balai mata-mata

== Malay == === Etymology === Compound of balai (“station, hall, public building”) +‎ mata-mata (“police, spy”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌbalaj ˌmata ˈmata/ [ˌba.lai̯ ˌma.t̪a ˈma.t̪a] === Noun === balai mata-mata (Jawi spelling بالاي مات٢, uncountable) (Malaysia, dated) police station (building of police force) Synonyms: balai polis, (Indonesian, Indonesian Malay) kantor polisi ==== Descendants ==== → Chinese: 馬打厝 / 马打厝, 馬打寮 / 马打寮 (partial calque) ==== See also ==== === Further reading === "balai mata-mata" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017