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Minor Issues: In praise of ‘eating snake’

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The Hokkien phrase “jiak zua”, or eating snake, refers to someone who likes to take it easy and slack off work.

The Hokkien phrase “jiak zua”, or eating snake, refers to someone who likes to take it easy and slack off work.

ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA

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SINGAPORE – This coming Chinese New Year, people will be ringing in the Year of the Snake.

The snake motifs in shopping centres and supermarkets make me think of the Hokkien phrase “jiak zua”, or eating snake. Colloquially, it refers to someone who likes to take it easy and slack off work.

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