Bombayisms
I take great pleasure in collecting unfamiliar terms in the Bombay papers. Here’s a partial glossary of Bombayisms translated into American English. Some are specific to Bombay and its history of organized crime, most are Indian English, some are by way of UK English.
| aluminium | aluminum |
| arms dump | arms depot |
| backwardness | poverty |
| baksheesh | tip |
| bandobast | security arrangements |
| bang behind | directly behind |
| batata | potato (Portuguese) |
| beat yourself | to beat yourself up |
| blast | bombing |
| blow | blow up |
| boss | man, dude |
| burn the dance floor | burn up the dance floor |
| buy in black | buy on the black market |
| call for dinner | to invite for dinner |
| call me on | call me at |
| caught on a cleft stick | trapped |
| cent per cent | a hundred percent |
| chai pani (tea water) | bribe |
| check | bill |
| Chinjabi | Chinese-Punjabi food |
| chink a wine glass | clink a wine glass |
| chococake | chocolate cake |
| chocomuffin | chocolate muffin |
| chopper | big knife |
| closer to | close to |
| cock a snook | thumb your nose at |
| colddrink | soft drink |
| country-made revolver | handmade gun |
| crash out | lose a sports event |
| creamy layer | elite |
| crepe bandage | wrap |
| curd | yogurt |
| de-addiction | rehab |
| de-merger | spinout |
| do the needful | do what’s needed |
| don’t mention, mention not | no problem |
| don’t tell me! | no way! |
| dumper | dump truck |
| engg | engineering |
| fetch up in | wind up in |
| fill up a form | fill out a form |
| firing | shooting |
| fixed | framed |
| fold up | lose a competition |
| foxed | puzzled |
| fresher | freshman, newcomer |
| fuck off to somewhere | to take off for somewhere |
| get high | get drunk |
| ghatiya | ghetto, not classy |
| gift | to give a gift |
| give | to have (to give a hit, to give kisses in a movie) |
| give a supari | put out a contract on someone, hire a hitman |
| give gyaan | to bestow knowledge |
| go in for | to choose |
| golmaal (going round in a circle) | fishy business |
| goodname | surname |
| gymming | going to the gym |
| hafta | weekly cop bribe |
| henceforth | from now on |
| hep | hip |
| hike | pay raise |
| hot up | heat up |
| house full | sold out |
| how to use? | how do you use this? |
| I would be there | I will be there |
| I’ll just come | I’ll be right over |
| in a limbo | in limbo |
| intimated, justified | said (in news stories) |
| ironical | ironic |
| is no more | has died |
| issues | children |
| I-T | income tax |
| jama karna (to add) | to leave a bag in bag check |
| khade land pe dhoka / KLPD (jilting an erect dick) | to jilt, to leave hanging |
| kindly | please |
| kya re | what’s up? |
| L | lakh |
| land up | arrive |
| lesser | lower |
| loss | making |
| maal | stuff, hot chick |
| mad | crazy, nuts |
| Maru | Marwari |
| medico, journo, politico | doctor, journie, politician |
| Mizo | from Mizoram |
| mofussil | provincial, rural |
| Monday closed | closed Monday |
| moot | float a plan |
| mow | mow down (prepositions are often dropped) |
| nakabandi (closed intersection) | police roadblock |
| on the back foot | caught unprepared, taken unawares |
| pao | bread bun (Portuguese) |
| parcel, takeaway | food to go |
| passed out | graduated |
| pavement dweller | homeless |
| powder | detergent |
| prepone | move a meeting earlier |
| pressurise | to pressure |
| prolificacy | prolificness |
| pseudogiri | fakery, b.s. |
| psuedo | fake |
| pulled up | criticized |
| rape for a year | to date, promise to marry and dump; retroactively considered rape |
| restobar | restaurant and bar |
| revert | reply |
| scheme | sale, apartment complex, plan, insurance fund |
| senti | sentimental |
| serial | soap opera |
| shift | move apartments |
| simplistic | simple |
| slangs | swearing |
| sop | investment incentive |
| soya | soy |
| specially | especially |
| speed breaker | speed bump |
| steal a long march | surpass |
| strangulated | strangled |
| swat | cram for exam |
| sweedish (sweet dish) | dessert |
| tell me | hello (commanding, like ¿DÃgame?) |
| tempo | delivery truck |
| tension kya? | don’t worry |
| thanggod | thank god |
| throw your weight | throw your weight around |
| tissue | napkin |
| tit-bit | tidbit |
| toilet pump | plunger |
| tom tom | brag about |
| touchwood | to wish for luck |
| tu tu main main (you you, me me) | he said, she said |
| turn turtle | flip, overturn |
| under the scanner | under the microscope |
| underworld | mafia |
| upliftment | anti-poverty |
| urhana (to make something fly away) | to kill |
| USP | unique sales proposition |
| very less | very little |
| what rubbish! | what crap! |
| what’s the funda (fundamental)? | what’s the deal? |
| where do you stay? | where do you live? |
| windcheater | windbreaker |
on Thursday, December 21st, 2006, 2:10 am in Bombay, Media, Musings › 
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I am not sure, but naka = intersection/crossroads. Hence Worli Naka , check naka etc. And so, naka bandh isnt ‘pinch nose’, but road block anyway. =)
BTW, do you know about ‘ off ho jana’?
give an exam /take an exam
maths / math
last comment. prommise . ;)
that’s quite a collection. fyi, several other sites have a list of bambaiyya words, including wikipedia.
Thanks guys. Sqlrnt, made the fix. What’s ‘off ho jana’?
room partner = roommate
We often used the short version - KLPD.
And instead of “dhokha”, we had “danda”
khade land pe danda :)
shudh hindi or just plain bambaiya hindi, I always thought that “bandobast” meant “preparation.” Forgive me if I am wrong.
What about that Monsoon Wedding classic,
‘Goodname’ ?
/ Christian name…
Or is that not Bombayite speak…
off ho jana / to die. =)
Since you are already in mumbai…check out these as well:
1. Ghanta
2. Batti lagana
3. Our relations
4. Gigri yaar
5. Jhakaas
btw, ‘naka’ can also mean hangout place in mumbaiyya.
Yep. Always knew Americans spoke all wrongly!
hey manish,
good stuff. one thing — in IE blast can also mean “a lot.” My cousin, for example, often says that she has “a blast of work to do.” :) — n
Manish,
Here are a few more:
Gimme a ring= Call me
aks or axe= ask
cousin brother/sister=cousin
fag=cigarette
bhedu= friend
off it= turn it off
on it=turn it on.
some more terms used in bombay colleges
Oye bhendi! = You fool
What you doing, men? = “What are you doing, man?” in bandraspeak
raapchik = hot chick (She’s one raapchik maal!)
despo = desperate
enthu = enthusiasm
fulltu = completely
mama/pandu = cop
taking load/taking tension = getting stressed out (”Don’t take load, boss!”)
sandra from bandra = used by townies to refer to suburban girls
townie = person staying in south bombay
andheri-ghatkopar = cross eyed person
stadium = bald guy with an encircling fringe of hair
chaar-ankh (four eyes)/kandeel (lantern) = person wearing glasses
kanda = onion
bajaoing = banging (”he’s bajaoing his neighbor’s wife”)
shag/shagga = masturbate (different from the British usage of the same word)
Dunno if it’s really Indian-English, but I feel a bit excited whenever my desh pals say, “Oh goood, he did such a BANG UP job on that.” It’s cute though.
someone told me “freak out” is used for “party.” like “let’s go freak out.”
i’ve also heard guru/shanti for guy/girl, but that was from some pau dude.
kids need to quit butchering the hell out of my beautiful language.
um, valerie, i think “bang up” is an american saying. :)
tell me about it. i cringe every time i hear a hindi song that goes something like, “love hai toxic, love ka passion.” LAME.
love this post and bombayisms..
Its fun to see how people in different regions mix and match words and make up new words with new meanings..
thanks Manish..
I think USP is Unique Selling Point