From Catch-22: a novel by Joseph Heller - A situation marked by contradiction, absurdity, or paradox, where a solution is impossible to achieve. In this World War II novel, an air force regulation states that a man is to be considered insane if he is willing to continue to fly dangerous missions. To be relieved of such duties all he has to do is ask. But one who makes such a rational request shows that he is, in fact, sane.
Ask members of the public what they think about street sellers, and the most virtuous will respond that they should be banned from the city streets. Yet the sellers do a roaring business and could not do so unless their goods and services met a substantial public need.
Oxymoron: A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence and a mournful optimist. Plastic lemons, Electric candles, Rubber bones for dogs, Floating soap, China eggs to persuade hens to lay, Solid water (ice), Bricked-up windows, Artificial grass, Wax fruit, Invisible ink, Glass hammers, Solid wooden bottle moulds
Telugu words in English: 1)Bandicoot is the name for the Indian mammal Bandicota indica, or "bandicoot rat". This animal is actually quite unrelated to the Australian marsupial known as the bandicoot, but the early Australian colonists thought that the Australian animal bore some resemblance to its Indian namesake - and the name stuck. 2) Bandi a horse drawn carriage.
Hindi and Urdu words used in English:
Avatar: from Sanskrit avataar meaning "incarnation."
Bandanna from Bandhna, to tie a scarf around the head.
Bangle from Bāngṛīa type of bracelet.
Brahmin member of Hindu caste a traditional priest
Bazaar - market
Calico from calicut, meaning "a coarse cotton cloth with a bright printed pattern".
Cheetah from cītā, meaning "variegated".
Chit from Chitthi, a letter or note.
Chutney from chatni, "to crush"
Cot from Khāt, a portable bed.
Cummerbund from kamarband , cf. कमरबन्द - Urdu کمربند, meaning "waist binding"
Cushy from khushi, cf. Hindi ख़ुशी - Urdu خوشی "easy, happy, soft" [ultimately from Persian]
Dacoit from Dakait, meaning a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder.
Dekko (UK slang for 'a look') from Dekho, the imperative 'look', (دیکھو देखो ) meaning look at or study something.
Dharma from Dharma, meaning righteous duty.
Dharna meaning a mode of compelling payment or compliance, by sitting at the debtor's or offender's door until the demand is complied with. (this is more used by political agitators than by debtors or debtees now.)
Guru from Guru, A teacher, instructor, intellectual or spiritual guide or leader, any person who counsels or advises; mentor. e.g. "The elder senator was her political guru."
Gymkhana A term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place and referred to any of various meets at which contests were held to test the skill of the competitors.
Juggernaut : from Jagannath (Sanskrit: जगन्नाथ jagannātha), a form of Vishnu particularly worshipped at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa where during Rath Yatra festival thousands of devotees pull temple carts some 14m (45 feet) tall, weighing hundreds of tons through the streets. The word became a metaphor for something immense and unstoppable because of institutional or physical inertia; or impending catastrophe that is forseeable yet virtually unavoidable because of such inertia.
Jungle from jangal, another word for wilderness or forest.
Karma from Karma , meaning acts or deeds.
Khaki: from khākī "of dust colour, dusty, grey", cf. Hindi ख़ाकी - Urdu خاکی [ultimately from Persian].
Kama from Kām , meaning god of love, act of sex.
Loot from Loot meaning 'steal'.
Monsoon: he Arabic word for season, mawsin, spelt mausam in Hindi is the origin of the word monsoon due to their annual appearance.
Pundit from Pandit, meaning a learned scholar or Priest.
Pukka (UK slang: "genuine") from Pakkā ,پکا cooked, ripe, solid.
Pyjamas from Hindi, (paijaamaa), meaning "leg garment"
Roti from Hindi and Urdu روٹی roti "bread"; akin to Prakrit rotta "rice flour", Sanskrit rotika "kind of bread"
Shampoo from chāmpo is the imperative of chāmpnā "to smear, knead the muscles, massage" (the scalp massage with some kind of oily or treacly mixture just before a bath).
Verandah courtyard
Yoga A traditional physical and mental discipline originating in India..
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