PETALING JAYA: Words such as "agak-agak", "kaypoh" and "boleh" have officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its latest update. Oxford Languages announced on Tuesday (March 24) that the additions include words from Malaysian and Singaporean English as part of its quarterly update. Among the new entries is "agak-agak", used as both a noun and verb to describe guesswork or estimation, particularly in cooking where ingredients are added intuitively rather than measured precisely. Its usage was popularised by the "Malaysia boleh" slogan, which later became widely used in sports and politics. Other additions from the region include "assam laksa", "ice kacang", "Mat Salleh" and "play play", which means to fool around or not be serious.

Source: The Star March 25, 2026 04:19 UTC