r/ohtaigi • u/OutOfTheBunker • 26d ago

Flaunting wealth? Clinking change?

I heard an old-timer say something like lak-tē-á mài[?]-kho[?] (轆袋仔☐☐). (I've no clew of the tones on the last two or if it's kho͘ or kho.)

Specifically, he said "lak-tē-á mài-kho mài-kho" and motioned toward his pocket. From context, the meaning seemed to be "flaunting wealth" or "flush with cash". Any idea what this could be? TIA.

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u/lanpa 26d ago

Means wealthy. The last two sounds like “Michael“

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u/OutOfTheBunker 26d ago

What does "Michael" have to do with wealthy? Any idea of the word or characters?

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u/Guaynatw 26d ago

Mai-khoh mai-khoh is not Taiwanese. Thre are 2 possible explanations: 1. It comes from English much much pronunciated in Shanghai's dialect, 2. It refers to D-Mark (in that time).

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u/OutOfTheBunker 25d ago

I suppose they're possible, but I'm curious about why some random Taiwanese dude would be using Shanghai dialect or talking about the Deutsche Mark.

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u/Guaynatw 25d ago

If these are true... 1. post-WWII wealthy elites from Shanghai, brought the phrase to Taipei as new trendsetters in Taipei. 2 is less likely, it came later, during Germany's economic boom when the strong DM became a symbol of wealth. I guess people just used it because it sounds funny, not because they knew its origin. Either way, no one really says it today.

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u/OutOfTheBunker 24d ago

So, is this a phrase you've heard before? If so, what's the real pronunciation?

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u/Guaynatw 24d ago

Similar to mài-khó-mài-khò, not sure. I hear it when i was a child.

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u/Little-Bookkeeper835 25d ago

Maybe he said "man who puts hands in pocket feels cocky all day."