karung guni

English

Alternative forms

• karang guni

Etymology

From Malay karung guni (“gunny sack”); guni is derived from Sanskrit गोणी (goṇī). Doublet of gunny.

Pronunciation

• enPR: käʹ-rəng go͞o'-nē, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːɹəŋ ˌɡuːni/, /-ɹɒŋ -/
• (Singapore) IPA^(key): [ˈka˧.ɹaŋ˧ ˌɡu˧.ni˦], [-ɔŋ -]

Noun

karung guni (plural karung guni or karung gunis)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia, metonymically or attributively) A traditional scrap dealer or rag-and-bone man who visits residential zones to collect unwanted items.
   • 1994 January 12, Jennifer Tan, w:The New Paper, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, page 6:

     […] Madam Wong Ah Hua, 76, said the karung guni man stopped making his rounds in her estate a few months ago.

   • 2004 November 8, Andrew Wood, Today, Singapore: Mediacorp Press, →OCLC, page 16:

     The karung guni uncle below my block has been asked to move … By the very people he was making life easy for.

Further reading

• karung guni on Wikipedia.Wikipedia