alexlm Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Why is Big Joke called Big Joke? What's his real name? Who is he except chief of immigration if I'm not mistaken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vacuum Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 35 minutes ago, alexlm said: Why is Big Joke called Big Joke? When he was a kid, he liked jok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Any Thai name prefaced with "Big" means influential and powerful and not to be messed with. The nearest equivalent in English may be the Spanish "Don". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 1 hour ago, alexlm said: Why is Big Joke called Big Joke? Joke is a Thai nickname and he's slightly taller and bigger than the average Thai. 1 hour ago, alexlm said: What's his real name? Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakpal 1 hour ago, alexlm said: Who is he except chief of immigration if I'm not mistaken Formerly the head of the Tourist Police but after starting what is reported as being a successful (and ongoing) purge on illegal immigrants, illegal foreign workers and overstayers, he now holds down the top desk at Immigration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 2 minutes ago, NanLaew said: he's slightly taller and bigger than the average Thai You have applied an English meaning to the Thai honorific "Big". As with many English loan words, when they enter the Thai lexicon, they take on very different connotations. See post #3 above yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammieuk1 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Lord of overstayers, nemesis of dark skinned scammers, Big Joke of elite corruption???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammieuk1 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 So good I said it twice???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Vacuum said: When he was a kid, he liked jok. Usually eaten at breakfast. So does his name mean "Big Breakfast". I like it, might change my name to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Briggsy said: Any Thai name prefaced with "Big" means influential and powerful and not to be messed with. The nearest equivalent in English may be the Spanish "Don". And Joke is a fairly common Thai nickname (chualen), with no connection to the real meaning of the word joke in the English language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunBENQ Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 4 hours ago, scorecard said: And Joke is a fairly common Thai nickname (chualen), with no connection to the real meaning of the word joke in the English language. Indeed a very unlucky transcription. No joke but some "rice porridge". 5 hours ago, NanLaew said: Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakpal "Police Lieutenant General" since sometime in November when he got his third star. And yes: Police Lieutenant General is a higher rank then Police Major General. Don't ask me about such. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Thai_Police#Officers The transcription of his name is (as usual) "flexible". Closer to the pronunciation and following some rules is "Surachet Hakphan". Mostly found "Surachet Hakpan". For his FB page he uses yet another quite different spelling https://www.facebook.com/SurachateHakparn/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko kok prong Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Word has it,that at one of early arrest's he collared the suspect, sofendtend him up a bit and the grisled criminal charged with numerous heiniouss crimes, at which which the criminal started laughing, "ah,so it's a big joke is it" it is rumored he said, not finished he added casually over his shoulder ' 20 year's of joking may cure the criminal' just rumors, he is a True Thai Hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swissie Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Actually his Thai nickname is "Chock". (Chock yai). A Farang journalist misspelled it early on. This spelling error has stuck with him. His character and his actions have nothing to do with a "joke". As some Farangs have found out in the meantime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeSurd Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 From post #6 onwards on this thread there's some informative discussion of the origins of Big Joke's nickname: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotpoom Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 "Joke is a Thai nickname and he's slightly taller and bigger than the average Thai." I think the OP is aware that it is a nik name....what he is asking is..."why does he have that Nik name"? You explained the "Big" bit...but not the "Joke" bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emdog Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 "Big Jerk" was already taken.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritManToo Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It means 'rice porridge', 'โจ๊ก' in Thai script, that spells out 'j-oh-k' when transliterated into Roman script. So essentially 'Johk yai' in Thai bicomes 'Big Joke' in Tinglish becomes 'large portion of rice porridge', when properly translated, allegedly what he always had for breakfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeSurd Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, BritManToo said: It means 'rice porridge', 'โจ๊ก' in Thai script, that spells out 'j-oh-k' when transliterated into Roman script. So essentially 'Johk yai' in Thai bicomes 'Big Joke' in Tinglish becomes 'large portion of rice porridge', when properly translated, allegedly what he always had for breakfast. Please see the link in post #13. I think you're right about the 'j-oh-k' part. As for the 'big' part, see what Briggsy has posted earlier in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeSurd Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It's impossible to discuss this topic properly without referring to Thai script. And forum rules are supposed to only allow Thai script in the Thai language forum. Maybe the mods are happy to make an exception in this case? Or maybe move the thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerkinsCuthbert Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 He considered "Large Congee" but ultimately fastened onto "Big Joke" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmen Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 He is not real. It's all just a joke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 On 1/1/2019 at 9:34 AM, Briggsy said: Any Thai name prefaced with "Big" means influential and powerful and not to be messed with. The nearest equivalent in English may be the Spanish "Don". Looking at any of his many photoshoots, he is just a wee man. probably suffers from the "wee mans syndrome". I bet he is the only guy in the immigration department with the rank of Maj/Gen. Oh! wait, did he not get another promotion? Wonder how much he paid this time. A big joke right enough, or maybe a wee joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 19 hours ago, swissie said: Actually his Thai nickname is "Chock". (Chock yai). A Farang journalist misspelled it early on. This spelling error has stuck with him. His character and his actions have nothing to do with a "joke". As some Farangs have found out in the meantime. Maybe it's Jock, has Scottish ancestors. Wonder what he would look like in a kilt. Oh my Gawd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerkinsCuthbert Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 On 1/1/2019 at 9:34 AM, Briggsy said: Any Thai name prefaced with "Big" means influential and powerful and not to be messed with. The nearest equivalent in English may be the Spanish "Don". Quite right, 'big' in a Thai context means something more akin to 'important' than to size. However, former PM Chavalit is known as 'Big Jiew' (บิ๊กจิ๊ว), 'jiew' coming from tae jiew, or chaozhou dialect of eastern Guangdong, still used among some sections of the Chinese Thai, former immigrant population. It actually means 'big little' if translated literally, but Chavalit being of diminutive stature, it is an obvious play on the juxtaposition of the words. Another example is the present PM, who is known informally as 'Big Too' (บิ๊กตู่). Any worthwhile Thai- English dictionary will tell its reader that 'ตู่' is a verb meaning 'to claim ownership without justification'. I leave readers here to make of that what they will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzMan Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 On 1/1/2019 at 7:44 PM, KhunBENQ said: "Police Lieutenant General" since sometime in November when he got his third star. This is because Major General is short for Sargent Major General, although this extended form is no longer used. Sargent Major being a lesser rank than lieutenant. Same in the British Army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeSurd Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 45 minutes ago, PerkinsCuthbert said: Quite right, 'big' in a Thai context means something more akin to 'important' than to size. However, former PM Chavalit is known as 'Big Jiew' (บิ๊กจิ๊ว), 'jiew' coming from tae jiew, or chaozhou dialect of eastern Guangdong, still used among some sections of the Chinese Thai, former immigrant population. It actually means 'big little' if translated literally, but Chavalit being of diminutive stature, it is an obvious play on the juxtaposition of the words. Another example is the present PM, who is known informally as 'Big Too' (บิ๊กตู่). Any worthwhile Thai- English dictionary will tell its reader that 'ตู่' is a verb meaning 'to claim ownership without justification'. I leave readers here to make of that what they will. Very interesting but I think Briggsy's point is that 'Big' is a noun, not an adjective. Thais use 'Big' as a title. Mr Joke. General Joke. Big Joke. Sir Joke. In Thai, the adjective usually follows the noun. So If they were using it as an adjective his nickname would be 'Joke Big'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caine Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Because he’s a Big Joke like the rest of the Muppets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigT73 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 22 hours ago, swissie said: Actually his Thai nickname is "Chock". (Chock yai). The "h" is silent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lust Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 https://youtu.be/Ryoq3Rv97tg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrasmussen Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It means 'rice porridge', 'โจ๊ก' in Thai script, that spells out 'j-oh-k' when transliterated into Roman script.Correct, but colloquially it can also be used in the meaning of the English word "joke". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbeSurd Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It would be great if someone could provide a link to a Thai language newspaper article where the nickname of police officer Big Joke is used. And at the same time if you can highlight or point out exactly where in the article the name is, that would be perfect. I'd do it myself but unfortunately my Thai language skills are not good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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