by Michael Smith
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| A | |
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| aftaba | water pot with spout and handle |
| achcha, accha | all right? , good |
| admi (cu.aadmi) | man, men |
| aiste | slowly |
| Allah kerim! | Allah be merciful! |
| almirah | wardrobe, chest of drawers |
| Angrezi | English |
| anna | one sixteenth of a rupee |
| ap (cu. aap} | polite form of “thou” (used to equals or superiors) |
| archarji (cu.acharyaji) | teacher, priest |
| arre | Oh! |
| asil | calm |
| asli nahin | not real |
| atta | flour |
| ayah | nurse-maid, or lady's maid |
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| B | |
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| babu | (1) Hindu gentleman (respectful), (2) Hindu merchant or Clerk (derogatory) |
| Babuji | term of respect and friendliness |
| babul | thorny mimosa with aromatic yellow flowers |
| badmash (cu.budmaash) | rascal |
| Badshah | King |
| bagh | garden |
| bakshish | gratuity, hence “buckshee"= free (Army sl) |
| Bahadur | honorific title, lit. “brave” |
| Bahkshikhana | Pay Office |
| bahut accha | very good |
| (cu. bahoot achcha) | |
| baitoe (cu.bhaitoh) | sit, wait |
| baja | musical instrument |
| balushai | sweetmeat |
| bander-log | monkey people |
| (pr.”logue”) | |
| bandobast | organisation |
| bap (cu.baap) | father |
| barasingh | Kashmiri red deer (lit. 12 horns |
| bashaw | lord or master |
| bat (cu.baat) | speech, talk. Language |
| bat | words, matter (pr. “bart”) |
| batcha | child |
| bazugar | acrobat, tumbler |
| Belait | anywhere foreign but to British troops it meant England |
| Belaiti | English or European (hence “Blighty”) |
| bhai / by | brother |
| bhang (pr. bhung) | expensive drug derived from hemp |
| bhils | marshes or ponds |
| bhisti | water-carrier orig. “man of Heaven” |
| bohin / bahen | sister (pr.”bain”) |
| (cu. bahain) | |
| boli | speech |
| bhoosa | hay, also sawdust |
| bukh | talk |
| bukhshi | army paymaster (?) |
| bul-bul | nightingale |
| burra | important, great, large |
| bundobast, bandobast | agreement, arrangement |
| burruf / barf | ice |
| bursat (cu.barsaat) | rains (monsoon) |
| bus | enough, finish (usually said twice) |
| bus hogia | finished, ended |
| bunnia | money-lender, or corn merchant |
| bund | embankment |
| bundook | rifle, shotgun |
| bustees | flimsy huts, squatter colony |
| butcha,batcha | child, infant |
| buts | Buddhist images |
| byle | ox or bullock |
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| C | |
| | |
| caster | discharged Army horse |
| chabuk | whip |
| chae | tea |
| (char=Army sl) | |
| challan | consignment |
| chamar | of low caste/ |
| from “chumra” | a shoemaker |
| chandu | opium |
| chaprassie | uniformed office messenger |
| charpoi | string framed bed |
| chatti | earthen pot, porous to keep water cool |
| chela | young disciple, orig. household slave |
| chik | slatted blind |
| chil, (cu.cheel) | a kite (bird) |
| chillam | a hookah |
| chirag | clay lamp |
| chit, (cu.chitty) | note, letter/promissory note |
| chiton | dress |
| choga | loose upper garment |
| choop,chup | silent, still |
| chor | thief |
| chota | small |
| chota hazri | early morning tea/ breakfast |
| chowki | toll or police station (hence sl.“chokey”) |
| chowkidar | watchman,guard |
| chubara, chubutra | garden pavilion |
| chudder | veil in front of a woman's face |
| chunam | lime, plaster |
| chuppar | thatch |
| chuprassi | messenger |
| (pr.”chaprassi”) | |
| chumars, | low caste leather-workers |
| (see chamar) | |
| chhut-ti/chuti,chhuti | leave, dismissal |
| cicalas | cicadas |
| coolie, cooly | hired labourer |
| consumah | 10 million |
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| D | |
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| dacoit | armed robber |
| dak | post, mail, journey |
| Dak bungalow | rest house |
| dandy | Himalayan hammock like litter |
| darogah | village constable |
| dasturi | commission on a transaction |
| degchies | cooking utensils |
| dekko | to look |
| deodar | coniferous tree, sacred to Hindus (Cedrus deodara) |
| dewanee | madness |
| dewas | Godlike image |
| dharzee/durzee | tailor |
| dhoti | loincloth |
| dhow | single-masted Arab sailing vessel |
| dil | heart |
| din | religion, also day |
| Diwan | Chief Minister |
| diwan | type of sofa |
| Do | two |
| doab | land between two rivers |
| dom | low caste cleaner |
| dooli | bamboo stretcher, light palanquin |
| doomb | fat-tailed sheep |
| duftar | office |
| dun | flat area in hills |
| Durbar | public audience |
| durwan | gate-keeper |
| durwaza | door |
| durwaza bund | door shut (not at home) |
| dushman | enemy |
| dustoorie | “commission” payment |
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| E | |
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| ek | one |
| ek dum | at once, immediately |
| ekka/ecka | a small one-horse carriage |
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| F | |
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| fakir | religious beggars |
| farash | carpet-layer |
| fareib | fraud / trick |
| ferao | scarlet woodpecker |
| ferash | date tree |
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| G | |
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| Ganga / Gunga | River Ganges |
| gariwan | driver |
| also ghariwala | |
| ghat, ghaut | landing steps on a riverbank, also mountain pass |
| ghee | clarified butter for use in cooking |
| ghora | horse |
| ghur, (cu.ghar) | house |
| ghuzul | bath |
| ghuzulkhana | bathroom |
| goglet | cattle-driver |
| gram | pulse for horse feed |
| gurrum | hot |
| guru | leader/teacher/holy man |
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| H | |
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| Hakim | doctor or judge |
| Hajii | one who has made pilgrimage to Mecca |
| haramzada | scoundrel |
| hathi | elephant |
| hazri | breakfast |
| Hazur/Huzoor | Your Excellency |
| hitherao | come here! |
| hooka/hookah | pipe for smoking through water/ alt: hubble-bibble |
| hookum | order / command |
| hoondi | bill of exchange |
| howdah | framed seat carried by an elephant |
| hubshi | orig..Ethiopian/negro |
| hulwaies | confectioners |
| humara | my, mine |
| hushiar | clever, intelligent |
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| I | |
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| iswasti | for this reason |
| izzut, (cu izzat) | honour |
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| J | |
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| jadoo | magic/sorcery/black art |
| jaghirdar | landowner |
| jaldi / juldi / juldee | “quickly” |
| jaldi karo | “do it quickly” |
| jampannie | rickshaw puller or sedan chair carrier |
| janwer, (cu,janwar) | animal |
| jao | “Go”! (rude!) |
| jaroo | broom |
| jehad | Holy-War |
| Jehanum | hell |
| Jemadar | leader /Second rank of native officer |
| jemadar-sais | head groom |
| jezail | Afghan long-barrelled rifle, fired from a forked rest |
| jharan | duster / dish cloth |
| jheel/ jhil | swamp or lake |
| jhool | horse blanket |
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| K | |
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| kabab | skewered meat |
| kabarri | second-hand furniture shop |
| kaddoo | pumpkin |
| Kaiser-I-Hind | Empress of India |
| kala | black |
| kala juggah | dark corner, “sitting-out” alcove |
| kala pani | black water (to leave India) |
| kam | work |
| kamra | room |
| kanats | canvas enclosures |
| karo | do |
| kazi | Muslim law officer |
| ke- marfik | in this manner |
| kench, (cu.khainch) | “pull” ! |
| khajur | date (fruit) |
| kerani | a writer |
| khana | food/ meal |
| khansama/ consumah | House-steward / chief table servant |
| kheyl | clan or tribe |
| khitmagar/ kitmutgar | table servant |
| khitab | book (or title) |
| khiwasti ? | how ? |
| khoota. (cu.kutta) | dog |
| khoti | house |
| Khrishna | Hindu God |
| khubber | news |
| khubber kharkuz | newspaper |
| khubbi | ever |
| khubbi nahin | never |
| khud | precipitous slope |
| khushi | nice, pleasant (hence sl.“cushy”) |
| kichree | kedgeree |
| kilta | basket container |
| kitna? | "how many, how much?” |
| koi hai? | is anyone there? |
| koil, (cu.kooyal) | singing bird |
| Koran | the holy book of Islam |
| kos | a distance of about two miles |
| krait | small brown/grey venomous snake |
| kubberdar, | take care/ look out! |
| (cu.khabbardar) | |
| kukri | Gurkha knife |
| kul | tomorrow or ! yesterday |
| kutcha | of poor quality/ second class |
| Kutcherry | court-house |
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| L | |
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| lal | red |
| lakh | 100,000 |
| Lala | title of respect for a Hindu |
| lama | a Tibetan word for a religious superior |
| langur | a long haired monkey |
| lao | bring (imperative) |
| lon | red powder |
| lotah | brass pot |
| larai | war or battle |
| lathi | 5’ bamboo stick, metal tipped |
| lunkah | cheroot |
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| M | |
| | |
| machan | a bamboo platform for shooting from |
| madrissah | school / college |
| maharaj | honorific form of address |
| Maharaja | Ruler of an Indian State |
| mahout | elephant driver |
| mahseer | a game fish |
| Mai Ganga | Mother Ganges |
| maidan | park or open space |
| mali, malli | gardener |
| Malik | tribal headman |
| maro / marrow | a deliberate hit |
| massala | spice mixture |
| massalchi | dish-washer |
| matranee, (cu.mehtranee) | wife of a sweeper |
| maulvie | learned man |
| maund | a weight (80 lbs) |
| mehrbani | please |
| mehtar | a sweeper, but in origin – a Prince |
| mela | festival |
| Memsahib | Sahib’s lady |
| Mian | Muslim title of respect |
| Minars | minarets |
| mistri | carpenter / mason |
| mofussil | country districts |
| motamid | lawyer’s clerk |
| muchli | fish in general |
| muezzin | Muslim caller to prayer |
| mullah | Moslem religious teacher |
| munhi | prayer |
| munshi | clerk/ language teacher |
| munsiff | low grade Native judge |
| mussuck,masak | goatskin water-bag |
| musth | madness, distemper of elephants |
| mut | drunk |
| mut | don’t |
| mynah | Indian starling which can mimic |
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| N | |
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| nag | snake |
| nahin | no |
| naib | deputy |
| naik | corporal |
| nat | juggler |
| nauker-log | servants (pr.”logue”) |
| naulakha | nine lakhs |
| Naulahka, The | “the nine-lakh necklace” |
| nautch | formal dance display |
| nickle-jao | “get out!” |
| nimbu | lime |
| nimbu pani | lime juice |
| nol-kol | kohl-rabi |
| nukshan, (cu.nuksaan) | injury, damage, destruction |
| nullah | bed of watercourse, usually dry |
| numdah | a felt rug |
| nuzzer | ceremonial gifts |
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| O | |
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| octroi | Municipal tax |
| “Om mane padme hum” | an incantation meaning “the jewel is in the lotus flower” |
| oont | camel |
| ooplah | dried cow-dung for fuel |
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| P | |
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| pagri | see “puggaree” |
| pahari | hillman |
| palanquin | litter carried on the shoulders of four men |
| pan, (cu,paan) | folded betel leaf containing other ingrediants for chewing |
| panch | five |
| pani | water |
| pechi, (cu.peechay) | behind, at the back |
| peg | measure of spirit, usually whisky |
| pice, paisa | 1/12th of an anna, gen. Money |
| pipal | fig-tree |
| poshteen | Afghan fur lined coat |
| puggaree | turban worn by servants, also cloth band around topee |
| pukka | first class, proper, orig. “cooked” and so – “thorough” |
| pummeloe | large citrus fruit |
| pundit | a learned man, (later specifically referring to native surveyors working beyond the border in the '[great game' |
| Punjab | Land of the Five Rivers (panch = 5) |
| punkah | a suspended, swinging fan |
| purdah | curtain, veil, seclusion of women |
| purdahnashin | take to the veil |
| pyjammas | pair of loose trousers tied round the waist |
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| R | |
| | |
| rabi | crops sown after the rains |
| raj | rule |
| Rajah | ruler |
| rajbahar | main irrigation channel |
| raj-mistri | head carpenter/mason |
| Ranee | wife of a Rajah, Princess |
| rath | enclosure wall |
| reh | salty, barren soil |
| rezai | a quilt |
| Rissaldar | native captain in a Cavalry regiment |
| rupee | standard unit of currency |
| ryot | tenant farmer, peasant |
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| S | |
| | |
| Sahib | “sir”, “master” |
| sais, syce | horse groom |
| Salaam | a salutation – peace |
| Salaam alaikum | Peace be unto you |
| sambhur | large deer |
| samp, sanp | snake |
| sari | women’s dress |
| seer | unit of weight (2lbs) |
| sepoy | native private soldier |
| serai | stable, or a caravanserai |
| shabash | well done, bravo |
| shaitan | Satan, devil |
| shamiana | tent |
| sher | a tiger |
| shikar | a hunting expedition |
| shikari | professional hunter |
| shroff | moneylender |
| sirkar | government |
| simpkin | corruption of "champagne" |
| sinnit | braided cord |
| sitar | Indian stringed instrument |
| sowah, (cu.sawah) | mounted orderly |
| stunt | assistant (Collector) |
| stupas | buddhist monuments |
| Subadar | the most senior native officer in a company of Sepoys |
| sub chiz | everything |
| sudder | chief,,main |
| sungar | stone breastwork |
| sunnyasi | Hindu religious mendicant |
| suttee | ritual of widow-burning |
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| T | |
| | |
| takkus | tax (probably derived from Indian pronunciation of the English word 'tax') |
| taleb | Pay |
| tamasha | a show, excitement |
| tambo | tambourine |
| tar, (cu.taar) | telegram, literally "wire" |
| tat | country bred pony |
| tatties | screens kept wet for coolness |
| teapoy, teapoi | small tripod table |
| teen | three |
| tehisldar | native tax-collector |
| terai | wide-brimmed hat, probably an Anglo-Indian colloquialism |
| thana | jail, police station |
| thano | pull (imperative) |
| thug | member of gang of murdering robbers |
| thugee | practice of the thugs |
| ticca gharri | hired four-wheel carriage |
| tiercel | male falcon |
| tiffin | lunch |
| tik hai?, (cu.thik hai?) | all right? |
| tikkah | ornamental mark on forehead |
| tonga | two wheeled carriage |
| tulwar | a large curved sword |
| tum | thou, you (used to inferiors) |
| tunda,(cu.thunda) | cold |
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| U | |
| | |
| uttr, (cu.attar) | perfume |
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| V | |
| | |
| vakil | lawyer |
| Vedas | sacred writing of the Hindus |
| Vinar, (cu.veena) | string sitar like instrument resting on two gourds |
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| W | |
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| wallah | suffix – person e.g. Tonga-wallah |
| wuh | that one |
| wullie-wa | a spiral of blown snow – probably derived from a sailor’s expression for a violent squall |
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| Y | |
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| yaboos | breed of small, hardy Afghan horse |
| yogi | an ascetic |
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| Z | |
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| Zamindar / Zemindar | land owner |
| Zennana | women’s quarters |
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| Notes: | |
| Pr.= pronunciation | |
| Sl.= slang | |
| Cu.= near current spelling | |
| Orig.= originally. |