smat, smatpela

Pacific Pidgin English: *smat.

Bislama: ?, Pijin: smat (‘good-looking, elegantly dressed, very good at’), TSC: smat (‘smart, clever, intelligent, cunning’).

Smat may come separately from English to the above, but there is a shared alteration of English ‘smart = intelligent’ to ‘smart = good at a task’ suggesting an earlier common usage.

See original Mihalic entry.

Modifier forms

  1. good at doing something
    baga man i smat long wok bilong em the fellow is good at his work

  1. smartly dressed, fashionable
    ol smatpela meri bilasim bilum long slika na spin long maket the smart young girls go strolling in the market with silks on their bilums

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