Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Thursday Trivia + Friday Fiesta May 2009




This section covers few Indian colloquial words which made it into the English Dictionary.

Dekko (dek-oh): (British slang) From the Hindi word dekho, meaning a look or a glance.

Sentry (sen-tree): From the Hindi word santri, an armed guard.

Godown (goh-doun): From the Tamil word kodangu, a warehouse for goods and merchandise

Sentry (sen-tree): From the Hindi word santri, a soldier stationed at a place to stand guard and prevent the passage of unauthorized persons.


This section covers the origin of certain words.

boy-cott (boi-kot)

Meaning:

Verb: To abstain from buying or using

The word boycott entered the English lexicon courtesy Captain Charles Boycott, an estate agent who was subject to social ostracism organized by a few tenant farmers in 1880. In September that year, they demanded from Boycott a substantial reduction in their rents. He not only refused but also evicted them from the land. One of the agitators suggested that rather than resorting to violence, everyone in the locality should refuse to deal with him. Despite the short-term economic hardship to those undertaking this action, Boycott soon found himself isolated—his workers stopped work in the fields and stables, as well as the house. Local businessmen stopped trading with him, and the local postman refused to deliver mail. Within weeks Boycott's name was everywhere. It was used by The Times in November 1880 as a term for organized isolation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott



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