白鮓

Chinese

white; empty; blank
white; empty; blank; bright; clear; plain; pure; gratuitous
 
 preserved fish
trad. (白鮓) 白 鮓
simp. (白鲊) 白 鲊
alternative forms 白炸
白蚱
白䖳

Etymology

The alternative form 白炸 is misinterpretation of the less known character 鮓／鲊 as homophonous 炸, referring to jellyfish sting.

The sense of traffic police is from the white helmets they wear, which make them resemble a jellyfish.

Pronunciation

Noun

白鮓

  1. (Cantonese) jellyfish
  2. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, dated) traffic police officer

Synonyms

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