The English slang 'char' was still around when I were a lad - possibly
from the original 'chaa' and usually describing very powerful transport
cafe grade tea, the stuff that peels back the eyelids and takes the
chrome off the spoon as it stands upright. I always understood that
'chai' migrated into Russian from the caravans of black tea coming over
the hills from Assam or thereabouts. I drink chai too but it has become
a term referring to Indian style milky double-boiled spiced tea - very
strong and very good.
Oh - and I got it wrong - 'gulliver' was used in 'Lock, Stock...'
rather than 'Snatch.'
AndrewF
On 07/09/2004, at 7:43 AM, Piers Hemy wrote:
> Agreed indeed that 'chai' is not in origin Russian. But in the
> context of
> Clockwork Orange, its route into English has to be seen as via
> Russian. On
> the assumption that the 'argot' is accepted as English!
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