chamcha

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi चमचा (camcā) / Urdu چَمْچَہ (camca, “yesman, sycophant, hanger-on, lackey, pet, puppet, stooge”, literally “spoon”)), from Classical Persian چَمْچَه (čamča), from Turkic, ultimately from Proto-Turkic *kamïč,. === Noun === chamcha (plural chamchas) (India, South Asia, politics, Indian politics, colloquial, informal) A sycophant and hanger-on or lackey. 1989. Stuart Auerbach. Washington Post. (Mar. 26) “Nehru and His Nation” M J Akbar has been called a chamcha to the Gandhi family, and some of that slavish devotion shows up in his uncritical acceptance of Nehru’s government-dominated economic program and the erosion of the country’s grass roots political structure as a result of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. 1994. William Dalrymple City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi (Dec. 1) “Glossary” p. 340: Chamcha Sycophant (lit. ‘spoon’). 1997. Ghulam Nabi Azad. India Today (June 23) p. 13: I have my own standing in the party. I cannot be anybody’s chamcha (stooge). 1997. Sudhir Vaishnav. Times of India. (Aug. 24) “A very political exercise” Several hangers-on. They are available aplenty everywhere in the country and are often known in the local market as Chamcha. 2004. Krishnakumar. Midday (Mumbai, India) (Sept. 21) Leaders’ chamchas get lucky”: All three have pulled strings in their respective parties to get Assembly poll tickets for their puppets and close confidants, better known in political parlance as chamchas. ==== Derived terms ==== chamchagiri (“spooning, sycophancy”) === References ===