Term used in a slightly derogatory manner to describe a person whose torso and legs are of the same length. Not to be confused with by two.

Want to wish people happy burrday, happy mother’s/father’s/children/teachers’/friendship day and of course valentine day? – Archies greeting card was the one stop solution for expressing one’s feelings, emotion, sentiments and more for the 90’s generation.

They could be colourful, floral, have cartoons, fat babies, pop-ups; some could even sing and emit other sounds when opened and closed– thus catering to every personality type and need.

Laden with lines such as “mountains may fly, rivers may dry but my love for you shall never die”, they were also formidable tools in the game of love played by the young and restless of the 90’s.

Their popularity seems to be waning now with changing times and advent of newer technology but purely for sentimental reasons, keeping fingers crossed that Archies greeting cards stick around for sometime.

Bong equivalent of anda bhurji of the north and bread omelette of the south; sold in every chai stall (fixed or mobile) worth its money in Bengal. It consists of egg (deem) with chopped chillies and onions on a type on Indian bun (pav) and is best accompanied with a steaming cup of chai.

It also often serves as an alternate source of nourishment for office goers and starving students (especially the ones staying in hostels who can’t get themselves to have another meal of undercooked rice, insipid dal and vegetables mish mashed with mysterious condiments.)

A term which can mean fake, bogus or sub-standard depending on usage.

For example, jaali can be used to refer to fake documents - in a country where getting authentic government documents or certificates can result in visiting several babus, giving innumerable declarations on stamp paper and many rounds of baksheesh, jaali documents are a popular and not a very scrupulous work around.

August 15 seems like an apt day to define this term. March past means a parade involving movement of arms and legs in a systematic manner according to the rhythm of drums and maintaining one arm distance between the person ahead and oneself. Subject of intense competition in schools and displayed proudly for occasions such as Republic Day, Independence Day and school sports day. Every school kid in India holds pleasant and not so pleasant memories relating to march past – multiple practices in the hot afternoon sun, the occasional sunstroke cases and of course, the crazed PT teacher.

Literal translation for ‘caned’ (Cane = Bamboo and therefore, Caned = Bambooed) However, the usage is not limited to convey the fact that a person has received a good hiding but also that the person has gotten into serious trouble.

Often used to soften a comment that may be considered inappropriate, hurtful, slightly offensive or improper. The user genuinely believes that the use of the phrase can placate any sort of wrath that may be directed towards him/her on account of such comment.

means a shop, generally a little run down and disorganised. Please note that the glitzy stores in a shopping mall do not fall within this definition.

Acronym for physical training and somewhat an Indian equivalent of ‘gym class’. PT, depending on one’s school, can include exercises that resemble a traffic policeman’s drill, march past and running several rounds of the school playground after the school assembly. It may also be a separate class where the students do all of the above and mercifully, play some sports.

literally means a lid. Also, used in reference to a dimwit or an idiot.