The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
accha:okay, all right
ake, dho, theen: one, two, three
akelee: alone
aloo gobi subji: potato-cauliflower curried vegetable
aloo parantha: potato-filled flatbread
aloo tikki: fried potato patty
Amreeka: America, pronounced in Indian-English
angrezi: English
anna: small coin, like a penny
ara-garra-nathu-kara: a nobody
arré: Hey! Come on!
ayah: nanny
baat suno: Listen!
bahut accha: Very good!
baingan bharta: eggplant and onion vegetable
baksheesh: bribe
basmati: a type of rice
beedis: cheap Indian cigarettes
behenji: sister, respectful address for older female
besan laddus: chickpea-flour sweets
bevakoopf: fool, idiot
Bhagwan: God
bhai: brother, friendly term for a male friend
bheta/bheti: son/daughter
bibi: wife
bonjour: hello in French
brahmi: plant used in Ayurvedic medicine
building-walla: person who builds
bukwas: nonsense
burfi: cooked sweet made from milk
bush-shirt: T-shirt
chaat: general term for fried snack food
chai: Indian tea
chai-walla: person who sells chai
champaca: sweet-smelling flower
chapatti: whole wheat flatbread
chappals: sandals
chemali: tropical flower
chillum: a hookah, for smoking tobacco
chinta mat karo: don’t worry
chole subji: garbanzo curried vegetable
chowkidar: gateman
chunni: woman’s fabric head covering
cousin-sister or cousin-brother: someone not related by blood but close to you
dal: spicy lentil dish
dhobi: man who washes clothes for a living
dhoti: 4 to 7 yards of white cotton wrapped into a loose pant for men
dibba: box
doctrini: female doctor
ghee: clarified butter
goondas: bad men, gangsters
gore: white people
gulab jamun: dessert made with deep-fried paneer in a sugar syrup
gupshup: gossip
hahn-nah: Right? Isn’t that so?
Hai Ram: My God!
jharus: long-whiskered broom
jhumka: bell-like earrings
Ji: respectful address for women and men
joie de vivre: zest for life
kachori: deep-fried bread
kajal: black eyeliner
kheer: rice cooked in milk/cream dessert
khus-khus: handheld fan made of vetiver grass
koi baat nahee: It’s no big deal
kundan: type of jewelry with uncut gems
kurta: long-sleeved loose cotton top
lakin: but, except
lassi: cool buttermilk drink, sometimes sweetened with mango
lauki: type of squash
Maa: mother
maaf kar dijiye: please forgive me
mahoot: elephant trainer
mandala: circular design created for ceremonies
masala lauki: spicy zucchini squash curry
meena: type of jewelry with enameling
meenakaris: artisans who create enameled jewelry
MemSahib: madam
moong dal: type of lentil
Mummi: mother (anglicized version)
nag kesar: a type of tree in the Himalayas
nahee-nahee: no
namaste: hello and goodbye
nazar: evil eye, jinx
nimbu pani: sweet lemon-lime water
om: the universal vibration, a symbol of peace and harmony
paan: snack for adults with sweet masala and tobacco
padha-likha: educated (literally “read-write”)
pagal: crazy
paise: coins
pakoras: vegetables dipped in chickpea batter and fried
palak paneer: spinach and cheese vegetable
pallu: decorated end of a sari usually draped over the shoulder
pandit: priest
panipuri: a savory snack
parantha: stuffed whole wheat flatbread
patal: sharp knife used by shepherds
peepal: type of tree with large, flat leaves
pritam, priya: lover (male), lover (female)
puri: fried whole wheat flatbread
pyjama: the bottom half of a traditional man’s kurta-pyjama outfit
Pukkah Sahib: gentleman
rajai: quilt
rasmalai: a sweet milky dessert
rath ki rani: queen-of-the-night flower, gives off scent only at night
rickshaw-walla: one who pedals a rickshaw
rogan josh: a lamb curry
roti: whole wheat flatbread
saas: mother-in-law
Sahib: sir, mister
salwar kameez: woman’s tunic and loose pants
samaj-jao: Understand?
samosa: a fried snack with a spicy potato/pea filling
sari: woman’s clothing, five yards long
semai ki kheer: sweet milk dessert made with vermicelli noodles
sev puri: type of fried snack food
shabash: Bravo!
sik: tribal dish served to pregnant women
s’il te plait: please (informal, in French)
sona: gold
suno: Listen!
tante: aunt (in French)
theek hai: that’s fine
tickety-boo: fine, in good order
tikka: forehead jewelry
tonga: horse-drawn carriage
topa: close-fitting head covering
trousseau: what a bride collects for her marriage (in French)
tumara naam batao: tell them your name
waa: Wow!
yar: yes
zaroor: absolutely