‖ chee-chee Anglo-Ind.
Also chi-chi.
[Said to be from Hindī chhī-chhī fie! (lit. dirt, filth), an exclamation attributed to the Eurasians; ‘but perhaps rather indicating the mincing pronunciation attributed to the class’ (Yule).]
A word applied disparagingly to the ‘minced English’ of Eurasians or half-breeds in India, and so to the class themselves.
| 1781 Hicky's Bengal Gaz. 17 Mar. (Y.) Pretty little looking-glasses, Good and cheap for chee-chee misses. 1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master v. 118 note, Chee chee is the general designation the half-cast ladies receive in India. 1873 Fraser's Mag. Oct. 437 (Y.) The hybrid minced English known as chee-chee. 1880 Sir Ali Baba 122 (Y.) The accents of her tchi-tchi tongue. 1888 Kipling Gadsbys (1889) 19 A fine Mussoorie chi-chi to bring home. 1924 Buchan 3 Hostages ix. 133 Then to my surprise he spoke in English—good English, with the chi-chi accent of the Indian. 1944 H. G. Wells '42 to '44 30 Kipling's chi-chi Imperialism. Ibid. 33 The Empire has contributed its quota of offspring from minor officials and business representatives, not always innocent of a chi-chi accent. 1951 H. Jordan Islander xiv. 164 The group had originated..with an element of halfcastes in it, but the chi-chi admixture had been long discarded. |