lap-sap

Macanese

Etymology

Borrowed from Cantonese 垃圾 (laap6 saap3).

Noun

lap-sap

  1. trash, rubbish, garbage
    Amochâi, vôs atirâ sapeca tê lap-sap!
    Dear, you are throwing away your money!
    (literally, “Dear, you are throwing money to the trash!”)
    Sorte quê APIM já oferecê bilête pa iou; si nunca, sâm atirâ sapeca tê lap-sap.
    Luckily, APIM offered me tickets; otherwise, it would be like throwing my money away.
    (literally, “...it is throwing money to the trash”)

Usage notes
  • Often used metaphorically to refer to the wastage of a resource.
  • The etymology of tê is uncertain; it is possible that tê lap-sap as a phrase was derived from Cantonese 掉垃圾 (deu6 laap6 saap3, literally “throw trash”); although according to native speakers, lap-sap is sometimes also used standalone. An origin of Portuguese ter is unlikely, as that already resulted in têm.

Min Nan
For pronunciation and definitions of lap-sap – see 垃圾 (“garbage; dirty; unhygienic”).
(This term, lap-sap, is the Pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 垃圾).
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