chamcha

Definitions

A sycophant and hanger-on or lackey.

India, colloquial

Equivalents

Examples

“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.”

“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.”

“No doubt⟳, the United Kingdom also had their sycophants—toadys, bachhas, jholichuks and hukkabardars—but chamchas of the modern vintage they had none. Chamchas are a breed⟳ apart.”

“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.”

CEFR level