Ketti Slang Words by Ajit & Romesh Mani

Ajit & Romesh mani started this list...

1. Bubbed - Pregnant (including developed foetuses in birds eggs)
2. Bugout - Garden Lizard (One of my classmates, Everette Johnson was called Bugout because he had bulging eyes!)
3. Cadging - Begging for food, "Give us some, man"
4. Coaster - Term used (by Anglo Indians with English names) to describe Eurasians (with Portuguese names like D'Cruz, D'Souza etc. from West Coast of India) Never did hear this one during my time - '55-'64 (RM)
5. Dame - Girl, Girl-friend (who is your dame?)
6. Defaulter - When points were minused for bad behaviour or low marks. Defaulters got punishments like intensive labour, caning. The dreaded "Defaulters Book" was used by teachers and staff to ensure good behaviour
7. Drainpipes - Trousers circa 1960, which measured 11" at the ankle
8. Fag - Prefects' orderlies, who carried their macs, polished their shoes. Also another name for cigarettes
9. Flicks - Breeks pucca English for early films which used to "flicker"
10. Gooseberry - a go-between used to send overtures to a girlfriend or boyfriend, love-letters
11. Gunjing - Originally a term from playing Tops where you damaged another's top with the sharp spike on your top - sometimes even breaking a top, but also used for sexual intercourse
12. Kottu - from Tamil: To give someone a hit on the head with your knuckles
13. Mooching - Kissing, "amorous dalliance"
14. Paappaan Food - the food served in the "Vegetarian Mess" in school circa 60's. Indian Breakfast, Curries etc.
15. Sixer, thick - 'Thick' for the one inch slice of bread we got, Sixer (theoretically 6" but more realistically 3"), the crust which prefects got I think this was supposed to be "six fingers"!(RM)
16. Spuds, Spud-mash - Potatoes, Potato Mash
17. Switching ("He got switched") - Caning
18. Wog - Derogatory term for Indians, from Gollywog. Westernised Oriental Gentleman.(RM)
19. Apple-pie bed - To fold the cover sheet under the blanket so your feet get stuck midway
20. Blanket tossing - Punishment, when someone got tossed on a blanket (usually in Inter-dorm), high enough to hit the ceiling
21. Deadly bowling by Sobers - Expression for "Excellent", "Outstanding" (from name of W.Indies Cricketer)
22. Don't show your breed, man - Admonishment from one Anglo Indian to another when reverting to 'native' behaviour or speech... very often the word 'breed' pronounced "breedh"
23. Four and a half - Private parts - 4½ spans from top of your head down - Dorcas, Oldham Ayah used to say, "Wash your four and 'ap") Wash your "fores" & "afts".(RM)
24. Got Geech in your lugs? - Grease in your ears - If someone didn't hear what you said
25. Goththay Bandhi - Almost certainly originated as a derogatory term for Badagas, from Kannada "Gotthu"=know and "Bandhen"=came, but later applied to anyone considered to be sloppy... He's a bloody "goth".
"Big gothay" - big log of shit!(RM)
26. Gunner weather - Windy weather in Aug-September when Euky trees got whipped around
27. Hot Stuff - Fried S.Indian snacks like bondas, vadas, bajis
28. Luckote Place - A nest where you hid Luckotes for ripening. Luckotes were also called "wild olives" Loquat(RM)
29. On the lut - To get an erection
30. Pile on - For a gang to bash up an unsuspecting victim, sometimes throwing a mac over his head
31. Poppy-day - "Monthly curse" for girls
32. Run the gauntlet - Punishment, when defaulters had to run between the beds in a dorm while they got beaten with pillows
33. Stone-age - Physical body pains experienced by boys who were maturing into men
34. Take a plug - Take a bite (of a pear, for example)
35. Spajjy (spaggy?) - common sparrow
36. Jivic - Java Sparrow (the grey and black Javanese Finch)
37. Bullick - bul-bul
38. Jacks - jackals
39. Cumbly Boochies - hairy caterpillars
40. Wood Boochies - black beetles found in decaying tree stumps - used for nipping the ear lobes.
41. Bundoos - any beetle like insect (from the Tamil/Malayalam word "wandu".)
42. Bandy, Bandy Cart - any hand pulled/pushed trolley (From T/M "vandi")
43. Belly busters - fruit from a wild creeper resembling passion fruit, with thinner shell that made a pleasant 'popping' noise when you threw it at someone - not necessarily pleasant for the one who got hit!
44. Four Eyes - guy/gal wearing specs.
45. Down the Banks - to go into the wooded areas. (Never heard anybody say "going up the banks"!)
46. Cloddoppers - (from 'cloud hoppers'?) - big, loose fitting, noise making shoes.
47. Pothole - (from pot hole?) any pit, hole on the sole of shoe, hole in socks, underwear etc.
48. Jocks - (from jock straps?) gents/boys underwear - briefs.
49. Ball splitters - gents/boys underwear - boxer shorts type.
50. Hitler's Ball Splitters - same as above - very tight though. (Torture apparatus devised by Hitler?)
51. Knicks - girls' undies (knickers)
52. Cloggers - hill guava with high pectin content could cause constipation/clogging if eaten in excess.
53. Breaking the ice - first guy to jump into freezing water of cubs/old boys dam.
54. Going Bareballs - swimming with no swim trunks/undies on.(Guys only - don't know the feminine equivalent for this.)
55. Booksed - to book something - to get the next turn. ("I booksed the next go!")
56. Cogsed (same as above) - what the origin of this is, is anyone's guess.
57. Yarn up - modern equivalent could be "bullshitting" - showing off or acting up.
58. Feeling Frisky eh? - ticking off someone who's acting spry/fresh.
59. Yapping eh? talking too much? Usually a warning before a senior put his fist into your mouth!
60. Squijjy (Squiggy) - Squirrel.
61. Kamris - Kamrikuts - Small, marble-sized sweet made from jaggery and coconut? supposedly rolled in the arm-pits.
62. Pal Kottais - dumpling-like pudding served up in SGH in the days of yore. Possibly made with rubber latex, plaster of paris and sugar to taste.
63. Diving - nothing to do with swimming - it's taking a generous/unduly large helping when someone offers to share their jam or pickle or condensed milk or any other tuck.
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Vandana Indramohan
64. Don't Jaal ok!!! - meaning Don't Lie ok!!..haha
July 17, 2009
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Suresh Rajarethinam
65. Cloggers- a fruit found down the banks
66. Toe jam - a smelly pair of socks
67. Ponging - Whose socks is ponging with toe jam
August 1, 2009
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Elizabeth Khan
68. Jose cut - a particular kind of up handed swipe starting from the base of the neck and going all the way up. Invented and perfected by Mr. Jose. ( i forget what he taught )
69. Sighting - Checking out a girl / gal who intent to date.
70. Skivving - licking a bottle or jar or bowl clean. eg.: i skivved the jam bottle.
August 23, 2009
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Elizabeth Khan
71. Cadging - a term used for someone who is maska maroing someone with lots of tuck or a new spiffy video game.
August 23, 2009
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Gopalakrishnan Sankaran
72. Keep K.V - a term used to tell someone to act as a look out .K.v stood for keep vigilance
73. Jacked - to be caught by a staff when you are doing something you shouldnt do
74. Jam bottle broke
75.Soaking - saying something stupid but funny
76.Kadugu- beingmiserly , Mr Raghavan's nickname cuz he always used to give quarter and three quarter marks
September 21, 2009
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Beena Nair
Don't gup! = Don't lie
November 30, 2009