This morning, as the Boy threw clothes into our laundry hamper, it keeled over and descended on him from atop the dryer. Exclamations of annoyance emerged from the laundry closet, somewhat muffled by soft cotton undershirts and delicate unmentionables, which, 1) reached my kasaari-na-kaan in the kitchen, and 2) had me asking him “Why are you doing fuffer-chattuk?”
So gather around, my lovelies, for today we decode 2 more Parsi-isms:
1) Kasaari-na-kaan
Pronounced: kuh (like duh)-saa (like maa)-ree (like see) naa (like paa) kaan (like paan)
Translation: Insect’s ears
Meaning: Ears as sharp as an insect (some argue that it isn’t just any insect, specifically, it is a cockroach, but let’s just keep things all-around pleasant, shall we?)
Now sharp eyesight may not be my thing, and my Parsi nose is mostly for show, but ears, ears I have, and they do a stellar job to make up for my other not-so-efficient senses. A sniffle in the next room? I’m on it. A click in the house next door? I heard it. Volume, frequency, tonal quality, no problem! My kasaari-na-kaan hear it all. So each time I pick up on something the Boy doesn’t, he looks at me in awe and says, “Whoa, kasaari-na-kaan!” and now you can use this quirky Parsi phrase too. Just try not to throw it at your stone-deaf granduncle Cawas.
Example: Tehmi Fui has such kasaari-na-kaan! She could hear the girls giggling at the other end of the house.
2) Fuffer-chattuk
Pronounced: fuff (like stuff)-uhr (like sir) chut (like hut)-uk (like luck)
Translation: Grumbling and fretting
Meaning: When someone throws a mildly grumbling hissy fit of a non-violent nature, they are doing fuffer-chattuk. Mostly harmless, fuffer-chattuk implies grumbling under one’s breath while banging pots and pans in the kitchen. Or stomping around, complaining about all the extra work one has to do once the guests leave.
Example: I asked the cook to make 3 side dishes for the party and her fuffer-chattuk went on all day.
Extra: “Bubber-fuffer” is also a phrase in the same vein, and means pretty much the same thing.
So tell me, what do you do fuffer-chattuk about? And who in your family has kasaari-na-kaan? And who are you going to try these Parsi-isms on? 🙂
Wisdom Wears Neon Pyjamas 
I just realised that I have quite the kasaari na kaan — what a gorgeous way to put it!
The kasaari na kaan, my grandmum. At almost 93, arthiritis has taken its toll on her knees, but her sense of hearing, sight and taste are as spectacular as ever. If there is a conversation being held in the far end of the house that we don’t want her to hear of, you can be sure she heard every syllable of it!
And the fuffer- chattuk? I always have a long list handy :P. Sort of like a ‘flavor of the day’. Today, it’s the fact that MS Excel has its comma convention for numbers, all wrong!
fuffer-chattuk, kanda papeta, papeta par eedu, kasaari-na-kaan. What a delightful language.They saw new doors open up when you learn a new language. I am sure this will come in handy sometime, eh?
Kasari na Kaan??? yup, I heard that all the way here. Mea Culpa…I have kaans that are so sharp, you won’t believe. Plunk me in the middle of a restaurant or across the room in a party and I’ll tell you what is going on, all the while focusing on the conversation with the person in front of me! Scary huh? Not to worry, just “a gift”! My other half will start by saying “…but why do you have to listen?” promptly followed by “kharay khar (really?)? is that what he/she said?”. Can’t resist some juice. Anyway, as kids, our mom always said
“Sambhaljo, kasari na kaan chay” if she was dishing some goss with a friend and we little kasaris were lurking around somewhere in the flat.
now for fuffer-chatak… When the maids did not come on time to work, in Mumbai, my mother would do tremendous fuffer-chatak and we all kept out of the way. Some of it involved muffled mutterings about her total disregard for other people’s time and some fuffer was done by unneccessary clanging of pots and pans to show the rest of the family that she was upset! One did not need kasari na kaan for these! The fuffers and chataks assaulted the ears of one and all in the house!
hAAthi: Welcome to the club!
R: That’s wonderful to hear! May her sharp sense continue to drive you guys batty. 😉 And yes, Excel is a good and solid reason for fuffer-chattuk.
RS: You couldn’t have imagined this in a squillion years, could you? 😆
Abanty: You eavesdrop?? 😯 You’re a hoot! I can totally imagine Uncle P thinking it morally inappropriate. 😆 We need a refill of your hilarious stories in person, says the Boy.
It’ll be practised back on you dear OJ. No one better qualified! 😛
Acute hearing abilities
With age, sigh, debilities
Na kasari-na-kaan
Na kai bhi bhaan
All bubber-fuffer, no credibilities!
*******************************************
I tend to fuffer-chatak
When you, from blogging, satak
Giving us the slip
Makes me flip
And when you come back, i latak-matak!
@Aunty G: Lol @ latak matak.
alice: Alright, I’m waiting. Won’t let you off easy, you know. 😛
Aunty G: Those limericks above
Went hand in glove
They made us snicker
To hear you bicker
Here’s sending loads o’ love!
I need to use these on my Parsi friend:)
dipali: Let me know her reaction. 🙂
Kasaari na kaan! Hahahahahahah I can’t stop laughing over this one .. Also, I’ve heard this word before. Infact I’ve seen what that insect is like, it’s like a cricket hopping around .. I’m not a Parsi, but my grandmom used to live at Igatpuri where there was a decent population of Parsis. She would use this word often and now I figure the origins of the word 🙂 loving reading your posts 🙂
avantindia: What fun! A friend and I used to use ‘Igatpuri’ as a codeword for the restroom many moons ago. 😆