1998 P.S. Sharma Times of India (Jan. 17) “In Praise of Chamchagiri”: No doubt, the British also had their sycophants—toadys, bachhas, jholichuks and hukkabardars—but chamchas of the modern vintage they had none. Chamchas are a breed apart. A chamcha, verily is more than a favourite. He is a catalytic agent to activate the Sahib’s ego and cloud and obfuscate his thinking.I know about toady-bachchas and hukkabardars, but what on earth is a jholichuk? A quick Internet search suggests this is a derogatory term for Sikhs who collaborated with the Raj, but I haven't found a proper definition or explanation of the word's origin.
Via Laudator Temporis Acti, a quote from Iris Origo’s Leopardi: A Study in
Solitude: His interest in his own language, which had begun during his
philologi...
2 comments:
Thanks for the link, and good luck on the site! Just a small note, though: while I work for Oxford University Press, I do not work on the Oxford English Dictionary. My main effort goes towards the Historical Dictionary of American Slang.
Mistake became, as they say in my part of the world. Have corrected the entry.
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