Authors: Barbara Ismail
Sayang
: Darling.
Serambi
: Verandah.
Subuh
: The first prayer of the day, at dawn.
Talak
: Pronouncement of divorce. After three
talak
(and they are cumulative) the divorce is final, and the couple can only remarry after the woman has married (and presumably divorced) another man.
Tikar
: Sleeping mat, usually made of woven palm leaves.
Ulu
: Upriver.
Malay Idioms
Asal terbang, burung lah
Anything that flies is a bird: one who is easily pleased.
Bagai punggok merindukan bulan
Like an owl pining for the moon: to be lovesick.
Berapa tingginya terbang bangau, akhirnya hinggap dibelakang kerbau juga
No matter how high the padi bird flies, it ends up on a water buffalo's back: You cannot escape your origins, or your tastes.
Bingong tengkat, cerdik begar
When stupid, quarrelsome, when smart, difficult: said of someone difficult to control.
Hidup segan, mati tak mahu
Reluctant to live, unwilling to die: to be listless, aimless, indecisive.
Hitam bagai pantat belanga
As black as the bottom of a cooking pot.
Kalah jadi abu, menang jadi arang
Lose and become dust, win and become charcoal: there's no way to win.
Kerana pijat mati tuma
The louse dies because of the bug: to suffer because of the company you keep.
Kerbau cucuk hidung
A water buffalo with a ring through its nose: someone easily led.
Kukur apa kepada kukur? Nyiur juga yang binasa
What does rasping matter to the rasp? It's the coconut which suffers: It is all very well for you to say, but try it for yourself.
Kurang ajar
Insufficiently taught, not well brought up.
Ludah mati pak, telan mati mak
Spit it out and your father dies, swallow it and your mother dies: having no good options available to you.
Mabok tahi telinga
Dazed by talk.
Macam pacat melompat
Like a jumping leech: someone who drains you of everything you own.
Nasi dimakan berasa lilin
The rice that is eaten tastes like wax: to be lovesick.
Panas se-tahun dihapuskan di hujan sehari
A year of dry weather ruined by one day of rain: spoiling a lifetime of good reputation by one possibly minor misdeed.
Pandai buat, tak pandai pera
Good at making (children), not so good at taking care of them.
Rusa dijumpa tak ada dikejar
To find a deer without hunting it: to have something fall into your lap.
Seperti apong di permain gelombang
Like driftwood, a sport of the waves: Living aimlessly, a person of no account.
Seperti kapas dimakan api
Like cotton eaten by fire: completely and utterly destroyed.
Seperti pinang se belah dua
Like two halves of a betel nut: perfectly matched.
Tanak dalam periok
Cook rice in a rice pot: do things in the correct manner.
Tinggal kelopak salak
Only the salak (a fruit) wrapper is left: to be utterly destitute.
Dedication
For Wan Hamidah Wan Nawang and Abdul Malek Jusoh
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Bonnie Tessler for suggesting the mechanics of a murder: no one looking at her would ever guess she'd do it so well! Puteh Shaharizan Shaari, Shahmim Dhilawala and Ashikin Mohd Ali Flindall were, as always, very helpful and encouraging. Zdena Nemeckova and Valerie Vogel read the drafts without complaint, and Eileen Alterbaum remains doubtful. Michele Andre was, and is, unflaggingly interested, and Mary Murphy ever supportive. Richard Lord deserves thanks as a peerless editor, and Philip Tatham as a peerless publisher. Without Doug Raybeck's teaching and mentoring, I never would have been able to do any of this. And my daughters, Jerushah and Arielle, are just wonderful, and truly make life worth living.
Copyright
First published in digital form in 2015 by Monsoon Books.
ISBN (paperback): 978-981-4625-11-1
ISBN (ebook): 978-981-4625-12-8
Copyright©Barbara Ismail, 2015
The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Cover design by CoverKitchen
Monsoon Books Pte Ltd
Editorial / Sales:
No.1 Duke of Windsor Suite, Burrough Court,
Burrough on the Hill, Leics. LE14 2QS, UK
Registered office:
150 Orchard Road #07-02, Singapore 238841
Visit
www.monsoonbooks.com.sg
to learn more about all our books.
Follow us on Facebook at
www.monsoonbooks.com.sg/facebook
to find out about our latest news, forthcoming events, new released, and special discounts.