bảo kê

== Vietnamese == === Etymology === The first element is certainly a Sino-Vietnamese word from 保 (“to protect”). Some sources suggest that this word is from 保家 (through a Southern Min lect), but this might just be a case of folk etymology. The Southern Min word might have given rise also to Thai โปเก (“shoddy; of inferior quality”) === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓaːw˧˩ ke˧˧] (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓaːw˧˨ kej˧˧] (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔɓaːw˨˩˦ kej˧˧] === Verb === bảo kê to offer protection racketeering