________________
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MARCH, 1924
PEARL AND COTTON MERCHANTS' SLANG.
BY SIR RICHARD C. TEMPLTE, BT. The Curator of Libraries, Public Library Department, Baroda, has sent us a list of nume. rals out of the Mirát--Ahmadi of 'Ali Muhammad Khân, in which he says that the author gives "a kind of secret code which was used by pearl merchants in their transactions." His Department is publishing a supplement to the book and "desires the origin and etymology of the code." He adds," I am told that iran, four, is the four-sided anvil on which a goldsmith works the gold, and that ekwahí, three, is the three-pronged jeweller's instrument. Wan, nine, seems to be back slang for nau." There was also, he says, " a similar code which was used by cotton merchants. Many of these expressions are still in use by merchants, but those I have asked cannot tell me the derivation of the words." The Department is anxious to know if any of our contributors or readers can supply the information required. I here give the table as sent with the letter,
SECRET CODES. English. Pearl Merchants Cotton Merchants terms
terms Bali sali likhwa akara
ek sala'ek
para kala samkas
salsang maba-ni-likhwa samani
jur eawahi
rakh iran
hok mol
bad or yad sapar Bamar
pit tamal
mankh wan
kun angal kakara patar
jurla nipar
rakhla chapar molpar pariri samarpari tahalpari wanpari sut
ekwadahi 40
irandahi 100 pharona
bakpharona 1000
kathma-kotbli
dik
sala ekla
mpari
