GLOSSARY
A
Aap ki nazro
ne samja pyaar ke kabil mujhe (Hindi): Your eyes
have considered me worthy of love; song from Bollywood film
Anpadh; covered by Lata Mangeshkar.
achari
(Swahili): any type of relish
Aga Khan:
religious leader of the Shi'i Imami Ismaili Muslims;
presently the forty-ninth direct descendent of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Apsara: a
supernatural female being, Hindu mythology who is able to
take you to your doom if she desires.
Arabi
(Kutchi): Arab woman
Attars (Urdu):
perfumes.
au toke hero
laafo mar-ni (Kutchi): literally I will give you such a
slap/beating
B
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bankra (Kutchi):
benches.
bapa (Kutchi):
grandpa.
bechari
(Hindi): poor thing.
be-sharam
(Hindi): shameless.
beta
(Hindi): son.
bhagat (Kutchi):
devotee.
bhajias:
potato fritters.
bhashan
(Hindi): lecture.
bhuri-bhuri
(Kutchi): used to describe someone with light colored
eyes; like saying someone is fair.
Bohora:
Muslim Shi'i sect.
booblas
(Kutchi): slang, boobs.
bwana
(Swahili): sir.
C
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chadar
(Hindi): blanket.
chai:
Indian spiced tea.
chapati:
Indian flat wheat bread, similar to a tortilla.
char (Kutchi):
to itch.
chodu (Kutchi):
fucker.
chokdi (Gujerati):
girl.
chattur kagro
goo upar bese (Gujerati adage): literally, a picky crow
ends up perching on shit in the end.
D
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dhanni
(Kutchi): husband.
dhorias
(Kutchi): whites.
dhorio (Kutchi):
white male.
dhorki (Kutchi):
white female.
Diwali:
Hindu celebration; the festival of lights for Ram's return
to Ayodhya after years of exile.
doodh-malai:
dessert made with milk and cream.
D'ua (Urdu):
prayer.
F
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fagia
(Swahili): broomstick.
G
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gandu
(Hindi): faggot.
gangha
(Swahili): witchcraft
gand (Kutchi):
ass
geli-danda:
a game involving a piece of wood sharpened at both ends and
propelled by the use of a wooden bat; played to rules
resembling cricket.
golo
(Swahili): black.
goras
(Hindi): whites.
Gujerati:
language of Gujarat, India.
ghungroos:
ankle bells.
ginans:
religious hymns.
H
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halwa:
sweetmeat invented in 1750 by the ruler of Multan after whom
it was named.
han, han:
yes, yes.
haram zade
(Hindi): bastard.
haya:
okay
Hazar Imam:
the present Imam or spiritual leader of the Ismailis.
hushyar
(Kutchi): clever.
I
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Ismailis:
Shi'i Muslim sect that believes the Prophet Muhammad was
succeeded by an uninterrupted chain of Imams.
J
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Jaise Radha
ne mala japi Shyam ki: Just as Radha wove Shyam's
garland; based on Hindu mythology's love legend of Radha and
Krishna; song from Bollywood film Tere Mere Sapne;
covered by Lata Mangeshkar
Jamat Khanna
(Kutchi): mosque or prayer house for the Ismailis.
K
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Kala-Singhi
(Punjabi): a Sikh woman.
Kaunda suits:
a two-piece men's suit named after Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's
former president.
khabar ayi
neh (Kutchi): you know, right?
keemat
(Hindi): to value.
khatar-naakh
(Hindi): dangerous.
khima
chapatis: pan-fried bread stuffed with eggs and ground
beef.
khoji (Kutchi):
female Ismaili.
khudda (Kutchi/Urdu):
God.
kitenges:
traditional and colorful African clothing made of cotton.
Kutchi:
language from Kutch region in Gujarat state of India.
kutri-sali
(Kutchi): damn bitch.
L
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Lonchamos
(Spanish): slang; Let's lunch.
M
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mabuyus:
morsels of baobab fruit that are cooked in sugar and died
red.
machar-dani (Kutchi):
mosquito net.
maghenis
(Kutchi): guests.
maghrab/maghrib
(Urdu): dusk.
Makonde:
an African people who lived in the Savannah highlands of
East Africa.
malayas
(Swahili): prostitutes.
mama kuba:
the matriarch or grandmother.
manzil
(Hindi): destination.
marungi:
An African plant eaten raw; is a stimulant and used to keep
awake.
mataji
(Hindi): mother addressed respectfully.
matha-kuti
(Kutchi): headache.
mein azaad
hoon (Hindi): I am free.
meri beti
kitni akalmand hai (Hindi): my daughter is so
intelligent.
mi culo esta
ardiendo (Spanish): my ass is burning.
mishkake
(Swahili): barbecued meat.
mithais:
Indian desert.
monthar:
Indian sweetmeat.
Mowla
(Urdu): lord.
mujrah:
traditional Indian dance popularized by the courtesans.
Mukhi
(Kutchi): one of the male religious priests in the
Ismaili community.
mungu
(Swahili): God.
mzungus
(Swahili): whites
N
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Na jaane kya
hua jo tune chu liya (Hindi): I don't what happened now
that you've touched me; song from Bollywood film Dard;
covered by Lata Mangeshkar.
Nah: no
Nandhi:
food auction after evening prayers, the proceeds of which go
to the Ismaili community.
Nankhatais (Kutchi):
butter cookies.
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Paisa
(Hindi): money.
Pakeezah
(Urdu): a specific Bollywood film; pure.
paki (Kutchi):
complete or firm.
panchaat (Kutchi):
gossip
parorie:
prayer from 3:30 to 5:30AM for Ismailis.
pata nahin
kahan se ajate hain (Hindi): I don't know where they
come from.
Piya tu aab
to aaja (Hindi): Lover, please come to me now; song from
Bollywood film Caravan; covered by Asha Bhosle.
pumbafus
(Swahili): idiot or stupid.
R
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rani Mata
(Hindi): queen mother.
Rasra:
traditional Gujarati folk dance.
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sadhris (Kutchi):
mats.
satado:
an Ismaili ceremony dedicating a week's worth of prayers to
a specific calamity or cause.
Sati (Hindi):
traditional Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on
her husband's funeral pyre.
shairis
(Hindi): poems
Sheesha ho ya
dil ho, akhir toot jata hai (Hindi): Whether it's
a heart or a glass, eventually it breaks; song from
Bollywood film Ashaa; covered by Lata Mangeshkar.
shogas (Kutchi):
faggots.
T
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taqat
(Urdu): stately seat.
tasbih
(Urdu): rosary.
taturi (Kutchi):
penis.
thapar
(Hindi): slap.
tun mari waat
sambhar (Gujerati): listen to what I'm saying.
U
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uhuru
(Swahili): independence.
umbwas
(Swahili): dogs.
utsav
(Sanskrit): festival.
V
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vashiah
(Hindi): prostitute.
W
wah-wah
(Hindi): praise; equivalent to 'bravo.'
Y
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yaar
(Hindi): friend.
Yeh duniya,
yeh mehfil, mere kaam ki nahin: this world, this
gathering is of no use to me; song from Bollywood film
Heer Ranjha; covered by Mohammed Rafi.
Many of the
words in this glossary belong to more than one dialect or
language, as is typical in circumstances of assimilation
with another culture resulting from the South Asian
Diaspora. Some words, although attributed to a specific
language may only be used regionally and remain largely
unrecognized in the official directory of the language. In
some cases, entirely new words or phrases are developed by
regional peoples and these have been left unattributed to a
specific background. |