, people can feel a sense of warmth and belonging that can help to alleviate stress, anxiety, or loneliness.

走 Skip ; 青 Green. In Cantonese cuisine, cilantro and spring onion are often used as garnishes or flavorings in dishes. However, if someone wishes to exclude them from their food, they might say "走青" (skip the greens). This phrase literally means "skip green," as cilantro and spring onion are both green in color.

係咁先 So be it = bye; 唔係咩呀 Or what. Famous line of a character played by Chow Yun Fat in TV series "親情 (The Brothers)" (1980)

講 Say; 呢啲 These = Say these. It would be used 1) When something one doesn't want to talk about is mentioned, 2) When one is being praised and try to act humble 3) To indicate that thanks or an apology are not necessary

收 Recruit; 兵 Soldier. "Soldier" here refers to "觀音兵", someone, typically man, who does way too much for someone they like but seldom gets reciprocated. In Taiwanese, he is called "Tool guy". The person who 收兵 is called 娘娘, which is similar to "her highness", and refers to a woman who is able to easily recruit these types of men

官仔 Son of governor, subsequently extrapolated to mean the young kid from a wealthy family; 骨 transliteration of Good. 骨骨 means "double good" i.e. very good. The whole phrase indicated a well-dressed young kid coming from a wealthy family. 骨 might also mean the pressed-crease on tailored trousers, suggesting the person is well-dressed.

沖 Wash, rinse; 涼 Cool, cold water

Transliteration. The interesting part is that 士多 is a store, 啤梨 is a pear but together it becomes strawberry.

Transliteration. The literal meaning is "Winter Dump"

食咗 Eaten; 飯 Rice, meal; 未 Yet = Have you eaten yet?

擒 Climb; 青 Green. Lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year or other celebratory event. The normal routine ends with the lion capturing the "green" (green vegetable, usually lettuce, meaning produce fortune). It is usually a long and elaborate one, designed to showcase the skill and agility of the performers. So "climbing up to get the green" connotes "in a hurry", implies that they are trying to speed things up in order to finish quickly

Originally written as "莫釐頭尻". 莫釐 means to confound with, unclear; 頭 means the head; 尻 means tail. It was later shortened to 無厘頭. It is a cultural phenomenon in Canton speaking places.

雞 Chicken; 同 With; 鴨 Duck; 講 Talk = Chicken talking to duck. Because chickens and ducks "speak" different languages and cannot understand each other, so when they try to communicate, it is a futile effort. The phrase is often used to describe a situation where two people are having a conversation but are not on the same page, either because they have different opinions, are talking past each other, or are simply not listening to each other. It implies a sense of frustration or annoyance at the lack of communication and understanding between the two parties.

崖 Cliff; 广 House/hut that is built on the hillside or near a cliff. It connotate dangerous situation.

私 Self; 家 Home; 車 Car = Car of my home

踎 Squat 墩 Stump (specifically referring to a bollard on a pier) = Squating on a bollard. In the past, unemployed men would often hang around the harbor looking for temporary work as coolies. They would frequently squat on bollards while waiting for jobs, as they might have to wait for a long time. Therefore, if someone is squatting on a bollard, it is likely that they are unemployed.

街坊 Neighbourhood, also means neighbour; 撐 Support; 華 Chinese; 埠 Port

Means "Hey" when you are starting a conversation, and as an intonation to indicate a suggestion when placed at the end when paired with "La". It also could be an impolite people to address a person

細Small; 埃 Dust, angstrom (Å)

十 Ten; 足 Complete = 10 out of 10

樓 Building; 下 Down; 樓下 downstairs; 閂 Close; 水喉 Tap, pipe . It originated in the 1960s in Hong Kong when water rationing was common due to the lack of clean water. When the water supply was restored, many people would turn on their faucets at the same time, causing low water pressure in older buildings. The residents on higher floors would shout this phrase to their neighbors downstairs, asking them to close their taps so that the water pressure could be restored and water could reach the higher floors. The phrase became an iconic representation of the working-class life in Hong Kong during the 1960s and was popularized in the movie "The House of 72 Tenants" (七十二家房客)

(Toisan) 屐 They; 地除 Understand; 唔 Not

雞髀 Chicken leg; 打人 Hit someone; 牙骹 Temporomandibular joint (connecting the jaw); 軟 soft = If you hit someone with Chicken thigh, his jaw will be soften = Tempting someone with a 'juicy chicken leg' to get your way.

From the song "Queen's Road East 皇后大道東" (1991) by Lo Ta-yu, lyrics by Albert Leung. 皇后大道 Queen's Road; 西 West; 又 And ; 東 East. The song references Queen's Road, which was named after Queen Victoria and served as a symbol of British colonial rule in Hong Kong. The song reflects the anxiety and uncertainty felt by many Hong Kong residents as the city prepared to be handed back to China in 1997. This period of uncertainty was a major reason why many Cantonese people emigrated to Canada in the 1990s.

唔 No; 理 Care; 三 Three; 七 Seven; 二十一 Twenty-one = Don't care 3, 7, 21. This phrase has 3 famous origin stories: 1) It is related to the 21 levels of hell in Chinese mythology, where the 21st level is considered the worst. The phrase "唔理三七二十一" suggests that even if one were faced with the worst possible outcome (i.e. level 21 of hell), one would still go ahead and do what one wants to do. 2) In Suzhou numerals, 3 and 7 looks similar to Chinese character 21. Thus it means regardless of the actual number, one is doing what one wants to. 3) Well, that's a long story...please contact me to update this entry if you are really interested

標 should be written as "䅺", meaning the tallest, nicest paddy in a field. 青 is green; it is also often used to mean pretty or good in Chinese character (清 (water and 青) is clear water, 靚(see and 青) is pretty, 精(rice and 青) means essence, 倩 (man and 青) means nice girl.

笑 Laugh; 到 Till; 碌 Rolling; 地 Floor = Rolling on the floor laughing

遞 Successively ; 日 Day

吹Blow; 水 Water; 唔 Don't; 抹 Wipe; 嘴 Mouth = Blow water without wiping mouth. Blow water means bragging, exaggerating or speaking without verification

程尋 (秤沉) The sound of a rock dumping into a well; 磨較 Sharpen scissors; 叉燒包 Cha Siu bun. Together, these three terms are used to play a game that is equivalent to "Rock, Paper, Scissors" in English. "Paper" (open palm) in Cantonese is called 包, which means Bun

老虎蟹Spanner crab; 都 Also; 唔制 Not willing. In Cantonese, when a crab walks sideways, it is seen as an unreasonable or bullying action, and is used to describe someone who is being difficult or stubborn. The use of "spanner crab" in this context implies a sense of certainty or inevitability, similar to the English phrase "it's a done deal".

趕 Rush; 唔 No; 切 should be written as "徹" meaning complete, finish = Rushed but not completed

凍過 Colder than; 水 Water

世World ; 一 First, one. Abbreviation for 世界第一

黃 Yellow; 黚 Light Blackish Yellow. Pronounced as Wong Gum Gum

Lyrics from the song "Below the Lion Rock Series 獅子山下" (1979) by Roman Tam, lyrics by James Wong. This song was regarded as an unofficial anthem of Hong Kong.

型 Cool; 英 Gorgeous; 帥 Handsome; 靚 Good looking 正 Brilliant. From a commercial of Stephen Chow. It basically just mean handsome guy, but use 5 character of similar meaning to describe that.

有 have; 冇 don't have; 搞 Handle; 錯 Wrong = is it handled wrongly?

聽 Tomorrow; 朝 Morning, sunrise. "聽" itself means "Listen". There is a theory saying 聽 is the condensed pronunciation of "天明" (Sunrise, meaning the next day), so 聽日 means Tomorrow

我 Me; 撐 Support; 廣東話 Cantonese

側 Tilt, turn; 膊 Shoulder; 唔 No; 多 More; 覺 Feeling = Turh away the shoulder, pretend you do not notice it

出 Leave; Pool refers to "the Pool of single people"

Transliteration of "Lift"

花生 Peanut; 友 Friend. "花生" comes from the phrase "食住花生等睇戲", which was originated from Mr. Peanut's ad slogan, meaning "eating peanut, waiting for the movie (i.e. dramatic event) to start". Similar to "Grab some popcorn". Peanut friend simply mean the person who is "eating peanut"

亞 Ah; 貓 Cat; 狗 Dog; "Ah" is usually used as a prefix of names. Ah Cat and A Dog used to be common nicknames for kids. One may name nonspecific people "ah cat ah dog" , usually in a slightly derogatory sense.

大 Big; 頭 Head; 蝦 Shrimp. In Cantonese, a big head means a not-so-bright mind.

你 You; 問 Ask; 我 Me; 邊個 Who = You ask me, I ask who?

From the lyrics of "Love You More Everyday 每天愛你多一些"(1991) by Jackie Cheung, lyrics by Richard Lam. This is one of the most famous songs in the 90s. It is on the "Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Ranking" for 32 weeks and won many awards

麻甩 malade; There are 3 origin stories of this word but I am too lazy to translate them. Email me if you want to know more

薯仔 Potato; 文 Writings. It means writing long and exhausting report, which is usually the job of a "small potato"(small fry).

浪 Wave; 奔 Run; 流 Flow. From the lyrics of "The Bund (Shanghai Beach) 上海灘"(1980) by Frances Yip, lyrics by James Wong. The song is the OP song for the famous TV drama of the same title. The TV drama was very successful among the Chinese community. The song became very iconic and is considered a classic in Canto Pop music.

出 Use; 貓 Cat. There are 3 origin stories: 1) the "Cat" from Copycat, meaning copying other people's answer 2) In northern dialect, Cat (Maau) means hidden. So if one hides a cheat sheet and takes it out during the test, it is "Using the Cat" 3) "Cat" is the 借音字 (word loaning the pronunciation) of "毛" which means misconduct. So "Using the cat" means doing an misconduct action during a test, i.e. cheating

唔 Not; 經 Mindful, thinking through; 覺 Realize, notice (v.)

Originally should be written as "菂式". 菂 is lotus seed, connoting small, tiny.

Kit Hau Jyu 歇後語 (an idiomatic two-part double pun). The Chinese translation of Tchaikovsky is 柴可夫斯基. 斯基 and 司機 (Driver) have share the same pronunciation. So by saying 柴可夫 it means 司機. This is an example of a Kit Hau Jyu that uses wordplay to create a humorous or clever phrase

飛 Fly; 沙 Sand, here means sugar; 走 Skip; 奶 Milk = fly away the sugar and skip the milk = no sugar, no milk

Taiwanese called a fool "凱子". Hong Kong people uses the Pinyin "Kai" for the same meaning

應該 Should, supposed; 係 Is; 除非 Unless; 唔係 Is not

Lyrics from the song "Exaggerate 浮誇" (2005) by Eason Chan, lyrics by Wyman Wong. This is one of the "songs of the 2000s".

孖 Twin; 你 You; 去 Go; 睇 Watch, see; 戲 Movie. 孖 also have the meaning of "together". So 孖你 is "together with you".

潛水 Diving. The phrase is often used figuratively to describe someone who hasn't been showing up or has been absent for a long time. This is because when someone is underwater, nobody can see them. If the person eventually shows up or resurfaces, it could be described as "蒲頭", which means "the head resurfaced"

笠 Cover (n.); 水 Water.