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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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uttr, (cu.attar) | perfume |
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V | |
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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. |