ambit
circuit; compass
ampoule
a small vial containing an injectable drug
anonyme
anonymous (French)
architraves
top section of a classical column
automatism
the quality or state of being automatic
baksheesh
bribes paid to government officials
beedie
small cigarette
Borsalino
rabbit fur hat beloved by Didier
canorous
melodious
chaikhanna
tea shop
chandu
opium
charras
hashish
chemurgic
industrial product developed from organic raw materials
chillum
hashish pipe; also, the amount of hashish smoked in said pipe
chrismal
holy oil used in anointing church garments
claustral
a cloistered area surrounded by arcades
concatenate
linked together
condign
deserved
D'Artagnan
character in The Three Musketeers known for his long thin mustache
dacoits
bandits
dhoti
loincloth
feculence
rottenness
garad
brown sugar heroin
gazal
a poetic song form
gibbous moon
A waning moon that was recently full.
gora
white person
Haji Ali Mosque
A major mosque in Bombay.
hysterectomy
operation involving the removal of the uterus
idyllise
portmanteau coinage combining idyll (short pastoral poem) and idolize
infrangible
not to be violated
jezail rifle
long musket-like rifle
Jonesville
Location of a famous mass-suicide by Kool-Aid.
kaftan
a full-length silk cloak
kurtah
shirt
lapin
rabbit (French)
Lord Byron
A famous Romantic poet.
Maharashtra
The Indian state of which Bombay (Mumbai) is the capital.
mandarin
pedantic official
Mandelbrot
Mathematician who first analyzed complex fractal patterns known as Mandelbrot sets.
Mandrax
A kind of Quaalude or depressant pill.
Marathi
The official, native language of Maharashtra.
martinet
a rigid disciplinarian
muezzin
singer who calls Muslims to prayer
Ned Kelly
legendary Australian criminal
paan
a kind of chewing tobacco
paanwalla
seller of paan
Perseus
A Greek mythological hero.
pillion
motorcycle saddle for a passenger
recidivist
a recurring criminal
rictal
in a gaping, grimacing manner
Sadiq Khan
A Sufi poet.
salwar
blouse
salwar kameez
a traditional, airy shirt-and-pants outfit.
Sergio Leone
acclaimed director of Italian westerns
Standing Babas
monks who've vowed never to sit or lie down
supernatant
clear layer of liquid that rests atop a thicker substance
susurrus
whisper or rustling sound
sybaritic
luxurious
syzygy
the configuration of three celestial bodies in a straight line
tatami
straw mat
tiffin
lunch
tor
a high craggy hill
vicinal
local
yaar
'friend' in Hindi - used colloquially as a term of casual familiarity
Zapata
a bushy mustache named for the Mexican revolutionary
zhopadpatti
slum
zikkir
Muslim song