Glossary
C=Chinese, P=Pidgin-English, R=Russian. The Chinese substitute l for r, and add the terminations -ee, -um, and -lo to many words.
ach (R), oh, ah.
allo (P), all, every.
artel (R), a society of workers formed on co-operative principles.
barin (R), lord, gentleman.
batiushki (R) = By Jove!
belongey (P), often equivalent simply to the verb to be.
bimeby (P), by and by, afterwards.
bobbely (P), noise, uproar.
bottom-side (P), down, below.
bozhe moï (R), good heavens!
cash (C), small copper coins carried on strings.
catchee (P), to get, have.
ch’hoy (P), an exclamation.
chop-chop (P), quickly.
chow-chow (P), food.
Chunchuse (more strictly Hunhutze: C), literally red-beard: the name given to the organized bandits of Manchuria.
compradore (Portuguese), superintendent of a European’s native staff.
da (R), an exclamation; literally “yes!”
droshky (R), single-horse carriage.
dushenka (R), little soul: a term of endearment.
-ee, a pidgin-English termination.
eka (R), an exclamation: “there now!”
Fa-lan-sai (P), French.
fangtse (C), cottage.
fan-kwei (C), foreign devil.
fan-tan (C), a game: the players stake on the remainder when an unknown number of cash is divided by 4.
fan-yun (C), foreigner.
feng-shui (C), the geomantic influences of the earth, determining the luckiness or unluckiness of places.
first-chop (P), best, excellently.
flend (P), friend.
fo’ (P), four, for.
folin (P), foreign.
galaw (P), a common exclamation.
gorodovoi (R), policeman.
gospodin (R), sir.
gráf (R), count
he (P), he, she, it, they, him, her.
Ingoua (C), English.
kopeck (R), silver or copper coin: 100 kopecks make 1 rouble.
kow-tow (P), to bow humbly.
li (C), a Chinese mile: about one-third of an English mile.
ling-ch’ih (C), capital punishment by slicing.
littee (P), little.
look-see (P), look, examine.
lowdah (P), captain of a junk.
Lusski (P), Russian.
mafoo (C), groom.
makee (P), make, do.
Melican (P), American.
moujik (R), peasant.
muchee (P), very.
my (P), I, me, my, mine.
nichalnik (R), station-master.
no can do (P), cannot.
nu (R), well!
numpa (P), number: numpa one, first-rate.
och (R), oh!
one-tim’ (P), once.
ph’ho (C), an exclamation.
pidgin (P), business: pidgin-English, English as spoken by Chinese at the ports.
piecee (P), used with numerals: one piecee man=a or one man.
ping-ch’wahn (C), gunboat.
plopa (P), proper: allo plopa, all right.
rouble (R), the standard money (paper) of Russia: ten roubles=a British sovereign.
samovar (R), tea-urn.
sampan (C), a Chinese punt.
savvy (P), know, understand.
side (P), place, direction: this-side, here; that-side, there; what-side, where.
so-fashion (P), in that way.
suttingly (P), certainly.
tael (C), a coin (rarely seen) worth 6s. 6d.
that-side (P), there.
that-tim’ (P), then.
this-side (P), here, hither.
tim’ (P), time.
tinkee (P), think.
Toitsche (P), i.e. Deutsche, German.
too (P), very.
topside (P), above, superior; in the head.
troika (R), three-horsed vehicle.
verst (R), two-thirds of English mile.
vodka (R), brandy made of barley.
wailo (P), away, to go away, run away.
wantchee (P), to want.
what-for (P), why.
what-side (P), where.
what-tim’ (P), when.
yamen (C), mandarin’s residence and office: yamen-runners, equivalent to English bailiffs, but a very inferior class.
yinkelis (P), English.