COLLOQUIAL TURN OF PHRASE - ANGLO-INDIANS IN THE OLDEN DAYS IN KGF

SOME NOSTALGIA: COLLOQUIAL TURN OF PHRASE IN THE OLDEN DAYS IN KGF 
(An excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE ) 

Here are some examples of  words and phrases that were quite commonly used by the folk in Kolar Gold Fields in the olden days. Many of us growing up in KGF during the 1950s and 60s,  were quite familiar with many of them. Enjoy these light hearted , nostalgic memories of colloquial turn of phrase

 Any one with big round eyes was said to have “Bolly Eyes’. The big black ants that came out during the rainy season were ‘Bully Ants’. Other insects including head lice were known as ‘Boochies’ and Garden lizards were ‘Blood Suckers’.

 Liquor or any alcoholic drink was known as ‘Grog’. The local illicit liquor was known as ‘Patte’ ‘Arrack’ or Sarai, Sticky Toffees were ‘Stick-Jaws’ or ‘cumaracuts’, and Money or currency was ‘Pice’

 The nerves and tissues in meat were ‘Jow’. Banana Chips were ‘Patagums’, Peanuts were ‘Jigg nuts’, and Bandicoots and rats were called ‘Bandigoats’.

 Female underwear or Panties were ‘Jungies’ and Boy’s underwear were ‘Jocks or Flying Foxes’. In case the rice got over cooked it became ‘kola kola’, and if the Pepper water or watery curry tasted bad or wasn’t tasty, then it ‘tasted like gutter water’.

 If someone spoke too much then he had a ‘Rubber Gob’.  If someone got startled suddenly, then he would be getting the ‘Fijacks’.

 When someone visited the Loo or toilet it would be that he was visiting ‘the last house to spend a penny’ or ‘No 1’, while “Big Job’ was ‘No 2’ or ‘Tidy’.

 Painting the house for Christmas would be ‘white washing the house’ even if it meant painting the house any other colour.

In case someone sneezed, they said ‘God Bless you’ or ‘Did the devil pinch your bottom?’ A horse cart or carriage was a “Bandy or Tonga” driven by the “Bandy Man”.

 When someone passed wind they said “he was tearing Long Cloth”, and wearing loose fitting clothes meant wearing “Dhola Dhola Clothes”

Mongrel Dogs or dogs of mixed breeds were called “Pie Dogs” or “Country Dogs”

Anyone using bad language was said to have a “Grog Shop Gob” and when someone  died it meant that “he or she kicked the bucket”

Anglo-Indian parents brought up their children to be respectful and helpful to elders. Every one was known as Aunty and Uncle. The young children would sometimes swallow their words while wishing the elders, and their ‘good evening Aunty’ and ‘good evening uncle’ would sound like ‘D’eening Aunty’ and ‘D’eening Uncle’!!!! They would stress on certain words often repeating the same word twice while talking. A good example would be ‘Hot, hot soup’, ‘Blow, blow and drink up’, ‘curly, curly hair’, etc. Most of the time they used the word ‘child’ or ‘man’ in every sentence or ended the sentence with the word ‘No or Na’

These are just some examples of their unique turn of phrase in the old days. This  colloquial way of speaking has since died out.