10 English words used only by Indians since
childhood days....
1.
Mother Promise
For ages, you
have always used this word without even knowing if it was a legit word, haven't
you? So we decided to burst your bubble! While the word 'promise' features in
the Oxford Dictionary, there's no mention of 'mother promise'. Surprised?
Wondering how 'mother promise' came into being. It's the literal English
translation of 'ma kasam' or 'aai shapath'. The next time you want to stand by
something you really mean, try using just 'promise'. You don't really need to
drag your mother into everything, do you?
2.
Cousin sister and cousin brother
According to
the Oxford Dictionary a 'cousin' is a child of one's uncle or aunt. And Grammar
Nazis would insist that the word 'cousin' does not need to be followed with
words like 'sister' or 'brother'. Did you know that 'cousin sister or cousin
brother' are words used only in India. The right way is just to say 'cousin'.
Wondering how you'd get to know their gender. Well, that's what names are for,
aren't they?
3.
Good name
When Indians
meet strangers, why do they ask the question, 'What's your GOOD NAME?' Every
parent or grandparent who has named the child, does it with a GOOD intention.
So there's nothing bad about a name. The next time you meet a stranger, you
could say 'What's your name?'
4.
Revert back
Now this one's
tricky! Because that's what you have been writing in e-mails, haven't you? Well
according to The Free Dictionary 'revert' means 'to reply to someone'. Why use
'revert back' when you can just say 'revert'?
5.
Rubber
In India the
'eraser' is also called 'rubber'! But in the rest of the world, 'rubber' is a
slang for 'condom'. Now it makes sense why your relatives and friends in
foreign countries complain that people there burst out laughing when they ask
for a 'rubber' instead of an 'eraser'.
6.
Picture
When was the
last time you mentioned that you were going to 'watch a 'picture'?' No one
really knows when 'picture' became synonymous with 'films' or 'movies' in
India. According to the Oxford Dictionary, 'picture' means a drawing or
painting. You could say 'I am going out to watch a movie or film'.
7.
Mention not
Isn't it funny
that every time someone thanks an Indian, they quickly turn around and say
'mention not'. We are still scratching our heads wondering how the word
originated and what it means. There are plenty of ways you can accept someone's
thanks.You can use any of the following:
You're welcome.
It's my pleasure.
That's alright.
No problem.
8.
Pass out
How is it that
every Indian graduating from college is passing out? Confused? Let's tell you
the difference. When you are really drunk and become unconscious, you 'pass
out'. But when you refer to a successful completion of a course or training,
you use the word 'graduate'.
9. Cheatercock
We all have
used this word in our childhood. Once, twice, thrice…we have lost count of the
number of times we called someone a 'cheatercock'! But ever wondered what does
the word mean? We are still wondering! According to the Oxford Dictionary,
cheater is a person who acts dishonestly in order to gain advantage. Won't it
be sufficient if we just said 'cheater'?
10.
Would be
How would you
introduce your fiance?
Amit: Hello
uncle.
Uncle: Hello
Amit.
Amit: Uncle, I
would like to introduce you to my 'would be'.
Unfortunately
Amit doesn't know that 'would be' means nothing. If you want to introduce your
to-be bride then simply use 'fiancee'. How easy is that!
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