mat saleh

my colleague was referring mat saleh as 'ang moh', which means bulu merah (red hair) in chinese --> i think she actually meant rambut merah (blondie) ;p

on the other hand, malays normally use orang putih or mat saleh when addressing the westerners..since western people have fair skin, the term orang putih i.e. white people is pretty straightforward..but somehow we couldn't relate the use of mat saleh in this context as mat means man, guy, a male; while saleh is a malay name for guys

then i found this interesting story..

mat salleh was originated from the word 'mad sailor'..in the early years, most mat saleh in Tanah Melayu were sailors, and they were always drunk..when local people talked to them, these sailors said "he's mad! a mad sailor!" to each other..but since malays' tongue are not tailored for english words, the locals could only pronounced 'mad sailor' as mat saler..and in time, it became mat saleh!

LOL!