งาบ

[DavidHouston]

The following sentence comes from Lexitron illustrating the use of the word “งาบ”. (Its definition is (1) งาบ [V] snap; catch something in one's mouth and (2) งาบ [V] filch; pilfer; swipe; pinch.)

“มีข่าวว่าผู้ตรวจฯ สมคบกับพวกงาบตึกงาบถนนหลายครั้งหลายหนจนจับได้”

I am trying to understand this sentence by rendering it into English. Here is my attempt:

There are rumors that inspectors often collude with people who squat in buildings and along roads before they are caught.

Several questions:

1. Can the word “งาบ” mean “squat” or “use without permission” in the case of land and buildings? I could not find the entire phrase “งาบตึกงาบถนน” in the dictionary but Matichon explains that “งาบ” includes the action of a crocodile snapping its jaws. Is the use of the phrase “งาบตึกงาบถนน” a metaphor for a taking without authorization, as the second definition seems to indicate?

2. Does the phrase “หลายครั้งหลายหนจนจับได้” imply that the inspectors look the other way and allow people to occupy property illegally for long periods of time before throwing them out?

3. The phrase “ผู้ตรวจฯ” must refer to employees of some government agency. Anyone have an idea of what the extended term is?

4. I am confused about the word “จน” in this context. I assume that the object of the verb “จับ” is “พวกงาบตึกงาบถนน”, rather than “ตึก[และ]ถนน”; is this correct? And, “จน” usually means “until” but in this context it seems to mean “before”. Again, is my understanding correct?

Thanks for your assistance.

[agent69]

งาบตึกงาบถนน here may mean corruption. So the sentence may refer to "corrupt officials". The inspectors were colaborating with the corrupt officials so often that they were caught.

Edited June 4, 2009 by agent69

[agent69]

3. The phrase "ผู้ตรวจฯ" must refer to employees of some government agency. Anyone have an idea of what the extended term is?

Could mean ผู้ตรวจราชการ

[oldsparrow]

I translate it to:

There is rumor that the inspector's conspired with the building/road corruption gang so many times that they were got noticed.

***

ถูกจับได้ in this situation of rumor/infomation is not physically arrested so it should mean notice like when you say:

จับได้แล้วว่าเธอแอบกินขนมในห้องเรียน - Hey, I notice that you ate sweet in the classroom.

***

งาบ taking by corruption/ illegitimate/ unauthorised

It's can also be slang for taking someone sexually in illegitimate/ unrespectful way

***

ผู้ตรวจราชการ is one kind of the high ranking officials in every Ministry. Normaly there are ผู้ตรวจราชการ of every Ministry. They hold the rank of level 10 (now they don't use the number for level anyway). They have duty to inspect the Ministries' work in their designated provinces.

There are also ผู้ตรวจราชการแผ่นดิน (Ombudsman). They are 3 Ombudsmans directs an independent office. They are retired age person, mostly ex-high caliber officials.

***

If จน is used as จนกระทั่ง normally it mean "until" ิbut for this sentence the use of จน only mean "...so many times THAT they got noticed." จน presents cause and effect. The fact that they did it many times is one factor they got noticed.

เขาดื่มเหล้าแต่ดันทุรังขับรถไปจนเกิดอุบัติเหตุ - He drank but stubbonly drive so he had accident.

Edited June 4, 2009 by oldsparrow

[oldsparrow]

Other similar meaning slangs from word eating.

เขมือบ also present the sense of taking big thing

สวาปาม also present the sense of greedy

[oldsparrow]

เขมือบ is normally used for the act of snake swallowing something without chewing.

งูเหลือมเขมือบหมูเข้าไปทั้งตัวเลย The Boa swallowed the whole pig.

***

สวาปาม is normally used to present the act of too much eating by human.

ผมนึกไม่ออกเลยว่าเขาสวาปามขนมเค๊ก 8 ก้อน เข้าไปได้ยังไง? - I can not immigine how he could eat those 8 cake.

Edited June 4, 2009 by oldsparrow

[DavidHouston]

Thank you so much for taking the time and making the effort to respond to the questions. All of us here very much appreciate the assistance of the native speakers and foreign experts who assist us with Thai language issues.

[mangkorn]

งาบ taking by corruption/ illegitimate/ unauthorised

It's can also be slang for taking someone sexually in illegitimate/ unrespectful way

Speaking of slang for deviant behavior, here is a curious one: ลักหลับ

The words are "steal" and "sleep," but it actually means to take sexual advantage of a sleeping girl. I was told that the term derived from some Japanese manga-porn, which is apparently somewhat popular here...

Full disclosure: a female Thammasat University graduate interning at my office was the one who volunteered it to me. Ya gotta talk with the young people to know what's occurring in the world of slang.

[oldsparrow]

ลักหลับ was in the language before the Japanese cartoon books that have become popular here just in the last 25-26 years.

For modern writing of elaborated language please try books of รงค์ วงษ์สวรรค์ a kind of '60s spirit in Thailand.

[mangkorn]

You're right, I stand corrected. (I see that it's even in the dictionary.) It goes to show, just because a native speaker tells you something, that doesn't necessarily make it true.

[Rikker]

It could have been popularized (or re-popularized) by the manga, though. Words come in and out of common use. Healthy skepticism is always good, but native speakers do have lots of intuitions we don't.

[DavidHouston]

You're right, I stand corrected. (I see that it's even in the dictionary.) It goes to show, just because a native speaker tells you something, that doesn't necessarily make it true.

One might argue that if a native speaker uses a word a certain way or to have a certain meaning, then, ipso facto, such usage is "true", despite the fact that it may not be "correct"; ain't that right?

[mangkorn]

Good point, David. In this particular example, however, the meaning of the idiom was never in doubt - only the origin.

Rikker's point about "re-popularized" seems apt, at least as regards my young interlocutor and her circle of friends, who had no prior familiarity with the term, until the Japanese video made the rounds. (But OldSparrow, being a wise old sparrow, has more "continuity of perception," and I thought it proper to acknowledge that.) There are countless idioms in every language that people are introduced to in one fashion or another, without them possessing any knowledge of historical etymology. Most of us don't, in fact. Idioms come and go. Some are lost forever, some are reborn.

I'm still trying to figure out the old English adage: "...and Bob's your uncle."

That's a great one - and I've used it - but I have no idea where it came from...

...Oops, I should've consulted "the internets" - now I learn that it derived from a case of nepotism in 19th-century British politics.

Cheers.

Edited June 5, 2009 by mangkorn