I'll be going to a Treasure Hunt tomorrow. This is the 7th year that Foon Yew Alumni (宽中校友会) has organized such event but it's the first time i'm participating. The trip will bring us from JB all the way to Kuantan and i'm sure it's gonna be fun and exciting. I'll bring my laptop along and hopefully will still have the time and energy to update my blog.
Strange title huh? It's not even a proper english phrase. Yap, that's right, it's a direct translation from a mandarin slang that M'sian, or at least people from JB, would say, "骂到你臭头", which means you would be strongly reprimanded. This is just one of the examples of how colourful our colloquial speech can be in M'sia.
I found this phrase to be a very silly expression and really wonder how it came about. You did something wrong and someone scolded you until you head became smelly? HUH? I don't get it. How could that happen? Why our heads would stink if we are scolded terribly? This picture just doesn't seem right (pardon my lousy drawing. Hey, what do you expect from a person who only scored C5 in SPM for Arts subject?!):
This is how it looks like if my mom scolds me until smelly head
Why the sudden interest in this expression? Well, it all happened this morning. 贝 was down with a flu and took one day leave today. I was very concerned and told him that if he still doesn't get better by tonight, then it may be best that he doesn't go for the Treasure Hunt trip tomorrow. He said he would be alright and should be able to make it. I didn't agree and without much thinking, i said to him, "如果你的伤风变得更严重，我妈妈一定骂到我臭头的" (translation: "if your flu gets worse, my mom will sure scold me until smelly head").
We are just so used to this expression that i just blurted it out so naturally and didn't even think there was anything wrong with it. However, right after i said that, i found it to be so funny and started to wonder how it came about. So i decided to ask 贝 and mom about it and these are the answers i got:
贝 : There's a Chinese proverb that says "狗血淋头". (Direct translation: "dog's blood pouring down your head". Disgusting? Ya, but this is a Chinese proverb that means being heavily reprimanded.) Dog's blood is very smelly so if it's poured down your head, then your head will stink, and hence the expression of "臭头" (smelly head) loh!
Mom : It's actually a Hokkien expression. I'm not sure why too but maybe when you are being scolded so terribly, you head will become smelly loh! (HUH???)
Ok, both of them didn't really make sense. Anyone knows how this expression come about? Do enlighten me.
