A Guide to the Street Language of Karachi

Re: # 1
yes u are rite, i was also looking forward to some more and REAL street gaalis...
like
Poonka....
Tuchal hai aik daam....
Topay pay charh......
Tanta hilata rahay ga kiya....
G pay laad pari too....

and many many more......Huhhh

knowledge to me:)

Taking karna/ Lae laina: To dis.
L karana (And `L` saying the alphabet.): Give the could shoulder, no-lift type scene.

well you have missed many.
i would like to point to one of the most magnanimous of the words .. `BHARAM``. i have seen the emergence of this term, which is just awesome. you can use it virtually anywhere using an appropriate suffix or prefix, the most commonly used are
`Bharam bazi`: Be it an ostentatious display of your wealth, your physique or PR etc, you do baharam bazi when you tell your friends about your rich relative or when you tell /a lie about your certifications to your interviewer or when you bully someone with any of the above qualities. even now you can call me doing bharam bazi in this link, showing off my knowledge of khi street lingo.

`bharam tight pateela khali: analogous to old urdu idiom:` oonchi dukan peekha pakwan``.

Jharkhand is a new state in India. It`s in the east, surrounded by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. It was part of Bihar earlier and came into existence on November 15. 2000(I think... )

rashmiekka:

You know what, it actually really makes sense. Karachi shares more of its language with India than it does with the rest of Pakistan (read: Punjab). We are Muhajirs and brought the Indian language with us. In fact the Punjabis still consider us as Indians and call us ``hindustanis``.

Anyways, there are a few other words phrases whose origins I`d like to know:

bharam chodna: buhat zyada bharam dikhana

choda: difficult to explain....hmmm....means something like being related to someone or tries to be someone he/she`s not (it`s a very crude definition, but that`s the best I could do) Example: if someone tries to do tricks with a basketball (and is not too good at it) you might say ``abay o michael jordan kay choday insaan bun``

chhaNRa / chhaNRi: boyfriend/girlfriend

dimagh ki dahi banana

Lastly, rashmiekka, is Jharkhand a state or a city, and where in India is it?

reservoirDOG:
Pawwa, Kutna, Katana, Bharam are all used in Jharkhand, India too.
And most of the rest are used here too, but in slightly different contexts.

*** This post contains profanity and may be offensive to some people. You`ve been warned.***

An interesting article I must say. Heck, any article on Karachi would do me proud :)

Anyways, having lived in Punjab and Karachi, and being one of the most prolific cussers people have seen, I think I`ll just give my two cents.

Firstly, most things have been incorrectly regarded as Karachi slangs. True they are spoken in Karachi, but so are they everywhere else too. Especially the pharo/phatna/pharna family of words. It`s just short for g@nd phatna and its other variants. Nothing too Karachi-esque about it. In fact most cuss words are spoken all over Pakistan and India so you people need to have a good knowledge before labelling something as Karachispeak. There are regional differences though. There`s this endless religious debate between Punjabis and Karachiites as to is it lun or lund. Both think they are correct, so I just say we put in that extra `d` as a sign of our larger size. :)

Coming back to Karachi lingo, it`s basically originated in Lalokhet/Liaquatabad (I think it`s the same are) and is attributed to lower-class Muhajirs. This may go some way in explaining why there is so much stigma attached to it. But I guess Umar Sharif added more words to Karachi lingo than any other person`s added to any other lingo. But his words have usually been a fad and soon become passé. One words of his that has stuck around:

Pawwa: means `Parchi`/`Jack` (which i am not too sure are Karachi-only word or not). It means to use a ``source`` to get a job.

Ok, now for a few words that haven`t yet been mentioned:

Kutna: Leave (Mujhe bara bajay tuk kutna hai/Yaar woh buhat juldi kut lia/)

Katana(a cousin of Kutna): To not include someone(G@ndu kay bachay, tu nay mujhay party say kata dia)

Bharam: I know, I know, everybody uses it but their usage lacks the versatility that we have.

Pithi pack hona: Be in a bad situation.

LPC: Lund pe chur, meaning things like ``don`t give a fark`` / ``fark off``. Fark in itself is a euphemism for a well-known four letter word (nothing to do with Karachi, but I just thought I would mention).

GPL: G@nd pay laat - self-explanatory

TPL: Tatto pay laat - self-explanatory

Toi/choot/khus/g@nd lugna: The feeling you have after taking an exam :)

Toi/choot/khus marna: same meaning as g@nd marna - I guess a few people were starting to get bored with the rear-door escapade and are now trying to ``maar`` the front hole :)

Party scene: Binging (aaj raat ka party scene on hai)

Many many more............................

Disclaimer: Having spend my time in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad I haven`t heard most of these galis/slangs much outside Karachi, but if anyone of you feels that it`s not the case, do correct me, as I don`t want a non-Karachi word to be labelled Karachispeak.

“Salay”

The most non potent slang which is common place in the street and men have been known to use in the presence of female company. The other meaning of this word is used to address the brother in laws. If it has arisen over the annals of history as contempt for brothers in law, I do not know.

This word has become commonplace, but the original intent was to use it as a profanity. Calling someone Sala or Salay implying that the person had slept with the others sister.

“Tanagay utha Dayna”

This is basically used to connote someone doing something to someone else that ended in them being sorted or the other party to get what they deserve. Again I am confused as to the exact premise of this phrase.

The premise of this phrase comes from its literal meaning of lifting up a persons legs, with the idea being that legs are lifted up to screw the person. The connotation here being that someone is going to get royally screwed.

Bhainjochud: Sister fucker in a sindhi accent. This meaning is slightly off the ball as the literal translation is ``your sister`s cunt``

re #63
Bhaiya jang, tum pehle chowki nikle jise hamare nom de chowk ka source pata hai. Waise to yahan India ke aise angrezidaan aate hain ki koi mastram ke moulik sahitya se parichit nahin hai. Aapki tirsath number mein ishara shayad purvi uttar pradesh ki taraf tha na ki pashchimi. Varanasi mein holi ke purva ek adad kavi ko mahamurkhadhiraj ke samman se bhi sushobhit kiya jaata hai.

Very interesting. But being the pappoo (interchangeable with Chikna; it can also be a simpleton) grammarian that you`re, you`ve failed to do justice to this vast subject. These are ones that are generally used in the presence of the gentler sex.

In any case, let me share whatever insights that I can offer:

Ghanta : A polite Fuck Off. Also used as a crude indication of your pee pee.

Gashtor/Gashti : According to the Lugat, an unmarried woman of questionable character, but applicable to all females who don`t conform to the standards set by Mailas.

Ghailchodya: A funny memoni diss, meaning Fucked up in the head. (I guess)

Seal Pack : Virgin

Patakha : Sexually attractive.

Session lagana: Bunch of guys, smoking weed or drinking alcohol, and cracking up on crude jokes.

Scoring : Going to a dealer for buying weed/pot/hash.

Bhainjochud: Sister fucker in a sindhi accent.

Yan to dey: Another sindhi favorite, meaning something like ``i want your arse.``

PhunnoKhan: Phunno refers to dick, khan is the aggressive pathan. Attributed to one who is all talk and no action.

Mamou : The MunnaBhaiMBBS Syndrome. At the match even, there was a KFC banner which said ``Mammoo boley tu``. Call anyone and everyone.

Oh, actually, I`ll stop. I can go on with this forever and ever. How we had gali-galoch competitions from grade 5 to grade 7. How creativity was manifested in an unexpected manner.

Anyone who wants to go down nostalgia lane, is welcome. Heh.

And some shrewed observations were shared by the interactors. #29, I concur.

Oh, and although I had read that multi-purposeness of fuck mail before, I still enjoyed it.

Cheers.

Abay yeh baRa bumbaaT artikal market meiN aaya hai (T) ..(do thumbs up ikaans vurk here? ) ...

chalo phir add my favorite: ``bunD thaaniN Lahore disna``
In summer: ajj te ainna taa(heat) lagga ke TaTTay lamak ke bhoN(zameen) nu lagg gaye. somewhat scientifically correct.

pardaisi #66 If a woman wishes to join in on her own in that is fine. All I was commenting on was your calls to women posters by name to join in. That is going a bit over the line, dont you think?

Anyway, dont let me spoil the fun. Lets hear a few more good ones before this board is history.

#65 by tahmed32

maybe it is not a matter of free time, its a matter of treating all equally. I know the mindset of desi man, we do not (generally speaking, not me) subject our women to the same standard of conversation as we would with guys. It is ok for desi to use profanity among guys but oh no dont you dare do it in front of desi women.....why ? last I checked desi wome wants to walk next to a man, so deal with what we deal with in real world. Why keep it clean, if it offends her dont read! its that simple.

It is ok to post tons of messages on Indo-Pak or religion but not on articles like this? I think it is the hypocrisy of asian men, we think if we use vulgar language with our women it will make her vulgar with others.......

pardaisi #64 you write ``where are frequent (female) interactors.....I wonder why is that ? ``

Aside from the fact that not everybody has as much time to kill as I do (for example)...I think the nature of the discussion here is hardly fit for mixed company anyway (and I am beginning to feel sorry I tossed in a few myself). Lets try to keep it a bit clean, and maybe your wishes will be answered!!


PS: Be glad we dont have Jay here. :-)

#62 by rashmiekka

One can never be sure by user name but taking the name for its face value it looks like most are men. Among 63 interactions so far, you posted twice and once by someone, as you mentioned in your post, that makes women posts for this arcticle less than 2% of total 63.

where are frequent interactors.....Farzana Versey, Sadna, Beena, Saminasha, Sobia, ZahraJ, Rozaiba, and not to forget the goddess.

I wonder why is that ?

#59 by pardaisi

Biharis-western UP has the most prolific literature which indulges in these topics. There is a very popolar psudo-nym author called ``MastRam`` with hundreds of short-stories and poetry volumes. Unfortunately, you cannot order it online. Anyone knows if I can get it on-line please tell me.

In Benares, on the eve of Holi, there is a poetry competetion held open-air on the banks of Ganges, called the lund-sammelan. Many major hindi-urdu poets create special poetry for this occasion and present it to the crowds high on Bhang. I dont know if its promoted by the UP Tourism Board.. but with the new thaw in indo-pak, some of our karachi brethren can show up, and replenish their stock while bringing their own flavor.

i must say this article isn`t half bad! and i`ve been known to use a lot of phrases the author explained. a job well done!

Pardaisi- I think another girl apart from me did make some contribution in the first few posts.

Tahmed- The emphasis was more on the various weird pronunciations of STUD, rather than the word itself.

urstruly #56 The grammatically correct term is indeed ``phultroo``, as any rangruit (another word with english roots, namely ``recruit``) can verify (and originally ``pull through``). And ``Phurthru`` or ``Phunthru`` (as pardaisi advises) are indeed regional corruptions of this fine urdu word. We used to have a phultroo with us in school, and some of us did call him in the grammatically correct manner. For the rest of us, he was simply phurthru. ;-)

#56 by Urstruly

well, this is the first time I`ve heard your reference but heard ``pull thru`` many times.

BTW, I have heard it as PhuNthru... refrying to protruding object and it can be a pee pee.

#52 by jang

I can not resist....

Ek Roaz mera lund, Tatoonpay rakh kay sur
So raha that bay-khabar, Nagah ek choot ka hua guzar
Ahat jo pai lund khan nay, Dekha utha kay sur
Kehnay laga woh choot say, Jati hai tu kidhar?
Yeh sun kay choot boli, Mujhay muuaf keejiay
Jo muNh say beh rahi hai, Ussay saaf keejiay
Yeh sun-Nah that kay, Lund khan ki jhantaiN sulagh Gain
Aadhi udhar gayeeN, aadhi idhar gayeeN
Tatay lagay tatolany aqa kidhar gaye
Zinda bhi hain yah karb-e-Jahan say guzar gaye

E&OE

F*CK...

Perhaps one of the most interesting and colorful words in the English language today is the
word ``f*ck``. It is the one magical word which, just by its sound, can describe pain, pleasure, love, and hate.
In language, ``f*ck`` falls into many grammatical categories. It can be used as a verb, both transitive (John f*cked Mary) and intransitive (Mary was f*cked by John). It can be an action verb (John really gives a f*ck), a passive verb (Mary really doesn`t give a f*ck), an adverb (Mary is f*cking interested in John) or as a noun (Mary is a terrific f*ck). It can also be used as an adjective (Mary is f*cking beautiful) or an interjection (F*ck! I`m late for my date with Mary). It can even be used as a conjunction (Mary is easy, f*ck she`s also stupid). As you can see, there are very few words with the overall versatility of the word ``f*ck``.
Aside from its sexual connotations, this incredible word can be used to describe many situations:

1. Disbelief ``How the f*ck did you do that?``

2. Fraud ``I got f*cked by the car dealer.``

3. Resignation ``Oh, f*ck it!``

4. Trouble ``I guess I`m f*cked now.``

5. Aggression ``F*CK YOU!``

6. Disgust ``F*ck me.``

7. Confusion ``What the f*ck.......?``

8. Difficulty ``I don`t understand this f*cking business!``

9. Despair ``F*cked again...``

10. Pleasure ``I f*cking couldn`t be happier.``

11. Displeasure ``What the f*ck is going on here?``

12. Lost ``Where the f*ck are we.``

13. Disbelief ``UNF*CKINGBELIEVABLE!``

14. Retaliation ``Up your f*cking ass!``

15. Denial ``I didn`t f*cking do it.``

16. Perplexity ``I know f*ck all about it.``

17. Apathy ``Who really gives a f*ck, anyhow?``

18. Greetings ``How the f*ck are ya?``

19. Suspicion ``Who the f*ck are you?``

20. Panic ``Let`s get the f*ck out of here.``

21. Directions ``F*ck off.``

It can be used in an anatomical description- ``He`s a f*cking a$$hole.`` It can be used to tell
time- ``It`s five f*cking thirty.`` It can be used in business- ``How did I wind up with this
f*cking job?`` It can be maternal- ``Motherf*cker.`` It can be political- ``F*ck George Bush!``

It has also been used by many notable people throughout history:

``What the f*ck was that?`` - Mayor of Hiroshima

``Where did all these f*cking Indians come from?`` - General Custer

``Where the f*ck is all this water coming from?`` - Captain of Titanic

``That`s not a real f*cking gun.`` - John Lennon

``Who`s gonna f*cking find out?`` - Richard Nixon

``Heads are going to f*cking roll.`` - Anne Boleyn

``Any f*cking idiot could understand that.`` - Albert Einstein

``It does so f*cking look like her!`` - Picasso

``How the f*ck did you work that out?`` - Pythagoras

``You want what on the f*cking ceiling?`` - Michaelangelo

``F*ck a duck.`` - Walt Disney

``Why?- Because its f*cking there!`` - Edmund Hilary

``I don`t suppose its gonna f*cking rain?`` - Joan of Arc

``I need this parade like I need a f*cking hole in my head.`` - John F. Kennedy

Have a f*cking good day.

tahmad #54

The correct word is phultroo and not Phurthru - and it doesn`t refer to a rod like object instead it refers to a fluffy object like feathers or cotton tied to one end of a rod or stick to give it an appearance of a ``phul`` i.e. a flower - as it was used in dusting etc. But its origin through the word ``pull thru`` is very interesting - it could also be true.

#52 by jang

Thanks for the complete story.....it was great!

Does women interacters at Chowk do not curse or listen to jokes ? no one seems to want to interact or add one or two galli to the collection

#37
MPZI

Why did you only do this favour(emails to UN and embasies) to the ummah in Gulf War 1. By not doing it in the Gulf War 2 and the afghan venture havent you supported those wars.

MPZI Claims
Hillarious Stuff, Absolutely Hillarious. Strange bouts of Patriotism, I think this one will even have Mullah Umar in Splits.

Here is a colonial-bihari stroy (some internet forwarded stuff)
A Poor Bihari villager named GANPATRAI (who really needs a job), is being
interviewed by a Britisher, Colonel Smith :
Col. Smith: Haan toh gand fatrahai (Ganpatrai) !!
Bihari: Nahi sir, jyada nahi !!
Col. Smith: Kya `` jyada nahi `` bolta hai, tumhara application me likha hua
hai Gand fatrahai.
Bihari : Theekh hai mai baap, likha hai to fatraha hoga.
Col. Smith: Tum Daily marata hai (tum delhi me rahta hai) ??
Bihari : Nahi sir, kabhi kabhi!!
Col. Smith: Gand fatrahai, idar aaoo, kya `` kabhi kabhi `` bolta hai?
Tumhara application mein likha hua hai ki tum Daily marata hai....
Bihari : Theek hai mai bap, likha hai to marata hounga.
The Bihari was employed on one condition that he will do whatever
Col. Smith`s family asks him to do.

Col. Smith: Gand fatrahai !!
Ganpatrai : Ji maalik....

Col. Smith: Aaj tum ko 3 kaam karnee kaa haai
Ganpatrai : hukum Sarkaar
Col. Smith: Tum pehla hamaari beti ko chodenga (drop her off...by Car)
phir hamaari biwi ko chodenga aur uske baad hum ko chodenga.
Ganpatrai :Maaf karna Sarkaar, tumhari biwi aur beti to theek hai,
lekin main aap ko nahi choddh sakta.
Col. Smith: Gand fatrahai! Tum ko hum ko chodhnaa padhega.
Ganpatrai : Nahi sarkaar aisa zulum naa kare.
Col. Smith: Gand fatrahai, agar tum hum ko nahi chodhsakta to hum tumko
nokri se nikaal denga.
Ganpatrai : Theek hai sarkaar ....jo hukum.
After a few days There is no one except Col. Smith`s wife at home.
She is alone in her bedroom. While wearing her bra she is unable to tie the
damn knot behind. So......

Wife : Gand fatrahai, idhar aaoo?
Ganpatrai : Ji Maalkin.
Wife : Gand fatrahai, hammara peeche se gaand maaro (put the knot of bra).
Ganpatrai : Yeh kya keh rahi hai Maalkin. >>
Wife : Gand fatrahai, jaldi se gaand maaro hum ko late hota hai.
Ganpatrai : Nahi Nahi Maalkin. Agar maine aisa kiya to hum ko sarkar kacha
kha jayenge.
Wife : Gand fatrahai, agar tumne jaldi se hammari gaand nahi maari to hum
tumko kacha kha jaayengi.
Ganpatrai : Theek hai maalkin. Jo hukum.
Ganpatrai who has been frustrated by these Brits for a long time....starts
fucking like a BULL. Panic striken....... the wifetries to turn and shouts :
Wife : GAND FATRAHAI, GAND FATRAHAI,
GAND FATRAHAI !!!
Ganpatrai : Memsaab...Gaand maarega to Gaand to phatega hee !!!!!

mumbaikar #47 you say ``Khalas`` is used to mean closed in mumbai. This word is obviously taken from arabic, i.e. ``Khalas``=closed in regular arabic. I can understand farsi influence and all sorts of other influences in mumbai, but am not sure how this word got imported.

All the other words you list I have never heard in pakistan, except ``mug`` a few times in school, and that was a long time ago. As for ``mug`` (which has its roots in english schoolboy slang from the time brittannia ruled the world), the up-to-date word (as every red blooded Pakistani school or even college student will tell you) is ``ratta`` or ``ghotta``. I trust you will inform your mumbai friends of this correct terminology so that can stop using that obsolete import from victorian england. No more of this mug shug!!

rashmiekka #50 ``nus`` literally means ``nerves`` I am quite sure, although I am not sure from what language.
``Stud`` is a common term used in the US for any guy who messes around a lot. Nothing special here.

You mumbai people do seem to collect words from right and left. We Panjabis, not being so cosmopolitan, are left to our own devices.

Here are some from my school days in Pakistan which I am passing along in case you find some use for them in mumabi or elsewhere:

Phurthru. Used for someone who is tall and thin. Source: British army term ``Pull through`` which referred to long, thin metal rod that was ``pulled through`` the rifle.

KMNO4. Used for someone with very light skin. Source: Chemistry term for pottasium permanganate, which is also called ``pinky`` in english.

Dal maiN Yusuf Yusuf. Used for someone with very dark skin. Source: Urdu phrase ``Dal maiN kuch kala kala hai`` (literally, there is something black in the lentils, i.e. something suspicious is going on). NOTE: When using, replace ``Yusuf`` with name of individual in question, e.g. in mumbai it could be ``Dal maiN kuch Jaysriram Jaysriram``.

I always thought that my usual vocabulary was full of very ``decent`` words, but reading the posts here makes me think otherwise. I mean, I use so many of these words without even a second thought and they`ve just become words and not ``profanity`` or ``street language`` for me.
I also see a lot of local lingo being listed here so I think I`ll make another few additions...

Tope- Actually means a bomb(the kind which causes widespread destruction) in hindi but is used when one refers to somebody who is really good in studies.

Baans hua/Bamboo thelaya- Used when an unfortunate thing happens, like when somebody does badly in their exams they say, ``bamboo thelaya``. Means, ``Up my ass``.

Nus- Somebody who really irritates a lot. Used as a verb(nus mat karo) as well as a noun(XYZ kitna bada wala nus hai!!).Prolly comes from somebody who gets on your nerves(nus).

Stud/shtud/shtood- Refers to a guy who looks disgusting but behaves as if he`s a hottie. The more worse the pronunciation, the worse the guy.

Kha raha hai- Directly translate into English for the meaning.

sitti-pitti gum: Going insane.

---

Any bongs here?? Doesn`t the no ``14`` sound funny in Bengali??

And people, try writing down the hindi equivalent of ``Leave it`` in English.

---

Mumbaikar-Isn`t AITO some blogging thingy?? I think that I have visited Tan mamu`s blog and I think CC(he`s on my blogroll) is a member too.

---

PS-And I personally think that Punjabis are getting a lot of attention here. Believe me... the biharis aren`t really far behind!! :)

ye bhaayia loog kitni bhi gaali de de pur punjabi gaali ka effect aur affect hi kuch aur hae

nice, to hear that even the eduacated elites like to use these slangs (our slangs!) as me and my friends are techies we have changed meaning and added some more to that.
the word chutya to make it more general we transformed it into Chutiotics: any silly action or that shows you are silly)
another word in the technicals is Cheetah (any person who proves to be good in anything or even he solves some problem)
thre are many we generate all the time.
we use another word for something extraterrestrial we call it rouhani baat (it is named after a friend of ours who is good in doing things like that)
thre are many to be revealed many to be heard but one thing is there they are good and they make a difference.:)

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Panjabi definately expresses galis better. In fact, many times, normal Panjabi sounds like galis..e.g. words like kuddi, choti, gut etc in one sentence sound galeesh..

KLPD khade lun*d pe dhokha

KLPC khade lun*d pe chot

bhhutni ke

Read only if profanity does not offend you......

*****************************************************************************************************

MaaN Ka Lun$ - Mother Dic$

Ku$ Ka Dhukan - female genitalia`s cover

Teri maaN ka bhosra - mother`s genitalia

Kus Madar - same as above

Bhosari Ka - someone who comes out birth canal

Maddar/Bahan Cho$ - should be self explanatory....

Patla Lun$ - should be self explanatory....

Dala - Pimp

Ban-Bhosri Ka - Beats me...anyone care to explain

KLPD - KhaRe Lun$ Per Dhoka (my version)
Lun lay lay mera - when someone pisses you off or not interested in giving a favour etc.
*******************************************************************************************************
Punjabi is definitely by all means king when it comes to galis.

What about other widely spoken languages in Pakistan like Pashtu, Sindhi etc.

I still remember tons of gAndi (dirty) Shayr-o-shaiyari, anyone interested ? of course if we are not violating freedom of speech and ``Chowk`` policies Wink! wink!

Oops...sorry.....the original article was by Mr Syed Ali...im sorry.....i mentioned mr Wajahat..my mistake...probably due to the side splitting laughter i suffered from just now....;-)

I remember there used to be two guys in our college...
Asim and Mohsin...

Asim was very fair...therefore he became Asim Chikna.
Mohsin had acne so conveniently he became Mohsin Khurdura...

later everyobody forgot their real names and they were just referred to chikna and khurdura...

A typical enquiry used to be...aray kisi nai chiknay ko dekha hai ? or...Khurduray nai aaj sub ki lai lee...

in my days there was also one term called ` Puchas..` ( 50 ) for something very good. and if it was really really good. it was Tubbah puchas..

haiN ?
more then 80% of the phrases here are my daily language...
I dont think there is any profanity in ` chal salay phoot` or ` chiknay ki lai lee`...
and yes `charya` means insane in sindhi. In karachi Civil hospital`s Psychiatry ward there was a big board saying ` charyoN jo ward`...

MAAAN...this is hillarious...i mean its been quite some time since ive read something so genuinely bizzare....and comical...ridiculous even...i mean it reads like some guys psychological disorder biography...i think im going to look around for more of his `enlightened scriptures` on the chowk....and IT IS `genuine material`..no doubt.....
Oh sorry wajahat bhai...your article was fun too..but im referring to Mr. MBZIspahani(did i get all the abcs correct?)
Oh and lets all thank the fine gentleman for saving Pakistan and our other Muslim brothers from bombing...bravvo....and sir..since it seems your mails are so effective...could you send General Musharraf a mail....to get me a job?..Id be very thankful sir....:-D

Xeroxkhan

A very simple answer to your almost pedantically academic observation is that `` I am not married``.

Thus I can get away with it all the time..... Sala baat karta hai :)

wajahat. .
my remark about the chowk guidelines was meant to be a joke, as is most of what i`ve said here, and if you couldn`t see that, well then you`ve missed the point as well. : )

**** R rated. Please dont read if you are offended by crude sexual terminology ****

KLPD = KhaRe Lau**e Per DagaR (DagaR = stone in Marathi) = Dropping stone on one`s erection

A very colorful and perfect term to describe huge disappointment after great excitement and anticipation ;-))

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``patli gali..``
This surely was imported to karachi from UP. This actually refers to anal intercourse offcourse. (Also known as the Nawabi Showk).
Other UP anti-muslim sliur for Burqa.. ``Pahentey ho Muh Pe or lekin kehtey ho bur-ka?``
As our resident linguistic experts will tell, bur (or bud and bund) word comes from ``root``, but has street connotations which are also basic.

Urstruly & sameer:
My take on the word Langote is that it is derived from Ling or lang ( however onr pronounces that) and -ote is simply cover like ``purday kee ote hojanaa``.

jaang or jhaang is a polite word for pelvic area or thighs, hence jangia. Opposed to this is Angia or Ungiaa--which just means PART or covering THE parts (again politely never mentioned).

Dhotee is the piece one uses to wear aftera wash--from DhO. A muti-purpose towel, wrap-around, or toilet after-wipe

Any further comments?

I think street lingo does substitute the eloquence and compensate for the forcefulness. It is a short term quick fix. One has to be very creative in this area too, otherwise he becomes annoying and dull.

Sameerjb

I don`t think the base of word langot is what you have said. As a matter of fact there is a punjabi word ``lungh``, spoken in mid and upper eastern punjab (paki) which means crotch and it is also used as a substitute for word dhotti. An urdu variation is the word ``jaangh`` from which the word jangia is derived.

Mr. Ali,
How can you call ``saley`` to lack potency?
Sala is the brother of wife. Hwen you call someone ``sala`` it implies that -his sister is your wife!
And pray what do you do with your wife? You have sexual contact!
Therefore the word ``Sala`` automatically implies ``TERI BEHEN KO CHODOON``

AM I RIGHT?

A Generic Reply

Ras and a few others have refered to the slang of Punjab being richer and deeper than that of karachi, I Agree. However as the title suggests we all use and understand slang we can relate to, from the places we grew up in. My inability to understand punjabi/pashtoon/ sindhi reduces the potency and humour factor of any given statement in those languages. I am from Karachi and the ones that appear in the article and in some of the interactions are the ones I can truly relate to. But I will agree, there are some very funny ones in Punjabi. It would seem that Profanity like Humour is an acquired taste which has deep roots in the places where we spend our formative years or where we grew up.

Some of the interactors have raised concerns about Chowk rules over the use of language and this article. I can speak from my behalf and not from the Chowk editors. I have used none of the words mentioned in an abusive or threatening manner, they are described and then vaguely covered by my analysis on those words. If you cant see the lightheartedness that I was trying to aim at during the article, well than you have unfortunately missed the entire point. For those who treated this article as it was meant to be(harmless unacademic Jovial diatribe) thanks for your interacts and thanks specially to tahmed with his hilarious jokes ( Underwear Salamat one had me in stitches)

MPZI

Sir, With utmost respect (I guess you are much older than I am) i respect your noble viewpoints. My only problem (and this might be my inability entirely) is that 99% of the times I cannot really understand what you are saying. May I recommend that if you want to engage us less versed, maybe try to be a little more clear as to the exact point of your argument. You have touched some respect DNA in me by calling me ``wajahat mia``, last time I was called that was by my nana(maternal grandfather) and this was a long time back as he passed away some 12 years ago. But really, take my humble suggestion and just try to focus your thoughts and I assure you people will understand what you are saying.

Kind Regards

Syed Wajahat Ali

KLPD is what happened to Pakistani cricket team this weekend..



Please enlighten us on KLPD.....



..........sir say Guzar geya...............

Syed Ali:

One of the best things I`ve read on chowk for quite a while now. Good stuff.

Having lived all over Pakistan and attended a boarding college where people from literally all over Pakistan came to study, I got an intensive course in abusive language from the four corners of the country.

Some definitions, as I know them;
- Chutiya: First-born of a woman (naturally ofcourse)
- Bhonsri ka: The rest (naturally ofcourse)
- Tangain uthana: Refers to the missionary sexual position, can mean everything from giving up (as in ``yaar mein nay tangain uthaa deen``) to screwing someone over (``mein nay uss kee tangain uthaa deen``) or an attitude (``uss kee tangain to har waqt uthee hotee hain``).

True that Punjab in general and Lahore in particular is by far the leader in cussing. But there have been some gems that came out of other places. One which comes to mind was probably invented at our college, ``chhat (roof) se lag jana`` meaning to get really angry. A slight variation on this is ``chhat se laga dee``, meaning something (probably a tough exam) that worked one over. ``Topa``, meaning someone stupid. ``Jhaantoo``, way too disgusting to describe here, maybe some of the Karachiites can get it.

But THE best cussing it has ever been my pleasure to hear were discussions between a childhood friend and his coursemates from the Pakistan Airforce Academy in Risalpur. I always thought me and my friends from our college were good, but those guys would spout 30 second long sentences that ended with some hilarious profanity and sounded like a great joke too. Can`t remember any, and even if I could they can`t be published.

All in all a nice read this article.

Regards,
Irfan Hamid.

PS: tahmed32 #17, that joke had me in stitches.

PPS: MNZIsphahani, either you need a shrink, or you need to ease up on the extacy/coke/LSD cocktails you`re taking.

Hail profanity, thou sublime vice
who turns mice into men
and men into mice

Now pardon me as I go wash my mouth with soap and beg forgiveness of the Almighty.

Syed Ali,

being from Karachi and a Grammarian who knows his profanity

you are selling Karachi short here in this article.

But let me also add that Lahore and Punjab as a whole continue

to be unmatched in this art and nowhere does

Karachi come close using the medium of Urdu.

Profanity in Punjabi is the best that there ever was!

Ras

Actually many of the commonly used words started off as profanity or would be considered profanity if analyzed carefully.....one word which comes to my mind is ``langotia yaar`` and its root ``langot``.......langot is crude form of rural male underwear and word is used both in Hindi and Panjabi and possibly in other southasian languages......its origin is ``lan`` as male genitilia and ``ghot`` meaning holder, tying or fastening.....

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do they have the acronym KLPD in karachi street lingo?

P.S. KLPD is what happened to Pakistani cricket team this weekend.. :-P ;-)

there is this one i find really funny...``chal phoot yahan sey``...hahahaha...
it means go away...:)

#11 MPZI
Sir You have obviously got a major anger management issue combined with a strangely warped imagination about world events. 4 Decades , I have been in this world for just over 2. But anyways I liked your post for its comical values, you indeed have a very unique sense of humour if it is that. Reminds me of one more phrase ``Abay us ka Nut Ghoom Giya hai``

#13
abt the above article: set likha hai re mamoo!

Thank you and indeed the most eloquent praise :)

there Is One More In vouge these day......could be called Literary correct..


Gandu Hey Sala..... Chutiya hota to insan Hoota...



( Some thing is not right with this guy.....)

bhonsade (i) ki refers to a worn out c - - t (associated with prostitutes, i believe). a punjabi can further enlighten you on this one, perhaps, since I`ve heard it more out of the mouths of Punjabis.

And doesn`t this whole article, fun as it is, defy Chowk guidelines??? yeah, I had to throw in a stick in the moving wheel at some point.

nazar #12 the one I like is ``pooteeenk`` (pudding) which is what the bearah refers to when he asks ``Sahib, aaj pooteeenk bani hai`` at the army mess.

here is another one: tool, which is what the chai wallah says when he means stool. And here is another one (For those offended by crude jokes please dont read further): Gentleman goes to a tea stall, asks for a cup of tea, and politely asks the chaiwallah if there is a place he can sit on while having tea. In response, the chai wallah yells to his assistant ``tool layaa oye, tool layaa. Baoo teray lan tey bai gaa?`` (get the stool. you expect the gentleman to sit on you dick?``

And thus we have an entire set of Lahore terminology centred around the male organ in addition to the above.

First time I heard this one in Lahore was ``tohhaday land noo thandd`` (may your dick remain cool, which simply means to remain cool) that was said in all politeness by a fellow student.

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How they get their Tea?

Air Force Wallas say : Chai lay aao.

Army Wallas say: Break lay aao.

Navy wallas say: Stand Easy lay aao.

Rashmmieka #10

What is Gola Sot Hona? (seems your exams are over)


(Where is the Chowk staff & their language limitations?)

some more additions:

tight=set=lash pash=fit:
used same to describe `hot` ppl from either gender. also used to describe situations/places/feelings/anything thats great.

hatana/hatt gayi:
hatana as in `to tease,irritate`.
hatt gayi being when the person jiski hata rahe thay, one succeeded in it and now he`s pissed off.
lagana and lag gayi also used for same purpose.

phattu:
jiski `phati hui` hai...one who`s afraid. lol and yeah, the Kaante joke was hilarious.all of us friends were asking the same question from each other the next day after watching the film...`bomb pehlay phatay ga ya tera sar?`

ha*ami = illegitimate person= basta*d:
according to my knowledge.dunno abt the burger etc thingy.

online/SMS short forms:

ckbn:
took me a long time to know its meaning...finally was enlightened buy some friends.just used to insult someone.

LPC:
to say like `go to hell`.

there are many more. so many that a dictionary needs to be written for them! but these are the ones i cud recall at the moment.

and yes the author is right that these profanities are used without twitch of an eye, and without any gender restrictions...even those mother and sister abuses have turned into father and brother ones.. i being a girl, have got this habit of using abuses in conversations with my male and female friends too...but its all in good humor, with no hard feelings in the end.

abt the above article: set likha hai re mamoo!

P.S. listen to Ali Hamza`s (of the band Noori) song `BC`...it was on everybody`s tongue during college! and numerous such abusive songs have also been made. like from this band of Javed Jaffery `Bombay Boys`...the song being `Mumbhai`, etc etc.

one more:

kaatna:
to avoid..(a person).

Mr. Syed Ali,

You don`t know what you are talking about.

*sigh*.

I`ll add a bit here.

Another good explanation of ``phat gayee`` was there in the movie Kaante. Sanjay Dutt pulls off the wick of a grenade and put it over Mahesh Manjarekar`s head and says,`` Pehle kya phatega??bomb ya tera sar?``. Obviously the other chap is quite flustered and starts babbling ``sar bhi phat sakta... bomb bhi phat sakta hai...blah blah``. And then Sanjay says, ``Nahi... pehle teri phategi``.
haha...

Most of these are gaalis are used in India also, but I`d never heard tafreeh lagana and katto.

Important additions to this list would be...
Gandu
Gola sot hona
Kela hua

And of course one can`t forget the ones listed by Tahmed and HP.

More later....

#4 veeresh,
`Other than ``Maamoo``, most of these are common to Bombay too`
well after watching munna bhai MBBS, i think they use it there too.

and then there was this other one i heard over in karachi:
``dimagh ka dahi bana daala``

from the reference to context, it seemed to mean ``you`re so annoying (or stupid) you`re driving me mad``

Veeresh

``Sulaimani Keera`` is indeed something I have overheard but is not longer in active use. Would be interesting to find the sources of that one.
``Arab-Baap`` is something entirely new, are you sure it is not a accented version of ``aray bab ray`` which is used to express regret with a shaking of the head commonly used around India and Pakistan.

Rozaiba

Sajjad Ali was pretty open streetwise and experimented heavily with it in Cheif Saab. It is rumoured in those times that after the release of his song Cheif Saab he was hassled constantly by the MQM Haqiqi as their leader was known as Cheif Saab, It is also rumoured that they caught him and shaved his long hairs off as a jovial punishment. I guess he started making safe music from then on. Some of the terms of that song
``Metre Ghumuna`` are still extensively used by the masses meaning going crazy over an issue.
``Ziyada Baat Nahee`` is a karachi equivalent of the Bombay phrase of ``Ziyati baat nahee Karnay Ka``.

Tahmed

HAHAHAHA That was an apt joke and cudnt have summarised the narrative better.
``Bhonsiri kay`` and ``Bhootini Kay`` came about in the street narrative together. Dont exactly know what Bhonsari means.

MBZ Isphahani

Sir I understand your sentiments if not your chain of thoughts. I am still looking for the Chowk Guidelines on the forbidden. The unpardonable as you suggest is employed by the majority of the population of these boys, girls, ministers etc on a regular basis without the least amount of introspection. If you want a debate about the decadence of the society`s linguistic taste, I will respond and on the shrink business, i think chowk is therapy enough ;)

Thus far, the best source of Karachi street slang for me has been Sajjad Ali. His album `Chief Saab` was brilliant in that regard.

Finally, an article on something important! Having had a roommate from Karachi at one time, I was a bit educated on the language of the ahle-zabaan. Have heard most of the ones in the article, and a few new ones. Here are a couple that seemed popular among the Karachiwalas:

1. Saala, goli day raha hai: (``saala`` is optional). Meaning, he is pulling a fast one.
2. Chal bohNsaree kay: means p.o.

Some of these are also used in Lahore. Here is an example of these phrases (``phat gai``) provided in the article being used in a joke:

Man goes shopping in Anarkali, and expresses doubts about the quality of the underwear he wishes to buy. Shopkeeper asks him to put on the underwear and follow him for a quality test. Takes him to lahore fort, climbs to the top floor and asks him to look down at the ground which is of course a long way below. As the man looks, shopkeeper pushes him, so man is dangling from the top floor in complete terror while shopkeeper holds on to him by his underwear only. Holding on to the terrified man, the shopkeeper says: ``Dekhho sahab. Aapki phhat gae laikin underwear salaamat hai.``

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The ones I attributed to Karachi, picked up from seafarers of yore, maybe these were shippie lingo, coastal, not from the city . . .

a) Suleimani keedaa (Suleiman`s insect), usually pertaining to a particular wiggling movement of the posterior, literally as well as figuratively. Also applicable to hardball seniors, when trying to search for reasons for their behaviour if they objected to your sleeping on, say, the table-tennis table (when a game was on).

b) Maamoo would often be a reference to a cop, not thullaa. There again, this could have been part of information exchange.

c) Any reference to Arabs, like ``arab-baap``, pertained to a low intellectual capability. Usually accompanied by a slow horizontal shaking of the head, in regret.

Other than ``Maamoo``, most of these are common to Bombay too.

Thank you HP for the additions and you are right ``Chariya`` is indeed a Sindhi word(So much for my careful research and screening process) Anyways, I look forward to some of the far more eloquent phrases that will populate the interactions on this one.

I missed ``bhinot`` which was popularised by Umar Sharif and really died out by the late 90s. Meaning going mad or the more streetwise ``dimagh/khopri Ghoom jana``

Inquilabi, I pointedly missed the more filthy slang for the obvious reasons. But especially for your sake I will add one more `` Salay kay nakhray hi nahee khatam horahay``

Syed Ali must have left Pakistan a long time ago. “Chariya” is a commonly used Sindhi language word.

Here are a few for chowkies before I left Karachi.

“Toopi phahna doo” Toopi(hat) phahna dee. Made a fool out of some body or tricked some person.

“katto” and “Kitto” are interchangeable. Sometime one would also hear “chhahmak Chhahloo”

“Light maar raha hai” Looking good!

“Kiya Chakar chal raha hai or Kiya Drama hai” Basically what the faak is going on here?

“Lai lee kiya?” Did you sleep with her yet?

“tulla” for police officer.

“Samajhdani barri karo” Try to understand!

Here is one special for

#1 inquilaabi

“abay choot marani kay”


Will add more later.

. . .and i was looking forward to some real gaalis. i`m disappointed. truly disappointed, saala.