Burmese Days Glossary 4

1. Shok de  Untrustworthy  (Burmese)

2. Thugyi  Headman  (Burmese)

3. Ingyi  Long sleeved shirt  (Burmese)

4. Jaldi  Quick, fast  (Indian)  Chapter 23: "To the station, jaldi!"

5. Wallah  (in combination) person in charge of or employed at a particular thing (e.g. book-wallah)    Chapter 23: "grass-wallahs"

6. Min Gyi  Term of respect (Burmese)  Chapter 22: "We have no quarrel with you, min gyi", Burmese man to Mr Macgregor 

7. Puttee  Bandage for a covering for the lower part of the leg from the ankle to the knee  (Indian)  Chapter 22: "Their pagris were gone and their puttees were trailing yards behinds them, but they had no damage worse than bruises."

8. Pagri  Cloth worn wrapped around the head or headdress Chapter 22: "It was the Military Police subahdar, a Rajput, very fat, moustachioed, with his pagri gone.";

9. Subahdar  Indian officer of a company of sepoy

10. Rajput  Highly dominant and renowned royal warrior caste

Burmese Days Glossary 3

1. Thakin Master (Burmese). Eg Chapter 9: "She turned a face full of fury and despair towards Flory, screaming over and over, 'Thakin! Thakin! Thakin! Thakin! Thakin!' 

2. Salaam  A very low bow; literally "peace"  (Arabic)

3. Maidan  An open space in or near a town

4. Pariah  Very low caste; outcast

5. Memsahib European woman spoken to or of by Indians

6. Kit-kit  Nagging (Indian) Eg Chapter 9: "But I would sooner serve ten years under Colonel Wimpole sahib than a week under a memsahib with her kit-kit."

7. Tuktoo  Lizard Chapter 4: "A tuktoo clung to the wall, flat and motionless like a heraldic dragon."

8. Paso Burmese item of clothing. Eg  Chapter 25: "There were Burmese officials in blazing Mandalay pasos, and Indians in cloth-of-gold pagris, and British officers in full-dress uniform ..."

9. Durbar  Ceremonial court assembly full of pomp and circumstance 

10. Sowar  Private soldier of the Indian cavalry  (Indian)  

Burmese Days Glossary 2

1. Chokra Young man, boy "The invisible chokra who pulled the punkah rope outside was falling asleep in the glare."

2. Eheu! fugaces labuntur anni Alas! our fleeting years pass away (Latin) "Ah well, eheu fugaces! Those days are gone for ever, I am afraid."

3. Havildar British Indian Army rank equivalent to Sergeant, next above Naik (Indian)

4. Bo-kadaw A white man's wife (Burmese)
5. Machan  A safety platform in a tree used when hunting big animals such as tigers and leopards Indian)

6. Catlap Milk or weak tea, "only fit for the cat to lap" (English)

7. Dudh Milk? (Indian)

8. Talab Payment; wages? (Burmese?) "...wail something about his 'talab', which was eighteen rupees a month."

9. Civis Romanus sum I am a Roman citizen (Latin) "Good gracious, no one would believe anything against ME. Civis Romanus sum. I'm an Englishman - quite above suspicion."

10. Durwan A live-in doorkeeper (Indian)

(Also Pax Britannica The British Peace (Latin); Pukka Genuine; authentic (Indian) B.F. Bloody Fool? (English) "With the curious air of spite that some men can put into their tiniest action, he re-pinned the notice on the board and pencilled a tiny, neat 'B. F.' against Mr Macgregor's signature.")

Burmese Days Glossary 1

I'm currently reading George Orwell's Burmese Days. He uses quite a few unfamiliar terms. Here are a number from Chapter 1

1. Dak Bungalow - A traveller's rest-house (for a postal service)

2. Topi - A light-weight hat

3. Sahib European man spoken to or of by Indians

4. Burra Great, used as title of respect; e.g. Burra sahib: important official, manager, chief. (Indian)

5. Pwe Burmese dance (Burmese)

6. Punkah Large fan consisting suspended from the ceiling

7. Longyi/Longyi Coolie  Sheet of cloth worn around the waist/Unskilled labourer (Burmese)

8. Dah Large knife with curved blade?

9. Sepoy Private soldier of the Indian infantry

10. Mali Gardener

(Also Rickshaw Two-wheeled cart for one passenger; pulled by one person; Dacoit Armed robber)

10 Italian musical terms

1. Calando (getting softer, dying away)
2. Giocoso (playful, humorous)
3. Incalzando (getting quicker)
4. Legato (smoothly)
5. Ostinato (persistent)
6. Rallentando (gradually getting slower)
7. Rubato (with some freedom of time)
8. Sforzando (forced, accented)
9. Stringendo (gradually getting faster)
10. Volti subito (turn the page at once)

Purfle, purfling

1. To finish with an ornamental border.

2. to decorate (a shrine or tabernacle) with architectural forms in miniature. noun

3. Also called purfling. an ornamental border, as the inlaid border near the outer edge of the table and back of a stringed instrument.