"The derogatory colloquailism Ipoh mali (misspelled from Malay: "Ipoh mari"; literally "from Ipoh") refers to the social escorts that accompanied the many millionaires and businessmen in the city." check HERE. I dunno how true the source from wikipedia is...but I've only recently learnt from a friend that it's a derogatory term. I must say I never thought much of the term. Thought it just meant that the person was FROM IPOH. Alamak. Or that it was a joke in reference to 'belakang mari'. Does anyone know whether it's true? Or are wejust reading too much out of the simple term?
3 comments:
yar..in truth i've lived in ipoh all my life (minus the first 4 years of my life) and have only this year encountered 1 person who was offended by the term. On average based on the statistics, i would say that the statement is a lie.LOL
There is NO reading too much into a term, haven't you guys considered the coincidence that the Ipoh Mali is spelt specifically to its pronunciation? This very colloquialism has already suggested that the term has a particular meaning...and sadly, the original meaning has been blurred over the years.
You never hear KL Mali, or Sban Mali...only Ipoh Mali, its because the 'soliciting' in Ipoh was quite notorious at the time of the tin-rush. Ipoh girls, at that time, are deemed to be grade-A qualities.
The very existence of this knowledge among the people you meet and wikipedia proves the weight and meaning of Ipoh Mali.
I'm 51 and from Ipoh too. That social escorts are where it originated. I heard of the meaning from my Chinese school mates. It was a forbidden term for proper girls back then. (more than 30 years ago) It was coined during the tin mining era.
However the term has evolved and now it just means you originated from Ipoh.
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