Glossary of Phrases of the Kerala Pattars
ALPPAM:
A person lacking good senses, stupid, stingy, and selfish.
Usage: Pattar to his wife: "What a silly fellow he is ! I asked him for a loan of ten chakram and he runs away, as if he is bitten by a dog. (chakram= a royal currency in the erstwhile Travancore state, which bore a replica of the disc carried by the presiding deity of Thirvanantha puram ,Sri.Anantha Padmanabha )
Mami to him: "poyum,poyum neengkal antha pattar kitte poyi kettale ! Athu MAHA alppam allavo?"
(Why did you go and ask him? He is a very stingy fellow! The stingiest of the century.)
ASADU:Not selfish or stingy but doesn't know how to live in this world.
Usage:"Antha asadukku pozaikka theriyalai dee." Mami's complaint about her son-in-law, a man of incorruptible integrity. (And the best accolade a son-in-law can get from his mother-in-law!)
AVALAM:Spoiled, not worth mentioning, he or his family is in utter disarray.
Usage:
"Antha maamiyodu pon oruu avalam ..... "
..... gossip about the neighbour's daughter who married a boy from a different caste. that girl is useless.
ARATTAI:
Talkative but not harmful.
Usage:
"Antha arattai ennai pesa vittal thaane?"
= the talkative mami about her newly acquired sambandhi. (He did not allow me to talk)
ASHAADAPOOTHI:
Doesn't know what he talks about.
APPAAVI:
Innocent.
Usage:
"Appaavi ponnukku aashadapoothi maappillai".
AVASARAKKUDUKKAI:
Always in a hurry, doesn't think before acting.
AMBO ENNU VITTUTTAN:
Left in lurch, acted irresponsibly.
Posted by: Vijayaraghavan Parameswara Iyer
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