FromChinese, though ultimate source language unascertained. Apparently少底, literally "less base", from少 (“less”) +底 (“base; bottom”) inCantonese pronunciation, referring to thecondensed milk, used for sweetening, that sits at the bottom of the cup. InCantonese this would be pronouncedsiu2 dai2, but the compound has not been traced in Cantonese.
siew dai (notcomparable)
- (Singapore, colloquial, informal) Less sweet(as a preference when orderingcoffee ortea).
2007, iwatch_ueat, “Tong Ya coffee: super crispy kaya toast!”, inishootieatipost[1], retrieved1 April 2016:Ordering a cup of Kopi CSiew Dai (Coffee with evaporated milk and less sugar) makes you feel very Singaporean.
2009, Dominic, “Hello, Google!”, inblog.gothere.sg[2], retrieved1 April 2016:But nothing beats that cup of kopi-osiu dai from the nearby kopitiam uncle who knows you best.
2012, Low Kay Hwa,I Believe You:“I like coffee better.” He smiled. “Kopi-Osiew dai.
2015, Wong Kim Hoh, “Former kopi boy's still full of beans”, inThe Straits Times (Singapore)[3], retrieved1 April 2016:Before he opens it, he asks what I would like to drink, then shouts out to a woman stirring a cup of Milo vigorously: “One kopi pengsiew dai, and one teh si for me.”
