English

Alternative forms

• bo-liao

Adjective

bo liao ‎(comparative more bo liao, superlative most bo liao)

1. (Singapore, colloquial, informal) Boring or having nothing to do.
   • 1996, Leong Siew Mei, “Government system should be more tightly controlled”, in soc.culture.singapore, retrieved 2016-04-01:

     This guy damn bo-liao. As though I got time to entertain you.

   • 1999, Steven Tan, “Petition against M1 charging for SMS”, in soc.culture.singapore, retrieved 2016-04-01:

     I had a friend who would SMS me the most bo liao messages. I’m glad it’s stopped now.

   • 2013, Airstrike, “13 school websites defaced by hacker who signed off as 'Jack Riderr'”, in Stomp (Singapore), retrieved 2016-04-01:

     Can’t they do something more meaningful? Doing such things is called ‘bo liao‘ (nothing better to do).

   • 2015, Derek Lim, “Random thoughts: Too iron teeth in my work?”, in thefinance.sg, retrieved 2016-04-01:

     Having to manage that part is rather ‘bo liao’ and I felt my limited energy can be better served somewhere.

Usage notes

Carries a negative connotation with allusion to the cause of nosy or meddlesome behaviour. Most common in speech and electronic media.