Madras Baashai

Some nice forwarded mail about the greatness of madras [chennai] tamil.

Cultural references
Madras bashai is used in a particular genre of music in Kollywood movies, called the gaana paattu. The relation between gaana paattu and Madras bashai is analogous to that between hip hop and hip hop slang. The typical gaana paattu is characterized by rougher lyrics and a pulsing rhythm, usually without a discernible melody. Many instances have a strong theme of poverty in their lyrics, and are eminently suited as accompanying music for the traditional dappaankuthu dance, which is usually performed in economically backward urban areas in Chennai. Gaana paattu is also popular among city college students who use it to gain street cred among their peers, irrespective of their economic status. Examples Pettai rap from Kadhalan (1994) Laalaaku dol dappi ma from Sooriyan (1993) Annanagaru Andalu Ayanavaram Gopalu from Kaalam Ellam Kaadhal Vazhga (1997)

Glossary

Word/phrase
Meaning
Origin, usage
Aappu
Getting your ass whoopped literally and figuaratively
Origin: Tamil
Abase
To knock-off, or steal secretively
Origin: Tamil
Allo
Hey, there...
English, Used to draw attention, from the English "Hello".
Arai-Loosu
Half-crazy. See "Loosu"
Tamil arai (half) + English loosu (loose, as in "not tight").
Attu
Low grade.
Etymology Unknown. Usage: "Attu Figaru","Attu Padam","Attu Paattu".
Bagilu
Hip and region arround it.
Etymology:Unknown. Usage: "Bagilla kichu-kichu mootathey.
Bejaar
Painful, troublesome.
Probably Hindi, roots uncertain.
Beku
Imbecile.
Possibly Hindi. Corruption of "Bevkoof" meaning stupid.
Bemani
That which makes one ashamed, that which has no shame.
Hindi bemani (shameless).
Buddi
Someone who wears glasses. Derogatory. Also see "Soda Buddi".
From soda buddi (soft drink bottle). Analogous to Coke bottom glasses.
Daavu
To Sight a figure
Sight is same as Looku Vidrathu
Dada
Kingpin, ganglord, don.
HindiFrom its Hindi equivalent.
Dhool
A superlative, as in "well done!" or "kick ass!".
Hindi dhool (dust), referring to the dust cloud after a good ass-kicking.
Dil
Chutzpah or Guts, as in "Do you have the guts to step outside and fight like a man?!"
Hindi dil (heart).
Domer
Dumb.
Origin:Unknown
Dubukku
It is same as loosu .
Tamil literally "he who doesn't have thorough knowledge"
Duddu
Money.
Kannada duddu (money).
Dum
noun : Cigarette or more appropriately Beedi (cigg's rustic form) verb : to smoke "Dum Adikkarudhu"
Origin: Hindi literally Strength; implying only real men smoke.
Figaru
Attractive woman.
English "figure", as in "She's got a good figure".
Gaaji
Turn to play, often used to indicate one's turn to bat in cricket, as in "It's my gaaji now."
Etymology unknown.
Gaali
Finished, as in "He's finished!".
Hindi khali meaning "empty" or "finished". Originally from Arabic.
Gaana Paattu
A subgenre of Tamil film music.
Hindi gaana (song) + Tamil paattu (song).
Galata
1. Fracas, brouhaha. 2. Chaos. 3. Celebration
Unknown, but possibly from Turkey. Galata was a suburb of Istanbul known for its nightlife, or, more probably from the english "gala," as in, "to have a gala time,"
Galiju
Dirty
Hindi,Kannada meaning dirty
Gandhi kannakku
Fraudulent accounting.
Etymology unknown.
Gelichan
He Won
Telugu, gelupu meaning victory
Goodhal
Trickery. Usually derogatory, as in "He resorted to trickery to win that business deal."
Unknown.
Isscool
School
English
Jaga
To Escape from a situation. Used as "Jaga Vaanguradu"
Hindi jagah (space, room), used in the sense of "getting room to escape".
Joadreppai
Cobbler.
Unknown, but possibly from Hindi joota (shoe) and English "repair".
Jollu
To ogle attractive women.
Tamil jollu (saliva, salivation). Implies a longer duration than mere lookku vittufication.
Joot
To get started. Also to escape.
Etymology unknown. Pronounced exactly like the English "jute".
KD
Petty crook.
English. Old Chennai police abbreviation for "known depredator".
Kabodhi
Literally, a blind person. A common insult directed at careless drivers, as in "watch where you're going!". Often used in conjunction with "Kuruttu", as in "Kuruttu Kabodhi!".
Etymology unknown. Possibly from Sanskrit
Kadalai
Literally, nut. As in "Ver-kadalai"(Ground-nut). Term used to denote verbal flirting with members of the opposite sex.
Etymology unknown. Possibly from the sale of groundnuts in suburban trains as "Timepass", and hence borrowed to connote flirting without serious intentions.
Kaidae
Donkey.
Tamil kazhudai (donkey).
Kaiyendhi Bhavan
Roadside food vendor, equivalent to a hotdog stand in the US.
Tamil for "hand-to-mouth restaurant". Not necessarily pejorative. Compare "Muniyandi Vilas".
Kalakaradhu
To impress with one's performance.
Tamil, literally "to mix", "to stir".
Kalasaradhu
To nag someone.
Tamil, literally "to nag".
Kamnaati
Illegitimate offspring.
Etymology unknown.
Kasmaalam
Synonymous with "idiot".
Possibly from Sanskrit kash malam (black hair). Comparing someone with hair is considered rude in Tamil culture.
Kenai
Fool.
Malayalam, Kenai meaning 'Mad'.
Kotiguniya
Did you drop anything inside your stomach. also see: "Thuntia"
Etymology: Prabably Tamil-"Kottu":to drop. "Kotiguniya?":Did you drop anything inside your stomach?"
Kozha adi sandai
Major catfight.
Tamil for "water pump fight", fighting over who gets how much water and in what order.
Kundhu
Sit down.
Etymology unknown.
Kuruttu
Blind. See "Kabodhi" for usage.
Tamil.
Kutti
Synonymous with "Figaru"
Possibly from Malayalam kutti (small).
Kuthu Pattu
Another form of Tamil Rap song .
Tamil literally "This kind of songs makes people tap their feet ".
Leevu
Holiday.
From English "leave", as in "leave of absence".
Lollu
Anything unpleasant.
Tamil for the sound made by a dog (analogous to "bow wow" in English). Probably a neologism from the Tamil movie Perusu, starring Sathyaraj and Bhagyaraj.
Lollu party
Unpleasant person, especially one's boss at work.

Lookku vudaradhu
To check someone out, especially if it's an attractive person.
English "look" and Tamil vudaradhu (to let off, to flash). Implies a much shorter duration than jollu vittufication or sight adichification.
Loosu
Crazy.
From English "loose". Also see "Arai-Loosu".
Maams
Same as "machi".
Etymology unknown.
Machi
Synonymous with "dude", used in a positive sense.
Etymology unknown. Implies familiarity, cannot be used with strangers.
Mama velai
Pimping, both literally and figuratively.
Tamil, literally "uncle job".
Mary
Female version of Peter.

Merusal
feared
unknown etymology
Military hotel
Restaurant that serves non-vegetarian food.
The armed forces are thought to have fewer vegetarians than the general population.
Mineema
Female equivalent of "Muniyandi".
Etymology unknown.
Muniyandi
Economically backward male, implying a degree of unsophistication and uncouthness.
Etymology unknown.
Muniyandi Vilas
Low grade restaurant.
Pejorative. Compare "Kaiyendhi Bhavan".
Naina
A negative version of "dude", used to imply criticism..
Probably a corrupted version of Telugu Nana (father). Can be used with strangers, especially when driving.
Nambitten
"I don't believe you"..
From Tamil meaning 'I believe'.
Neat-a-po
Head straight on down
From English "neat" and Tamil po (to go), as in "Head straight on down this road..."
OB adikaradhu
To waste time.
Etymology unknown. OB is pronounced as the individual letters O and B. Possibly "Other Business".
Possible origin includes Off Beat from Old English Military term for taking time off work.
OC
Free, at no cost.
From OCS, Indian Railways abbreviation meaning "On Company Service". Parcels marked OCS travel free.

Outte
Same as "Gaali".
English "out", used in the context of cricket or other sports.

Paal mararadhu
To switch camps, to betray a confidence.
Tamil, paal (milk) and mararadhu (to change). Implies a cow changing to a bull when one is milking it.

Pazham
Easy Task, gullible person.
Tamil meaning Fruit, implying, that which is easily eaten.

Peter
Male of Tamil origin who speaks English in preference to the Tamil language even with other Tamil speakers, especially if his intention is to impress.
Also Peter party. Also used to label those who consider Tamil infra dig, or those who speak it with a fake Western accent.

Phosphata
Same as "Sulphata".
Pronounced "phosphate aa". Uncertain origins.

Pistha
Someone who is a big-shot. A lower version of "Dhaadhaa"
Tamil. Not to be confused with the edible nut pistachio/pista.

Pisthu
Person talented in a certain field.
Tamil. eg., Car ottarathula periya pisthu avan. Can be used both in admiration and in sarcasm.

Pilimu kaatradhu
To show off.
English film and Tamil kaatradhu (to show).

Poramboku
Orphaned, abandoned.
Tamil. Used as a verbal abuse against bad drivers.

Rowdy
Ruffian.
Means the same in English, but used much more commonly in India.

Rowdy-sheet
The rap sheet of a rowdy known to the police.


Rowdy-sheeter
A rowdy who has a rowdy-sheet.


Saavugraaki
Verbal abuse against bad drivers.
Possibly from Tamil saavu (death) and graaki (buyer) giving "customer of Death".

Sevattai
Verbal abuse against a dumb irritating person.
Tamil semmai (emphasis) and mattai (dry coconut shell).

Sight adikaradhu
Same as "Jollu".
English sight and Tamil adikaradhu (to beat).

Sokkakira
Looking good/beautiful.
Probably Hindi, roots uncertain.

Sulphata
Cheap, strong liquor that may contain methanol.
Pronounced "sulphate aa". Uncertain origins. Asking someone if they've had sulphata implies that they are severely
uncoordinated.

Thunradhu
To eat.
Telugu thinnatam ("Have you eaten?")

Udaans
To lie.
Anglicized from Tamil vudaradhu (to leave).

Vennae
Easily Beguiled or Loser, use : Dei, Vennae !
Origin: Tamil from Butter , easily consumed.

Voodu
House.
Tamil veedu (house).

Vootle solltiya?
Used against extremely unsafe drivers.
Tamil literally "Have you told [people] at home?". Connotes "Did you take leave of your loved ones when you left home?", and implies that the other person may not make it home alive.

[edit]
Usage
These words and phrases may of course be strung together. For instance:
Naina! Vootle solltiya? Saavugraaki!. By calling the other person "naina" and asking him whether he has taken leave of his loved ones, the speaker indicates that his interlocutor is driving in a very unsafe manner. The speaker uses "saavugraaki" to emphasize the point, thus asserting his superior driving skills in the situation.
Moonjila yaan kaiya vekka yengapaathu otra bemani?. Literally "Where are you seeing and driving that I need to keep my hand on your face?"
A large part of Madras bashai is devoted to cursing other drivers on the road.
[edit]
Grammar
[edit]
Syntax
The following examples illustrates the difference between the syntax of Madras bashai, English and Tamil:
English
Tamil
Madras bashai
Go fast! (Verb Adverb)
Vegamaa po! (Adverb Verb)
Speeda po! (EnglishNoun TamilVerb)
Go straight! (Verb Adverb)
Nera po! (Adverb Verb)
Seedhava po! (HindiAdverb TamilVerb)
[edit]
Verbifying and Nounification
Many Tamil verbs are informally translated to English by taking the verb root and suffixing "ify" or "ification".

English
Tamil
Madras bashai
To read. (Infinitive)
Padikkaradhu.
To padichify.
Reading. (Gerund)
Paditthal.
Padichification.
[edit]
Usage
Verbifying and nounification are used in a jocular sense, only with people one is familiar with, and only if they speak Tamil. Using these forms in formal situations or with strangers is considered very juvenile, analogous to using emoticons in a high school essay. Usage of these forms also carries the risk of getting the speaker tagged as a Peter or a Mary, even though genuine Peters and Marys don't use them.
[edit]
Questions with binary answers
Questions with yes/no answers are framed by saying the statement whose truth is to be verified (using the participle if necessary) and then saying "aa" at the end with a rising inflexion like a question. If the statement already ends in an "aa" or other interfering vowel sound, then the questioning "aa" can be made "vaa" in the interest of euphonics.

English
Madras bashai
Are you ready?
Ready-aa?
Did you sleep? ("Have you slept?")
Slept-aa?
Is it OK?
OK-vaa?
Some people tend to carry the "-aa" even into full English conversations from force of habit. Eg: "Did you finish it aa?"