auntie

n. [Eng., poss. a transl. of Mand.阿姨 āyí one’s mother’s sister, auntie; a child’s form of address for any woman of its mother’s generation; or cognates in other Chi. dialects]  (A polite term of address for) a middle-aged or elderly woman who may or may not be a relative.  Compare Uncle.
2001Neil Humphreys Notes from an Even Smaller Island 29 .. I have yet to meet anyone who is ‘harder’ than a Singaporean auntie. Believe me, they are rock solid and their resolute attitude and lust for life is something that the younger, greedier generation can learn from. A Singaporean auntie or uncle can be anyone who is from the older generations, like an English old age pensioner (OAP), and the term is used out of affection and respect.  2003 Anthea Rowan The Daily Telegraph (from Telegraph.co.uk), 14 October. We’ve found an island full of aunts and uncles [title] .. I was still getting to grips with the local parlance. Singlish – an unconventional brand of English with a smattering of Chinese and Malay thrown in – was my next hurdle. Tea became teh, coffee became kopi, and waitresses and waiters ceased to be – replaced by people I was expected to call auntie and uncle. Good grief, I had relatives here? 2004 Janadas Devan The Straits Times (Very! Singapore), 9 August, 20 I had occasion to visit a Singapore hospital a month ago. I heard nurses call older patients ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties’ and I felt instantly at home.  2005Shane Ng Soo Lian The Straits Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 12 July. Imagine using a first-aid diagram to teach an auntie to perform cardiac pulmonary resuscitation on an unconscious person.  2006Lee U-Wen Today (from Todayonline.com), 20 March, 6 Hail the aunty army: McDonald’s honoured for encouraging employment of older workers.. [title].  2006June Cheong (quotingJeanette Sim) The Straits Times (Life!) (from Straits Times Interactive), 19 April. You can call me auntie: At 75, SLGA [Singapore Ladies Golf Association]’s president says happiness is family, mahjong and golf [title].. I like the term auntie as... it shows people respect or love us. But it would be nicer to use the word evergreens to describe us.  2006Terence Chong The Straits Times (from Straits Times Interactive), 17 June. I don’t think they [Singapore’s skinheads] are troublemakers. Many just want to provide shock value. If heartlander uncles and aunties are shocked, then all the better, because this reaction means that they have achieved their raison d’etre– to be different.  2009Jasmine Teo, Rachael Boon & Natasha Ann Zachariah The Sunday Times (LifeStyle), 8 March, 2 The word “auntie” conjures up an image of a nagging old woman with a bad perm while “uncle” is more likely to be a fuddy-duddy balding old man in a singlet and shorts hanging out at the void deck.  2009 David Yeo The Straits Times (Life!), 14 March, E6 The terms of address – “auntie” and “uncle” – have negative connotations and are often used to refer to people from the lower strata of society.  2009 Christine Tan The Straits Times (Life!), 14 March, E6 I would be offended if someone were to address me as “auntie”, especially if that person is older than me. If I am an “auntie”, then what would that make my mother? I believe that no single or young woman would like to be called “auntie”. The word brings to mind housewives shopping at a wet market.  2009 Mrs C.P. Ho The Straits Times (Life!), 14 March, E6 From young, my parents taught me to call anyone older, especially those who are married or are working, “auntie” or “uncle”. It is a way of showing respect. If you feel old just because people call you “auntie” or “uncle”, then you have a self-esteem problem. If you are a foreigner who objects to being called “auntie” and “uncle”, I say this is part of our culture, so accept it.