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January 25, 2006
Vishy's Indian English Dictionary: mess
mess. /mes/. Any place where common meals are eaten. One sense of this word in the West, ultimately derived from Lat. mittere, to place, refers to a common eatery for soldiers or sailors. Although not specifically an Indian English word, mess is used in a wider sense in India than in other major English speaking countries. In Indian English, it can refer to any place that functions as a large-scale kitchen, which may or may not cater to a community that lives together. Student dormitories (usually referred to as hostels in India) have attached messes, where residents can get their meals. Large governmental or other administrative offices have an Officers' Mess, where employees having a certain rank can dine during the workday. Mess is also used self-referentially by several hole-in-the-wall restaurants (which are frequently referred to as hotels all over India, even if they don't offer accommodation).
I should note that I haven't heard anyone use the word mess in the United States for anything other than the amorphous blob of untidiness in a room or for the perplexing intricacies of a situation.
Posted by Vishy at January 25, 2006 08:14 PM