Eng-kok and Ang-mo

William Pickering, the first Protector of Chinese in Singapore, made the following note in his description of a Chinese secret society initiation ritual in the 1870s:

"For some years I have strongly discountenanced the use of the words 'Ang-mo' or 'Red-haired,' for 'English,' except in those unavoidable cases when a 'freshly caught' Sin Kheh would be totally unable to understand any other term.

I have no doubt that on occasions when I have been present at meetings, special instructions have been given to the 'Generals,' to avoid the objectionable expression, and to use the words 'Eng-kok' or 'Tai-Eng-kok' for English or British, as also to give the proper titles to local Officials. It is however an unpleasant fact that the Chinese in designating foreign officials, use terms somewhat less complimentary than those to be found in the appendix to Mayers' 'Chinese Government'; Inspectors of Police for instance, are called 'big dogs,' and the Superintendent of that body has no higher title than that of 'Head of the big-dogs.' Inspectors of Nuisances are called 'Earth buffaloes,' and so on. At the meeting above described, it was most amusing to hear the 'Generals' correcting themselves when guilty of a lapsus linguae, or to see the austere visage of a 'Guardian' relax, as he called out to a 'General' fresh from the jungle, 'You fool! they will be angry if you say Ang mo; you must only say 'Eng-kok.' As for the candidates, the effort to comprehend such words, as the Chinese equivalents for 'British Government,' and 'Inspector General of Police,' was evidently too much for them, and seemed to be an even more severe ordeal than the drawn swords under which they had to pass."

-- Journal of the Straits Branch, Royal Asiatic Society 3: 1-18, 1878