Portlandstone Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I had those words cast my way, not only "farang" which we all understand but for the first time I heard a sound like "haeng" together with it? I guess it's a bit concerning because of who said it, at least in my book. Thanks for any explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klons Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I'm just guessing, but I would say you were all dried up, no longer of use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuian Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 imho a Derivation from "Haeng Ka Tua" - Selfish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klons Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 There is also the colloquial term "sai haeng" dry guts, to mean something like one has fallen into hard times trying to make a living. That's where my guess came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I also have heard the term used many times over the years and have never been able to get a satisfactory explanation as to meaning - having said that I believe it is not a Thai word but is from Issan/Cambodia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadish_sweetball Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 imho a Derivation from "Haeng Ka Tua" - Selfish! เห็น hen[R] and แห้ง haeng[F] have completely different sounds. There exists no such shortening of เห็นแก่ตัว hen[R] kae[L] tua[M]. I am not sure if it is a dialect expression. If not, then as others have said, แห้ง means 'dry' or 'dried up'. Are you skinny and wrinkly by any chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 imho a Derivation from "Haeng Ka Tua" - Selfish! เห็น hen[R] and แห้ง haeng[F] have completely different sounds. There exists no such shortening of เห็นแก่ตัว hen[R] kae[L] tua[M]. I am not sure if it is a dialect expression. If not, then as others have said, แห้ง means 'dry' or 'dried up'. Are you skinny and wrinkly by any chance? That fits, every time I have heard the term used it has always been in the context of smaller or skinnier people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) HAENG แฮ้ง/แฮงค์ - to have a hangover? Edited December 7, 2009 by katana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portlandstone Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 I'm in my upper 30s, slender and active so I doubt I look old. I was wearing a decent pair of shorts and a collared shirt, didn't look sloppy unless they think I should be wearing Armani. The two girls were youngish looking lezzies, you know the kind like "we don't need men, we are men" etc... But then again I could be wrong about that as I only barely glanced.. Anyhow I'm usually good at sensing peoples tone of voice and gaining their meaning but in this case it seems it could mean absolutely anything and I really can't guess their meaning - for all I know they could have been flirting or cracking a joke on me. The reason I ask on here is because of the second word "haennggg" with a bit of elongated stress on it. By the way don't take my spelling literally, it indeed could have been "hen" or "heng" or "han" etc... Oh yah, the situation they said this was as I was walking past them at a full stride pace -- it seems to me Thai people don't like being passed up on foot (losing face?), perhaps that could be included in their expression(?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgs2001uk Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Two uses for the term. As pointed out by a previous poster, skinny is one use. The other and may have been used in this sense, is farang with no money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klons Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Were the girls eating fruit? Maybe they just bought some pre-sliced farang and didn't like it because it was too dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoorSucker Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Were the girls eating fruit? Maybe they just bought some pre-sliced farang and didn't like it because it was too dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangla Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 one more vote for skinny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywais Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I used to be called ผอม but unfortunately that doesn't apply any more. The full term would be ผอมแห้ง skinny or gaunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) Apparently in Isaan and Northern dialect, แฮง means strong, which would fit in with you 'striding past them'. So maybe it was a compliment after all. Edited December 7, 2009 by katana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mauiguy90 Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 The full term would be ผอมแห้ง skinny or gaunt. My girlfriend said the same thing--gaunt or excessively skinny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikenyoy Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Could it be a shortened version of เฮงซวย meaning "bad or inferior" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangkorn Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Apparently in Isaan and Northern dialect, แฮง means strong, which would fit in with you 'striding past them'. That seems the most likely explanation. แฮง = แรง ("energetic," in this case) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cognos Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 compared to some of the pot bellied farang wonders, maybe you looked skinny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) Were the girls eating fruit? Maybe they just bought some pre-sliced farang and didn't like it because it was too dry. One of the biggest disappointments of my life was while working in Bangkok and 2 of the office babes were at the water cooler. One said "Chawp gin farang" and the other replied "Maak maak" Mentally canceling my plans for a quiet night in front of the TV after work I looked up from my desk to crushingly see them winding into a bag of guava with gusto. Edited December 7, 2009 by mca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuian Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 imho a Derivation from "Haeng Ka Tua" - Selfish! เห็น hen[R] and แห้ง haeng[F] have completely different sounds. There exists no such shortening of เห็นแก่ตัว hen[R] kae[L] tua[M]. I am not sure if it is a dialect expression. If not, then as others have said, แห้ง means 'dry' or 'dried up'. Are you skinny and wrinkly by any chance? Thanks for the enlightenment, it's the little difference, being able to read, but still it leaves you too in the dark somewhere... interesting where this is leading to, it paints the picture that Thai-chit-chat is not to be taken virtually! Some have the tendency to comment and yakety-yak about everything and everyone is absolutely, most enjoyed pastime! But being on the receiving end of such comments will derail them in a way that they might turn to "Rambo the Destroyer" no matter what! Well, TiT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meadish_sweetball Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Apparently in Isaan and Northern dialect, แฮง means strong, which would fit in with you 'striding past them'. That seems the most likely explanation. แฮง = แรง ("energetic," in this case) I agree. I didn't think of that one but it is more plausible than แห้ง for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKAsok Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 It might have been ฝรั่งหัวแดง Could easily be mistaken for what you heard. A bit difficult to translate the actual meaning (literally - foreign head red), but you can rest assured it's not particularly complimentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanook2me Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Apparently in Isaan and Northern dialect, แฮง means strong, which would fit in with you 'striding past them'. That seems the most likely explanation. แฮง = แรง ("energetic," in this case) If you don't know these people , why would you automatically assume they were making a disparaging remark about you? If you were striding past them at farang warp speed and they were heel dragging flip flop Thai speed then this remark would make perfect sense... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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