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Please note that some words can be used in more than one language.
This glossary is a work in progress; we are still adding words and phrases to it. If you have comments or corrections, send an email to the administrator.
To download the glossary to your computer, click here.
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A Glossary for Sacred Games
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| Aai |
Page 337 |
Marathi |
| Mother. |
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| aaiyejhavnaya, aaiyejhavnayi |
Page 132 |
Marathi |
| Motherfucker. |
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| Aaj ka Kanoon |
Page 923 |
Hindi |
| “The Law of our Times.” |
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| aaja gufaon mein aa |
Page 420 |
Hindi |
| This is a line from a song from the 2001 Hindi film Aks: “Come, come into the cave.” The next line is Aaja gunaah kar le — “Come, commit a sin.” |
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| aampapad |
Page 745 |
Hindi |
| "Leaves" of dried mango pulp; these can be stored for a long time and are eaten as a snack. |
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| aane wala pal |
Page 894 |
Hindi |
| Part of a line from a song from the Hindi film Gol Maal (“Fraud,” 1979): “The coming moment…” The full line is “The coming moment will also pass…” |
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| aatya |
Page 615 |
Marathi |
| Aunt. Father’s sister. |
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| Abhi na jao chhhod kar |
Page 657 |
Hindi |
This is a song from the Hindi film Hum Dono (“The Two of Us,” 1961).
The lyrics are:
Abhi na jao chhod kar, ke dil abhi bhara nahin
Abhi abhi to aai ho, bahar ban kar chayi ho.
Hawa zara mahak to le, nazar zara bahak to le
Ye shaam dhal to le zara, ye dil sambhal to le zara...
Main thodi der jee to loon, nashe ke ghoont pee to loon
Abhi to kucch kaha nahin, abhi to kucch suna nahin
Abhi na jao…
Which translates into:
Don’t go, don’t leave me, I haven’t yet had my heart’s fill.
You’ve just come, you’ve just settled in like the Spring.
Let the breeze become fragrant, let my eyes be dazzled,
let this evening sink into darkness, let my heart settle a little,
let me live a little, let me drink deep of this intoxication.
Nothing has been said yet, nothing has been heard.
Don’t go, don’t leave me... |
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| ACB |
Page 831 |
English |
| The Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Bombay police. Citizens can complain to the ACB about police corruption. The ACB often uses sting operations to snag corrupt officers. |
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| Achcha |
Page 406 |
Hindi |
| Okay. Yes. |
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| ACP |
Page 242 |
English |
| Assistant Commisoner of Police |
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| addah |
Page 853 |
Hindi |
| The division between two farms, consisting of a low raised embankment of soil. |
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| Adhyapika-ji |
Page 176 |
Hindi |
| A very formal way of addressing a teacher: “Respected teacher.” |
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| adrak |
Page 342 |
Hindi |
| Ginger. |
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| agarbatties |
Page 118 |
Hindi |
An agarbatti is an incense stick.
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| aish |
Page 539 |
Hindi, Urdu |
| Pleasure, fun. |
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| akha |
Page 539 |
Bombay slang |
| Full, absolute. |
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| akharas |
Page 548 |
Hindi |
Regiment. (Note that often the same word is also used for a traditional gymnasium.) |
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| almirah |
Page 166 |
Hindi |
| Cupboard. |
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| Ambabai |
Page 24 |
Marathi |
A goddess especially popular in Maharashtra.
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| amirs |
Page 841 |
Urdu |
| "Amir" was an aristocratic title given to commanders, governers, or rulers of provinces in pre-Independence India. The usage was especially common in the Mughal empire. |
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| angadia |
Page 33 |
Gujarati, Hindi |
| Traditional Indian courier. Angadia companies are often used by diamond merchants, who send their shipments with trusted angadias. Like many traditional Indian services, the angadia system operates solely on trust. |
| See http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?cat_id=441&art_id=7636. |
| angula |
Page 561 |
Sanskrit |
| Literally, a finger or a hand. Here, a measure of length. |
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| antra |
Page 14 |
Hindi |
A term from classical music for the introduction to the main body of the song. Note that this is different from the alap, which is not a part of the main body of the song. The antra may be repeated during the song itself.
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| API |
Page 0 |
English |
| Assistant Police Inspector. |
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| appam |
Page 526 |
Malayalam |
| A flat, pancake-like dish made from fermented rice. Native to Kerala. |
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| apradhi |
Page 76 |
Hindi |
Criminal, convict.
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| arab |
Page 782 |
Hindi, Urdu |
| In the Indian numbering system, equivalent to one billion. |
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| arabpati |
Page 761 |
Hindi |
| Someone who posseses one billion rupees. |
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| Arre chetti kar, dooty par jaana hai |
Page 896 |
Punjabi |
| This is a Punjabi phrase that would translate roughly into something like, “Hey, hurry up, I have to go to my duty.” The “duty” in question is the speaker’s police shift. In India, putting in a day of work is often referred to as “doing duty.” |
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| arthi |
Page 214 |
Hindi |
| Funeral byre on which a person is carried to the burning grounds. |
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| ashiana |
Page 162 |
Urdu |
| Literally, “nest.” |
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| atman |
Page 550 |
Hindi, Sanskrit |
| Soul. |
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| atta |
Page 112 |
Hindi |
| Flour. |
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| attar |
Page 776 |
Hindi, Urdu |
| Traditional fragrances or perfumes. |
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| Avadhi |
Page 153 |
Hindi |
| Prior to British rule, Avadh (also known as Oude) was a kingdom at the centre of what is now the modern state of Uttar Pradesh. After the British occupation, the area was subsumed into the United Provinces. |
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| Ay |
Page 572 |
Hindi, Marathi |
| An exclamation to attract somebody’s attention, “Hey.” |
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| baan |
Page 554 |
Konkani |
| A very large vessel or pot, made out of metal, to store and heat water in. |
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| baap |
Page 34 |
Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi |
| Father. |
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| baap re |
Page 154 |
Hindi |
| An exclamation, “O my father.” |
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| baba |
Page 74 |
Hindi |
| An affectionate way to address somebody. (Note that the same word can be used, depending on context, to mean “young child” or “old man.”) |
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| babul tree |
Page 853 |
Hindi |
| The Acacia nilotica tree. It can grow from 5 to 20 metres high. |
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| bachcha |
Page 56 |
Hindi |
| Child. |
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| badams |
Page 814 |
Hindi |
| Almonds. |
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| badboo |
Page 166 |
Hindi, Urdu |
| Bad smell. |
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| badmash |
Page 491 |
Hindi |
| A shady character, a bad man. |
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| badshah |
Page 113 |
Hindi, Urdu |
| Emperor. |
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| bai |
Page 11 |
Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi |
| A respectful title for women, but in Bombay it is often used to refer to maid servants, as in “the cleaning woman” would be “the bai who sweeps the house.” |
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