Paul Schleifer

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, choky is an English slang word for a prison. It also means a customs-house, or a toll station, or a station for palankin-bearers (a palankin or palanquin is a one-person means of transportation that is carried by servants in India). Of course, since it is a slang word, the spelling is variable, and the OED lists the following: chokey, chukey, chocky, chowkie, chowkee, chokey, choakee.

The origin is the Indian word cauki or chauki, meaning “shed,” “station,” or “lock up.”

The relationship between the English and India goes all the way back to 1600, when Elizabeth I granted a charter to the East India Company to start trading with India. The long-term effect of this relationship was not all that great for the people of India.

In the early 18^th century, India was one of the world’s leading manufacturers. After the fall of the Mughals, the influence of the East India Company increased, and the company used both economic and military power to increase that influence. Keep in mind that during this period India was not a single, gigantic nation as it is today but rather a collection of smaller kingdoms. In 1857, Indian sepoys (Indian soldiers used by the East India Company) rebelled against their British masters, a rebellion which lasted a year but proved unsuccessful. At that point, Queen Victoria and her ministers decided to replace the governance of the East India Company with the direct governance of the English crown, beginning a period called The Raj. During this 90-year period, the British ruled pretty much the entire Indian subcontinent, including modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

The British finally gave up their control after World War II, in 1947. But the influence of the nearly 350-year relationship between India and England left an indelible influence on the English, as well as on the various peoples of India. One area of influence was language: veranda, pyjamas, and our word of the day, among many others. Some of those words have become a regular part of English for speakers of the language all over the world, while others are more closely tied to England itself. Choky is clearly one of the latter.

We came across choky binge watching Father Brown. We have been watching various BBC cop and mystery shows, and Father Brown is the latest. Earlier shows include Shetland, Jack Taylor, Midsommer Murders, Wallender, Death in Paradise, and others. Now I have to say that we do not watch with great devotion: we work on classwork, usually with our laptops open.

Occasionally, while we are watching, one of the characters will use a word or a phrase that we just don’t get, like choky. So I look the word or phrase up on my laptop, and we learn something new.

 

The image is of cricket, a popular game in the UK.

LONGSTANTON, United Kingdom – Staff Sgt. Arnold Henry, 423rd Medical Squadron, reacts after a Longstanton Grasshopper hits the ball during the first game played by the team Aug. 19 at Longstanton Bowls Club in Longstanton, United Kingdom. At either end of the pitch, 22 yards apart, are the wickets. These serve as a target for the bowling (aka fielding) side and are defended by the batting side, which seeks to accumulate runs. The pitch is 22 yards in length between the wickets and is 10 feet wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The “condition” of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match, and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor. The team has practiced against themselves the last couple of months to prepare for the game. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)