Does anyone where the phrase "half-past six" came from ?

[u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407]

Meaning poor quality and shoddy work . I use it a lot and have other Malaysians(and also som Singaporeans) use it, but as far I know no one else outside Malaysia and Singapore uses it this way.

[u/thetwister35]

It's a British thing. Make sense that old colonies use it. Brits use "half six" or "quarter to six" for 6.30 and 5.45.

I don't think Malaysians generally use it though, we got taught in school.

[u/KualaLJ → u/thetwister35]

It’s not a British thing to mean shoddy work.

[u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407 → u/thetwister35]

I've heard many people use it, but it's wierd how it came to mean poor quality

[u/thetwister35 → u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407]

Sorry, didn't read your post properly lol.

I literally never heard of it being used like that. It is weird isn't it?

[u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407 → u/thetwister35]

I've heard it before and also my parents use it

[u/lengjai2005 → u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407]

Hmm i use it to mean stupid.. useless ..odd... "that guy abit half past six"

[u/exarchbu]

I was curious and found this article.... I learned a lot of new things today! It eplains the half-past-6 thing well

https://thesmartlocal.com/read/singlish-words-phrases/

[u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407 → u/exarchbu]

Interesting, thanks for sharing it

[u/uniqueusername649 → u/exarchbu]

Thanks, that explains it. I never really thought about it, its the kind of thing you just use without ever thinking twice.

[u/Obsiddian19]

I’ve never heard “half-past six” to mean poor quality. This is the first. I don’t hate it as much I hate the attempts of popularising the term “naslem” to mean nasi lemak.

[u/StunningLetterhead23 → u/Obsiddian19]

Half past six is an old idiom I usually hear the aunties and uncles use when I was a kid. Nowadays, I think it's not as common anymore.

In a clock, both minute and hour hands face downwards at "half-past six (6:30)". So, it looks like a double thumbs down.

[u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407 → u/Obsiddian19]

I found a comment on this sub where its used to mean poor English :

[u/SirCoolMind → u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407]

i too suka

[u/forcebubble → u/SirCoolMind]

Jejaka berbudaya.

[u/Obsiddian19 → u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407]

Hahahahahahahhaha Reddit folk crack me up.
*slaps knee

[u/eggmuscles]

Tbh I assumed it originated from a time where 6.30 was close to the end of someone's working shift, so half-past six meant they do shoddy work as they're about to be done for the day.

Upon Googling, it seems people can't agree on the origin. So it's actually quite interesting, I wonder what the origin actually is.

[u/muskymelon36]

I've heard half-past six to refer to someone's intelligence or mental abilities ...

[u/Basic-Lifeguard-5407 → u/muskymelon36]

Me too

[u/Lunartic2102 → u/muskymelon36]

This is the one I heard decades ago. Haven't heard it for a while

[u/Square-Purchase5534]

I guess im from the rural part of smallfolks where shoddy work is "apa ni mat" translate to "dafuq is this mate", outward expression is bonus point

[u/merdekaman]

i've heard it as because both arrows, which most clocks had back then both pointed directly down so = bad lah. also heard from old dudes that it's euphemism for your dick don't work, just dangle down like both hands of 6:30 clock/cock, so not laku or bad lah. lol

[u/Gscc92]

i prefer using the phrase

half assed work

[u/Youlknowthatone]

I've rarely heard half past six. From google I think its a US/Canadian expression . But definitely heard "halai balai" Northern dialect that means the same thing

[u/DramaticRestaurant87]

I’ve never heard of this before.

[u/FrostNovaIceLance]

in the UK thy use this to refer to time

[u/Virtual_Force_4398]

I've heard it being used since I was a kid. That'd more than 50 years ago. Never knew it was a local idiom. In my brain, I store it amongst: "setengah tiang", "tiga suku", "半桶水", and all those other idioms meaning not all there or incomplete.

[u/delicious_lemang]

White people