25/01/2022

Chope: To reserve a seat by placing a packet of tissue paper on it

'Human tissue paper': Chope parking lot by standing in it
Woman chopes parking lot by standing in it, boldly raps knuckles on reversing car

If a vehicle was reversing towards you, would you dodge or stand your ground? This woman decided the cost outweighed the risks and stood firm in a parking lot, 'chope-ing' it as a car tried to reverse into the lot, as seen in a video uploaded to Roads.sg yesterday (July 10).

The video, which was filmed outside Hotel 81 at Jiak Chuan Road, Chinatown, shows a woman dressed in black standing in a parking lot, eyeing cars around. A black multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) can then be seen backing up towards the lot.

As it becomes apparent that the MPV was trying to take up the lot she was standing in, the woman goes towards the moving vehicle instead of avoiding it. She then boldly raps her knuckles against the rear of the vehicle, warning the driver.


Chope: To reserve a seat, table or queue spot with personal items
People chope queue spots with items at Bishan East food rescue event

On Friday (23 Aug), the Facebook page for the Bishan community group, Bishan East Zone 1 Residents’ Network (RN), posted about an incident of people chope-ing queue spots with items at a food rescue event instead of physically queueing. The event took place at the Bishan East Zone 1 Green Hub, located at Block 112 Bishan Street 12. Food rescues are community events where unwanted food collected by volunteers is redistributed to residents. This serves to both reduce food wastage and give food to those who need it.

According to their Facebook page, the Bishan East Zone 1 RN food rescue events are bring-your-own-bag and first-come-first-served. No reservations were allowed. The 23 Aug food rescue event had been a success, with “overwhelming support” from residents, many of whom got up early to queue for the event. “We appreciate the early bird zeal in queuing up for restocks in good orderliness & neighbourliness,” the Facebook post said. However, in the same Facebook post, the Bishan East Zone 1 Green Hub Food Rescue Team also noted that people were chope-ing spaces in the queue like they were at a hawker centre.

To illustrate what had happened, they posted two photos. The first one showed a line of people queuing physically; this post was accompanied by a smiley face emoji sticker. On the other hand, second photo showed a queue of inanimate objects, mostly plastic bags, held down by stones from the nearby community garden. This one featured a shocked emoji sticker instead. The team acknowledged that the chope-ing was creative but prohibited. “All items found lying on the floor will be deemed as litter and cleared or confiscated,” the post warned. Coincidentally, the queue also started right next to a pillar with a “no littering” sign plastered on it.


The Origin of the Word “Chope”
I chope this post, so please like my post, but don’t chop my post

The Singlish phrase ‘chope’ needs a dedicated post. Although everyone goes on about tissue paper packets in food courts and coffee shops, the word ‘chope’ has an interesting history.

What Does it Mean? The Singlish word ‘chope’ (Slang for reserving a seat) was derived from chop; to leave a mark. The word ‘chop’ was originally from the Malay word cap, which is from the Hindi word छाप ćhāp (stamp). ‘Chop’ and ‘chope’ are sometimes sounded the same because of the blending of the vowel sounds. Normally when a silent ‘e’ occurs at the end of a word, it converts a vowel to is ‘long’ equivalent:
  • chop = “chop”
  • chope = “chohp”
In Singapore, these two sounds are blended into one sound, and the diphthong is kept short for ‘oh’.


Dangerous of aunties to lean against MRT platform doors, chope space with bags
A commuter was concerned to see several people engaging in risky and dangerous behaviour at Yishun MRT station on Wednesday (Jan 19)

Stomper Manoj Kumar was waiting to take the 5.20am train from Yishun to Bayfront when he made certain observations.

He recounted: "To my shock, I saw bags being placed at the MRT platform's glass door even though no one was standing there:
  • "I only realised later that those bags belonged to some aunties who had wanted to board the 5.20am train as well.
  • "I also observed a man hanging his bag on the glass door using a S-hook. He was leaning against the glass door when the train approached.
  • "All of them were standing beyond the yellow line and pushing each other when the train approached the station.


Man Chopes Parking Lot In Ang Mo Kio By Standing There
Man Chopes Ang Mo Kio Parking Lot On 20 Jan

In Singapore, it’s common to see people chope tables at hawker centres and food courts using tissue packets.

However, it seems the chope-ing culture has now made its way to carparks as well. Facebook group ROADS.sg recently shared about a man who stood at a parking lot in Ang Mo Kio to reserve it.

Upon seeing this, netizens called out the behaviour, with some jokingly saying that he should have opted to use a pack of tissues instead.


Students Chope Tables Overnight At Tampines Hub

An Our Tampines Hub (OTH) spokesperson shared that all unattended items left on its facilities will be removed by security personnel.

OTH also urged visitors to be considerate and not leave their belongings behind when not using their amenities. Community space like Our Tampines Hub (OTH) are shared areas for residents living around the vicinity. While it’s unlikely for amenities like hawker centre food or supermarket groceries to run out, tables – for studying or meetings – at the integrated building remain a finite commodity.

However, on Wednesday, a netizen took to Twitter to vent his frustration after he found tables at OTH allegedly choped overnight by students who deliberately left their belongings behind


Putting Packets of Tissue to “Chope” Seats
Chope, This Seat Mine: The Immutable Laws Of Singapore’s Hawker Centers

I have witnessed overly-cultured and genteel visitors from strange lands descend onto our popular hawker centre (where they serve flavors that define the country’s culinary culture), at mad peak hour moments and wonder, “Ahem, so is someone going to show us to a table for 4?” Not going to happen ma’am.

The technique of securing seats at those feeding frenzy hours had long ago been reduced and translated to a fine art form called “chope.” The first thing chope master artists do is to hone in on an empty table and mark their turf — by putting the cheapest or most useless personal item they have on them, usually a half used tissue pack, a cheap ball point pen or even a worthless bargain stall umbrella on the seat.

That, in mod-Singapore street food speak, means “lay off, she’s taken,” or in local vernacular called Singlish “Chope, this seat mine” (a local English slang, sans the polite grammar and attitude the British left us with).


Bickering over a Reserved MRT seat

A video of a woman and an auntie engaged in an altercation over an MRT reserved seat has been circulating on Facebook.

The video, shared on Sure Boh Singapore’s Facebook page, shows a woman sitting on the reserved seat on board a MRT train. An auntie in turquoise can be seen standing in front of her. The woman then told the auntie:
  • “You pay, I pay.
  • “I don’t think you deserve it (the seat).”


Couple in "Chope" table incident arrested
Chow Chuin Yee (2nd from left) and Tay Puay Leng were charged for causing a public nuisance. (Foto: Gayathiri Chandramohan)

The couple who got into an ugly spat with an elderly man at a hawker centre in Toa Payoh was handed a S$2,700 fine on Friday (Aug 11).

Chow Chuin Yee, 46, was fined S$1,500 for using criminal force on 76-yr-old Ng Ai Hua, by using his upper body to forcefully barge into Mr Ng.

Chow’s partner, Tay Puay Leng, 39, was fined S$1,200 for using abusive words on Mr Ng with the intent to cause alarm.


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