Glossary of terms in poetry by Rudyard Kipling
A poem by Rudyard Kipling
Aa—or - Cahors?Aggy Chell - get ahead
abby-nay - Not now
arder - And a half
aasvogel - Vulture
babul - Acacia
bairagi - Wandering holy man
band karo - locked up
Bandar - Monkey
bat - talk
Beebee Miriam - the Virgin Mary
biltong - dried meat
Blue Fuse - Extreme range
boorga - Hurricane
bottle-khana - Pantry
Bukhshi's - The Commander in chief.
bul-bul - Nightingale
burra-khana - dinner
Burra Sahib - a big man
Burra Sahib Bahadur - a very big man indeed
bursati - A skin disease of horses
bust - Three days leave
C.B. - Confined to barracks
Chota Bursat - the early rains
Churel - The ghost of a woman who has died in childbirth
C.I.E. - A Companionship of the order of the Indian Empire.
C.S.I. - The order of the Star of India
dâk - Stage of a journey — To travel by dak – to travel by relays of palanquins or other carriage, as fast as the post along a road.
dammer - Native sealing-wax
darwaza band - doors closed, ‘not at home’
dasturi - bribes
De Contemptu Mundi - Hymn No. 226, A. and M., ‘The world is very evil.’
dhoni - native boat
Docking and Dowsing - Shoal lights on the East Coast.
Dop - Cape brandy
duftar - Office
ferash - Tamarisk
ghora láo - bring my horse
guddee - Throne
haramzadas - scoundrels
Harry By - Mr. Atkins's equivalent for "O brother."
hazar-ho - Wait a bit
hog-darn - Cigar-lighter
hokee-mut - very drunk
holluschickie - The young seal
hoppin’ - Hop-picking
Hum deckty hai - I’m looking out.
Imshee kelb - Get out, you dog.
jemadar-sais - Head-groom
jingal - Native cannon
juldee - Be quick
jutis - shoes
kaa-pi chay-ha-yeh - copy wanted
kafilas - Caravans
kala juggahs - cosy corners
kanats - canvas
karela - A wild melon.
kikar - Wayside tree
kitmutgars - Waiters
khansamah - Butler
khud - hillside
koïl - The Indian bell-bird
kul - To-morrow
L.G. - Lieutenant-Govenor
malliel - The cemetery gardener
marrow - Hit you
matkas - She-seals
Maun Nihâl Seyn - Mount Nelson (?)
maxima debetur pueris reverentia - The greatest respect is due to young persons
Mlech - The foreigner
Mukht-i-Fauj - Salvation Army
mussick - Water-skin
musth - Mad
Nikhal Seyn - Nicholson, a gentleman once of some notoriety in India.
Non hoc semper erit liminis aut aquae caelestis patiens latus - ‘This side will not always be patient of rain and waiting on the threshold.’
Number Threes - Horse-holders when in action, and therefore generally under cover.
Oont - Camel: oo is pronounced like u in "bull", but by Mr. Atkins to rhyme with "front".
pagal - idiot
panee lao - Bring water swiftly
peg - Whisky and soda
pêt - stomach
Pharisee - A fairy
samadh - A memorial
sat-bhai - Indian Starlings
Screw-Gun - A light artillery piece, made in two parts with the muzzle being screwed into the breech. This allowed the parts of the the gun to be light enough to be carried on mules into inaccessible areas.
see-catchie - The male seal
Sheristada - Clerk of the court
shikarred - Hunted
shroff - Money-lender
simpkin - Champagne
skoff - Food
slingers - bread soaked in tea
Suleiman and Aflatoun - Solomon and Plato
talao - Pond or lake
Thamesfontein - London
Thuu - Literally, a rotted out tree-stump
tonga-bar - Bar of the old fashioned curricle that took men up to Simla before the railroad was made.
thanca - Police station
thirteen-two - Polo-pony
tikka dhurzie - hired tailor
Trek jou - Get ahead
tulsi - The Holy Basil
Upsaras - The Choosers of the Slain.
Voorloopers - Leading horseman of the enemy
V.P.P. - Value Payable Parcels Post: in which the Government collects the money for the sender.