chamcha

plural chamchas

1. IndiaSouth AsiacolloquialinformalIndian politicsgovernmentA sycophant and hanger-on or lackey.

   1997. Sudhir Vaishnav. Times of India. (Aug. 24) “A very political exercise” Several hangers-on. They are available aplenty everywhere in the country and are often known in the local market as Chamcha.

   4 more examples

   1989. Stuart Auerbach. Washington Post. (Mar. 26) “Nehru and His Nation” M J Akbar has been called a chamcha to the Gandhi family, and some of that slavish devotion shows up in his uncritical acceptance of Nehru’s government-dominated economic program and the erosion of the country’s grass roots political structure as a result of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

   Chamcha Sycophant (lit. ‘spoon’). 1997. Ghulam Nabi Azad. India Today (June 23) p. 13: I have my own standing in the party. I cannot be anybody’s chamcha (stooge).

   1994. William Dalrymple City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi (Dec. 1) “Glossary” p. 340

   No doubt, the United Kingdom also had their sycophants—toadys, bachhas, jholichuks and hukkabardars—but chamchas of the modern vintage they had none. Chamchas are a breed apart.

   1998 January 17, “In Praise of Chamchagiri”, in P.S. Sharma Times of India

   Leaders’ chamchas get lucky”: All three have pulled strings in their respective parties to get Assembly poll tickets for their puppets and close confidants, better known in political parlance as chamchas.

   2004. Krishnakumar. Midday (Mumbai, India) (Sept. 21)