My wife often refers to a new ชุด (choot) as being "cute dead", or if I do something stupid, I get an eyeroll and "โง่ (ngoh) dead"

I have come to learn this slang means "very^∞ (adjective)"

Can anyone explain the entymology of this idiom?

(จะ)ตาย see entry number 6

Edited May 17, 200818 yr by withnail

Does she say the English word "dead," or ตาย ?

Does she say the English word "dead," or ตาย ?

She says it like the English word "dead" but it seems like she's self-translated from ตาย

Thanks.

เด็ด

I think she has just ripped off "English" slang .. as in "dead gorgeous" drop dead beautiful", dead stupid" etc

Do we have a Learning English Language forum here?

เด็ด

I found various translations for เด็ด when it's in it's adverb form;

thai-language.com - absolutely, without a doubt.

Lexitron - absolutely, completely, decidedly, for certain, unquestionably.

Domnern Sathienpong - decisive, effective; resolute; bold; cool; deadly.

What I found interesting is the final example given by D & S.

actually the use of the word "dead" in Thai would be more like "เด๊ด", with a different tone and sounding longer than "เด็ด"

เด็ด is a real Thai word and has no relation to the ทับศัพท์ of "dead"

I think she has just ripped off "English" slang .. as in "dead gorgeous" drop dead beautiful", dead stupid" etc

Do we have a Learning English Language forum here?

เด็ด is a Thai word. Better to stick to the Learning Thai Language part.

So I confronted her to get the low-down on where she got it, and she doesn't really know.

I asked her if she was saying "dead" a la pasa angkrit, or "det" a la pasa thai. She assures me she's saying "dead" a la pasa angkrit, but doesn't know why.

So that was obviously enlightening.