WOWFacts

The Malaysian phrase for the time it takes to eat a banana is "pisan zapra" and it was a measure of time used before clocks were invented.


FAKE
While reading lists of untranslatable words, I found the phrase "pisan zapra." Supposedly, pisan zapra is used in Malay to mean "the time it takes to eat a banana." However, when I Googled the phrase, many of the results were discussions doubting its authenticity. Some native speakers of Malay said they had never heard it. One comment offered a possible etymology, saying "pisang" in Malay means "banana," and "saapidu" in Tamizh means "to eat." My wild guess is that it may be obscure or obsolete, so of course people wouldn't know it if it isn't in common usage. Does anyone have any further information on this elusive phrase?