Harbart-da (p. 8): Dada is the Bengali word for older brother. Shortened to “da,” it is added to names tso indicate that relationship both in and outside the family.

Googly (p. 8): According to the BBC: “The leg-spinner’s prize weapon, bowled properly, a googly is almost undetectable: [it] looks like a normal leg-spinner but turns toward the batsmen, like an off-break, rather than away from the bat.” In Bengal, a land of ardent cricket fans, the term is often used to refer an unexpected turn of events.

Gyanobaan, Buddhimaan (p. 11): The first name means The Knowledgeable One, the second, The Intelligent One.

Underwear (p. 12): In Indian-English, and in many of the regional languages, this English word is used to refer specifically to a man’s briefs or boxer shorts.

fish-cutting blade (p. 12): An enormous curved blade fixed to a wooden base. Used for scraping the scales off a fish and then for slicing it into pieces.

Peeyu kahaan (p. 12): A Hindi version of the call of the common hawk-cuckoo or brain-fever bird: “Where’s my love?”

Pin you (p. 13): Bengali slang, roughly meaning “I’ll screw you.”

Full shirt (p. 13): Used in Bengali to refer to a full-sleeved shirt. Half shirt refers to a half-sleeved shirt. Full pant refers to full-length pants while half pant refers to shorts.

Club (p. 14): Informal associations formed in each neighborhood, which organize pujas, musical soirees, sports meets, blood-donation camps, relief work, etc. Some have a room with a TV and basic sports equipment, which functions as a local hangout for many of the neighborhood boys and men.

Bangla (p. 14): Bengali name for locally brewed alcohol.

Isabgol (p. 15): Brand name for a psyllium-husk preparation, one of the most commonly used laxatives in West Bengal.

Goju Bose’s expression when he finally succeeded in signing up Kushanu and Bikash for Mohun Bagan (p. 15): A reference to the legendary rivalry between two soccer teams from Calcutta: East Bengal Club and Mohun Bagan AC. Between 1983 and 1991, midfielders Krishanu Dey and Bikash Panji were the star players of East Bengal, helping it five times win the prestigious Calcutta Football League—one of the oldest soccer tournaments in the world. The Krishanu–Biskash pair was constantly being wooed by rival Mohun Bagan and finally, in 1992, both players, after being promised hefty fees, signed on to play for them. This was seen as a major coup inside the Calcutta soccer empire and even lead to several incidents of hooliganism and rioting. However, the dramatic transfer of the leading pair proved a success for Mohun Bagan, helping them win the Calcutta Football League in 1992, and put a famously jubilant smile on the face of, among others, Sajal Basu, better known by his nickname Goju, the secretary of the club.

Ma go (p. 18): This is a bit of a bilingual pun. In English, of course, it sounds like a child babbling to go closer to its mother. But in Bengali, to add ‘go’ to a person’s name is to underline the affection one feels for them, is to emphasize even more the intimacy of the bond. So, at once, both “go to Ma” and “Ma dearest.”