English

play-play

To mess around, to play around; to take things lightly.

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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    Reduplication of play, influenced by Malay grammar (Malay main-main), or a calque of Mandarin 玩玩 (wánwan).

    Etymology 2

    Reduplication of play, possibly influenced by Afrikaans speel-speel.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • calqueMandarin玩玩
    • calqueAfrikaansspeel-speel

    Related: Malay main-main

    Sources