K is for Kachcha

kachcha

• adjective: substandard or makeshift, ramshackle, second-rate.
• noun: Dried mud, used as a building material

This is a wonderful bit of English which comes from India. Taken from the Hindi language, a kachcha (also spelt cutcha or kutcha) is a brick made of dried mud. It's not the best type of brick.

That's why kachcha can also be used as an adjective to describe something that looks temporary or is substandard.

Interestingly, its opposite in Hindi is pukka (also spelt pucka) - a word that has found its way into British slang, meaning "excellent". It's a brand name for a type of meat pie in the UK.

Here's a 19th century quote explains the difference between the two:

"A cutcha brick is a sundried brick. A pucka brick is a properly kiln-burnt brick..A cutcha appointment is acting or temporary. A pucka appointment is permanent."

 H. Yule & A. C. Burnell, Hobson-Jobson (1884)

Source: RobWords - see link to the YouTube channel here