Indian English, documented.
A variety, not a set of mistakes. Prepone, batchmate, and timepass are in the OED; lakh and crore are the working units of Indian business writing. Others — do the needful, out of station, kindly intimate — read as archaic abroad but are standard here. The list is grouped by register; the ones that travel internationally are marked.
32 travel cleanly into international English
Office & correspondence
Words that appear in Indian emails and memos every day — some (prepone, batchmate) have left the subcontinent; others (revert, do the needful) read as archaic abroad.
"Pass-out" (batch marker)
RegionalA noun form for a graduation cohort — "I am a 2018 pass-out."
Batch
RegionalA cohort — a graduating class, a hiring class, a training group.
Client-side
RegionalWorking at the client's premises rather than the vendor's — often onsite abroad.
CTC
RegionalCost to company — total employer spend per employee, including benefits, bonus, PF, and gratuity.
Do the needful
RegionalPlease take whatever action is required — the speaker trusts you to know what it is.
EMI
RegionalEquated monthly instalment — the fixed loan-repayment figure.
Fresher
RegionalA new graduate entering the job market; a first-year college student.
Full and final
RegionalThe final settlement on leaving a job — last salary, leave encashment, gratuity, minus any dues.
Godown
RegionalA warehouse.
Hike
RegionalA pay raise — or, by extension, any increase in salary or fare.
Increment
RegionalAn annual raise — the standard yearly pay hike.
MNC job
RegionalA job at a multinational corporation — used as a category in its own right.
Notice period
RegionalThe weeks or months an employee must work after resigning — often 60 or 90 days in Indian contracts.
Offshore
RegionalWorking from the Indian delivery centre — the default home base for IT-services staff.
Onsite
RegionalA deputation to the client's country — working abroad, usually USA, UK, or EU.
Opening batsman (fig.)
RegionalA point person sent first to handle a difficult task — from cricket.
Out of station
RegionalOut of town, travelling, away from one's usual posting.
Peon
RegionalAn office runner — fetches files, serves tea, delivers documents between rooms.
Prepone
TravelsTo reschedule to an earlier time — the natural antonym of postpone.
Revert
RegionalTo reply, respond, or get back to someone.
Take-home
RegionalNet monthly salary after tax and deductions — what actually reaches the bank account.
Updation
RegionalThe act of updating — a nominalisation used in Indian technology and office writing.
Xerox (as a verb)
RegionalTo photocopy.
Formal & civil register
Preserved from Victorian English and Indic courtesy — still standard in Indian journalism, legal writing, and hospitality; usually worth translating for international readers.
"Intimate" as a verb
RegionalTo notify or inform officially — "kindly intimate us of your decision."
Aangan
RegionalAn open central courtyard within a traditional home — the social hub of a haveli or family house.
Bandh
RegionalA general strike or enforced shutdown — shops close, transport stops.
Bearer
RegionalA waiter or restaurant server.
Bride-seeing
RegionalA formal family visit in which a prospective groom and his relatives meet a prospective bride.
Chakka jam
RegionalA traffic-blockade protest — vehicles parked across a road to prevent movement.
Convent-educated
RegionalEducated at a Christian missionary school — typically with English as the medium of instruction.
Dharna
RegionalA sit-in protest, especially one outside a public building.
Eve-teasing
RegionalPublic sexual harassment of women by men.
First-class (as a grade)
RegionalAn undergraduate degree with honours of the highest band — used as a noun ("I got a first-class").
Foreign-returned
RegionalHaving returned from studying or working abroad — used adjectivally on résumés and matrimonial ads.
Freeship
RegionalA full scholarship; an exemption from fees.
Gherao
RegionalA protest tactic: surrounding an official and refusing to let them leave until demands are met.
Hall ticket
RegionalThe admission card required to sit for a board or university exam.
Hartal
TravelsA general strike — shops and offices shut down in protest.
Hill station
RegionalA mountain resort town, often a cool-climate retreat from the plains.
Joint family
RegionalA household with multiple generations and brothers' families living together.
Kindly
RegionalPlease — often used where British English would say "please" and American English would say nothing at all.
Lakh / crore
TravelsIndian numbering units — 1 lakh = 100,000; 1 crore = 10,000,000 (= 100 lakh).
Lathi
RegionalA long bamboo or metal-bound stick, especially as carried by police.
Lathi charge
RegionalPolice use of bamboo staves to disperse a crowd.
Marriageable
RegionalOf an age considered appropriate for marriage.
Matriculation
RegionalThe 10th-standard school-leaving examination.
Morcha
RegionalA protest march, usually ending at a government office with a list of demands.
Mother tongue
TravelsOne's first language.
Native place
RegionalOne's ancestral hometown or village — often different from where one lives.
Panchayat
RegionalA village-level council of elected representatives — or, informally, a neighbourhood meeting to settle a dispute.
Passing out
RegionalGraduating from a college, academy, or training programme.
Pradhan
RegionalA head or chief — variously, a village head (rural), temple priest (religious), or simply a respectful title.
Sarpanch
RegionalThe elected head of a panchayat — the top local-government official for a village or cluster of villages.
Scheme
RegionalA government programme, welfare plan, or savings product — neutral, not sinister.
STD booth
RegionalA shopfront phone booth for making long-distance and international calls, paid by the minute.
Tehsil
RegionalAn administrative sub-district — the layer between district and village.
Viva
RegionalAn oral examination — usually the final 10–20% of a practical subject's marks.
What is your good name?
RegionalA polite way of asking someone's name — the "good" is an honorific, not a literal modifier.
Zila
RegionalA district — the main unit of local administration, headed by a District Magistrate or Collector.
Everyday speech
Core vocabulary of Indian daily life. Some travel (lakh, crore in finance); some are specific enough to warrant a gloss outside India.
Arranged marriage
TravelsA marriage negotiated by families — still the statistical norm in India.
Aunty
RegionalAny older woman, whether kin or not — the respectful default address.
Auto
RegionalAn auto-rickshaw — a three-wheeled urban taxi.
Babu
RegionalA clerk or bureaucrat — sometimes respectful, often mocking the bureaucracy.
Back side
RegionalThe rear of a building or object.
Bai
RegionalThe household help — cleans, cooks, or does both, usually a daily-wage employee.
Batchmate
TravelsSomeone from the same graduating class, academy cohort, or training batch.
Bathroom
RegionalRoom with toilet and often a shower — in India, even if there's no bath, it's still the "bathroom."
Bed tea
RegionalThe small cup of tea served in bed first thing in the morning — often before brushing teeth.
Bhabhi
RegionalElder brother's wife — also a respectful address to an older sister-in-law or a friend's wife.
Bhaiya
RegionalElder brother — or a polite address to any unrelated man of similar/older age.
Brinjal
RegionalAubergine; eggplant.
Bucket bath
RegionalBathing with a bucket of water and a mug — the traditional Indian bath, still common.
Byheart
RegionalTo memorise (verb). "He byhearted the formula."
Capsicum
RegionalBell pepper.
Cent-percent
RegionalOne hundred per cent; completely.
Century
TravelsA batsman's score of 100 or more runs — a career-defining achievement.
Chaat
TravelsA category of tangy, spicy street-food snacks — often topped with chutneys, yogurt, and crispy bits.
Chacha
RegionalFather's younger brother — a kinship term that English "uncle" blurs out.
Chai
TravelsTea — specifically Indian-style milk tea with spices.
Chapati
TravelsAn unleavened griddle-cooked flatbread — thinner than naan, softer than a paratha.
Chappal
RegionalA flat leather or rubber sandal — open-toed, often with a toe-loop.
Chowkidar
RegionalA night watchman — typically guards a home, office, or society gate after dark.
Class monitor
RegionalA student appointed to maintain discipline when the teacher is absent.
Co-brother
RegionalThe husband of one's wife's sister — a man whose wife is one's sister-in-law.
Coaching
RegionalExam-prep institute-style teaching — IIT-JEE coaching, NEET coaching, UPSC coaching.
Colony
RegionalA residential neighbourhood or housing complex ("Defence Colony," "Vasant Kunj Colony").
Cooker
RegionalA pressure cooker — the default kitchen appliance for cooking rice and dal.
Cousin-brother / cousin-sister
RegionalA male or female cousin — the compound specifies gender and signals the warmth of a sibling-like bond.
Cousin-sister
RegionalA female first cousin — parallel to "cousin-brother."
Cover
RegionalAn envelope, especially for letters or office memos.
Curd
RegionalPlain set yogurt — the everyday side dish in Indian meals.
Cycle rickshaw
RegionalA pedalled three-wheeler — one driver in front, two passengers behind.
Dabba
RegionalA stacked metal tiffin carrier — three or four tins that clip together for a hot lunch.
Dabbawala
TravelsA lunchbox courier — collects home-cooked food from suburbs and delivers to offices.
Dal
TravelsSplit pulses cooked into a lentil stew — a staple across Indian cuisines.
Dhobi
RegionalA washerman — picks up laundry weekly, returns it pressed and folded.
Dickey
RegionalThe boot of a car — the rear cargo compartment.
Didi
RegionalElder sister — or a respectful term for any older young woman.
Doosra
TravelsA spinner's variation that turns the other way from the standard off-break.
Duck
TravelsBeing dismissed in cricket for zero runs — "he was out for a duck."
Eggitarian
RegionalA vegetarian who eats eggs — between pure-veg and omnivore.
Flyover
RegionalAn elevated road bridge over another road.
Footpath
RegionalA pavement; a walking surface alongside a road.
Four-wheeler
RegionalA car, contrasted with the more common two-wheelers.
General compartment
RegionalAn unreserved coach on a long-distance train — first-come, crowded, cheaper.
Geyser
RegionalA small electric or gas water heater mounted on a bathroom wall.
Googly
TravelsA spinner's deceptive delivery that breaks the opposite way to the batsman's expectation.
Guide
RegionalA study supplement with answers, summaries, and exam-question patterns — often semi-official.
Gully
RegionalA narrow residential lane — too small for a car, just wide enough for a cycle.
Half-century
TravelsA batsman's score of 50 or more — a lesser but still-celebrated milestone.
Hoarding
RegionalA large outdoor advertising board.
Horn please
RegionalA painted request on the back of trucks — inviting overtakers to signal before passing.
Horoscope matching
RegionalChecking birth charts for compatibility before marriage — a formal step in many families.
Hostel
RegionalA residential dormitory for students or young workers.
Hotel
RegionalA restaurant or eatery — not necessarily a place to stay.
Immersion rod
RegionalA portable electric element dropped into a bucket to heat water for bathing.
Interval
TravelsThe intermission in a film or play.
Inverter
RegionalA household battery-plus-converter unit that keeps lights and fans running during a power cut.
Jugaad
TravelsAn improvised fix; a low-cost workaround; creative problem-solving under constraint.
Kaamwali
RegionalA female domestic worker — the broader north-Indian term paralleling Mumbai's "bai."
Ladies' finger
RegionalOkra.
Local
RegionalThe suburban commuter train — especially in Mumbai, Chennai, or Kolkata.
Loose motion(s)
RegionalDiarrhoea.
Love marriage
RegionalA marriage where partners chose each other — as opposed to an arranged marriage.
Maiden over
TravelsA cricket over in which no runs are scored against the bowler.
Mama (uncle)
RegionalMother's brother — not "mama" in the American sense (which confuses tourists).
Marriage hall
RegionalA rented venue for weddings — a large hall with staging, seating, and catering kitchen.
Masala
TravelsA blend of ground spices — either a recipe mix or, metaphorically, drama and flavour.
Masala dabba
RegionalA round stainless steel spice box with seven small containers — the centre of every Indian kitchen.
Mess
RegionalA college or hostel dining hall.
Mixie
RegionalA kitchen blender — the standard Indian household term.
Namkeen
RegionalSavoury snack — packaged or loose fried mixes of nuts, sev, lentils, and spices.
No-ball
TravelsAn illegal delivery by the bowler — the batsman cannot be out (mostly) and the team gets a free run.
Out of order
TravelsBroken, not working (of machines); also, rude or inappropriate (of people — UK usage).
Pani puri
RegionalA crisp hollow shell filled with spiced water, chickpeas, and tamarind — eaten in one bite.
Paratha
TravelsA pan-fried layered flatbread — often stuffed with potato, cauliflower, or paneer.
Petrol pump
RegionalA petrol station.
Pukka
TravelsGenuine, proper, solid — "a pukka job," "pukka construction."
Pure veg
RegionalStrictly vegetarian — no egg, and often no onion or garlic in stricter readings.
Queue up / stand in queue
RegionalLine up; wait in line.
Ranker
RegionalA student who scores among the top in competitive exams — "he is a JEE ranker."
Revision
RegionalGoing over material to refresh memory before an exam.
Rickshaw
TravelsA small hired passenger vehicle — in India, typically the three-wheeled auto-rickshaw.
Rubber
RegionalA pencil eraser.
Sabzi
RegionalVegetables — either raw produce or a cooked vegetable curry.
Sarkari
RegionalGovernment-related — used as an adjective: sarkari job, sarkari office, sarkari school.
Sarkari naukri
RegionalA government job — historically aspirational for stability, pension, and status.
Society
RegionalA housing complex run by a residents' association — "we stay in Shanti Park Society."
Speed breaker
RegionalA raised bump across a road that forces vehicles to slow down.
Standard
RegionalA school year — "fifth standard," "eighth standard."
Stepney
RegionalA spare tyre.
Sum
RegionalA mathematics problem of any kind — not just addition.
Tadka
RegionalA tempering — spices briefly fried in hot oil or ghee and poured over a dish at the end.
Tatkal
RegionalSame-day/next-day emergency train-ticket booking — a separate quota with premium fare.
Thali
TravelsA round platter meal — several small bowls of curries, dal, rice, breads, and pickle, all served at once.
Three-wheeler
RegionalAn auto-rickshaw or tuk-tuk — the ubiquitous small yellow-and-black taxi.
Thrice
TravelsThree times.
Tiffin
RegionalA light packed meal — often a midday lunch carried in a stacked tin (the "tiffin box").
Tiffin service
RegionalA subscription for home-style lunch delivery — a daily dabba to office or home.
Today evening / yesterday night
RegionalCompound time phrases built on "evening" and "night" where other Englishes prefer "this evening" / "last night."
Topper
RegionalThe student who ranks first in an exam or class.
Tuition
RegionalPrivate coaching outside school — supplementary evening or weekend classes.
Tuition class
RegionalA specific coaching batch — "my maths tuition class is at 5 PM."
Two-wheeler
RegionalA motorbike or scooter — the legal/retail category.
Verandah
TravelsA covered porch or balcony running along the outside of a house.
Wait-list
RegionalA ticket status where your seat is not yet confirmed — numbered WL 1, WL 2, etc.
Washroom
RegionalA polite name for toilet — especially in restaurants, offices, and airports.
Zebra crossing
RegionalA pedestrian crossing with white stripes on the road.
Colloquial & spoken
Spoken features — clause-final particles, structural calques, phone greetings. Rarely written in edited prose; diagnostic of Indian English to the attentive ear.
"Is it?" (as tag)
RegionalA confirmation-checking tag roughly equivalent to "really?" or "is that so?"
"Itself" as an emphasizer
RegionalAttached to a noun or time-phrase for emphasis — "I'll come today itself" = "I'll come this very day."
"Only" as an emphasizer
RegionalPlaced at the end of a clause to intensify or confirm — "It is raining only" = "it really is raining" / "that's exactly what's happening."
"Reaching" for arriving
Regional"I am reaching home by 8" = "I'll arrive home by 8."
"Tell me — yes?"
RegionalA conversational acknowledgement marker — "go on, I'm listening."
Accha
RegionalOK / I see / really? — an all-purpose Hindi acknowledgement that leaks into English.
Arre
RegionalAn interjection of surprise, protest, or familiarity — "hey!," "oh!," "come on!"
Autowala
RegionalThe driver of an auto-rickshaw — addressed as "autowala bhai."
Backbencher
RegionalA student who sits in the back rows — stereotypically inattentive, often humorously self-identified.
Bollywood dance
TravelsA film-choreographed dance style — synchronised group, expressive, melodramatic.
Bunked
RegionalTo skip a class or lecture.
Chalo
RegionalLet's go / OK then / fine (moving on) — a transition marker.
Cool drink
RegionalA carbonated soft drink — Coke, Pepsi, Limca, Thums Up.
Crorepati
RegionalA person worth at least one crore (ten million) rupees.
Desi
TravelsLocal, homegrown, of the subcontinent — used of food, people, and brands.
Filmy
RegionalDramatic, over-the-top, melodramatic — as in a film scene.
First-day, first-show
RegionalThe very first screening of a new film on its opening day.
Frontbencher
RegionalA student who sits in the front rows — a studious, teacher-facing type.
Hello, tell me
RegionalA phone greeting — "hello, go ahead, I'm listening."
Item number
RegionalA standalone high-energy song-and-dance sequence in a film — usually unconnected to the plot.
Lakhpati
RegionalA person worth at least one lakh (100,000) rupees.
Mugging up
RegionalRote learning, cramming for an exam.
Na-na
RegionalA doubled "no" — polite but firm refusal, or emphatic negation.
Netaji
RegionalA respectful/ironic address for a politician — "leader-ji."
Off the fan / on the light
Regional"Off" and "on" used as verbs — "off the fan" = switch the fan off.
Please adjust
RegionalA request to make room on a crowded train bench, shared rickshaw, or seating — "four-seater please adjust for one more."
Ragging
RegionalInitiation hazing of first-year students by seniors.
Same to same
RegionalExactly the same — usually of copied goods or identical outcomes.
Take rest
RegionalRest, take a break.
Theek hai
RegionalOK / fine / agreed — the all-purpose Hindi yes.
Timepass
TravelsKilling time; also, something pleasant but inconsequential ("the film was timepass").
Yaar
TravelsFriend, mate — used as a direct-address affectionate filler ("come on, yaar").
More English, as it's actually used.
Misquoted lines, misheard lyrics, misspelled titles — and a paste-checker that flags the well-known slips.