*sarampang* 'to break'

[Waruno Mahdi]

> other languages.  (There aren't many.)   A 19th century pidgin used in
> Yokohama contains the word "serampan" or "sarampan" meaning "ruin,
> break, destoy".  It is said to have come from Malay "sarampang".  (But
> the only Malay dictionary I have been able to consult did not list this
> word.)

The KBBI lists three _serampangan_s, and the one you want is the second
meaning of _serampang_ number 3:

Serampang(3) - 1. .....; 2. [colloquial] memukul (menyerang) dsb. dng.
    sembarangan saja; merambang (mengawur): _pikir dulu, jangan asal
    serampang saja_; .....

It means "to hit, strike, or attack in a careless, rough, thoughtless
manner". It is colloquial, and a frequently used feature of Bazaar
Malay, also of that Malay spoken by foreigners, particularly also
of Dutch Malay (i.e. colloquial Malay as spoken by Dutch and
Eurasian people during the period before independence). It is one
of the numerous Malayisms occuring in Indo Dutch (i.e. in colloquial
Dutch as spoken by Dutch people or Eurasians who had lived in
Indonesia for a long time).

A frequently used derivation in all these related Malay dialects
is _serampangan_, which means "careless(ly), thoughtless(ly),
matter-of-fact(ly)".

Hope that's any help.

Salam,   Waruno

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