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March 17, 2006
Vishy's Indian English Dictionary: bandicoot
bandicoot./BAN·di·KOOT/. A rodent similar to the rat, but much larger. I've seen bandicoots running around in drains that I've mistaken for small dogs. Much like their cousins in New York City, they root through garbage at night and make eerie rustling sounds when they run through grass or dried leaves. The etymology of this word seems to be traceable to the Telugu pandi + kokku (lit. pig-rat). In my mind though the word usually evokes the odd image of a bandit-raccoon. I dread to think of how an ordinary Indian bandicoot would take to the, ahem, hormonally enhanced food in the United States. It might just turn out to be Winston Smith's worst nightmare, or some homeless person's sustenance for a week. As it turns out, bandicoot is also used to refer to an entirely unrelated and supposedly cuter marsupial in the outback Down Under.
Posted by Vishy at March 17, 2006 10:41 PM