Part 36 (2/2)

free: Neel was much in love with this word and would have been glad to know that the Oracle had fully acknowledged it to be a derivation from the common Sanskrit and Hind. root priya ('dear' or 'beloved'). 'As for the truth of ”freedom” it will remain for -ever elusive until such time as it is wrested free of English; not till then will the fuller meaning of priya be restored to it.'

fulanajib (Roebuck): Flying-jib. See dol .

fuleeta-pup (*The Glossary): 'A consummer's mishearing of ”fritter-puff ” that found its way into the lexicon against all odds.'

gabar (*Roebuck): Skysc.r.a.per or sky-sail. See dol.

gadda gudda gadha / gudder (*The Glossary): 'Why is it that when the sahib borrows a Hind. zoological term, it is only for the purposes of abuse? It is, of course, impossible to deny that gadha is often used in Hind. to mean ”fool”, but it is true also that the a.s.s is the familiar of the Lord of Mysteries, Vishwakarma. Ooloo/ullu, similarly, may well sometimes be used to mean ”fool”, but who can forget that the owl is also the familiar of the G.o.ddess Lakshmi? As for bandar, it has none of the abusive implications of its English usage, being employed rather as a term of affection or endearment, in the sense of ”mischievous”.'

galee girley gali (*The Glossary): 'Oaths, obscenities; from which girlery, the equivalent of the Bengali gali-gola - pertaining to abuse'.

ganta/ghanta: 'Bell, from which Hind. ”hour”. But to ”ring your ganta” is considered girlery.'

gavi (*Roebuck): Topsail. See dol .

ghungta: See dooputty/dupatta.

girlery: See galee .

girmitiya: 'The genius of the Bhojpuri language,' writes Neel, 'derives this memorable term from the root girmit, which is a corruption of Eng. ”agreement” [or indenture]'.

G.o.down: See backshall .

gol-c.u.mra (*The Glossary): See c.u.mra.

gomusta/gomushta: 'For this mystery of the daftar there can be no simple definition, for he is to be seen discharging as many functions as can be said to exist in such a place: he writes accounts, he dumbcows, he gubbrows, he serves as a druggerman when needed. All that can be said of him with any certainty is that the t.i.tle could not come to him until he had gained the Burra Sahib's ear.'

goolmaul/gollmaul (*The Glossary): Neel took issue with Sir Henry's defi -nition of this word as 'mix-up': 'It is patently evident that this word was once merely Hind. slang for ”zero” (literally ”circular thing”). In this sense it referred originally to a conundrum or puzzle. It was only by extension that it came to mean ”mix-up”, but of late it has been so overburdened by this connotation that it is now generally used to signify an uproar, or a great fuss.'

goozle-c.o.o.nuh/goozul-khana (*The Glossary): See bobachee.

gordower (*The Glossary): 'A type of Bengal boat as ugly as its name.'

grag (*Roebuck): Grog, from which the term by which taverns were affectionately known: grag-ghars.

griblee (*Roebuck): Graplin, der. Eng.

griffin/griff: See pucka.

gubber (*The Glossary): 'That this bandooki coin bore a resemblance to the Hind. for ”cow-dung” gave it many added uses in the dufter, for the cranny could not be dumbcowed for saying to a Burra Sahib: ”Sir, may your pockets be weighed down with gubbers.”'

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