kiah su
n.— «My favorite of these is “kiah su” which is Hokkien for “afraid to lose (out)” (Mandarin pa shu). Someone who is kiah su will go to great lengths to, for example, buy something they don’t really want, because it’s a good buy and a prestigious find. We need a word for this in standard English, though I’ve just started using kiah su.» —“Singlish” by Xiaolongnu Languagehat Apr. 19, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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