Sri Lankan English - Updates and Corrections

This section contains updates to the dictionary, based partly on comments from readers. The pages are ordered alphabetically, and each page is divided into 2 parts: New Entries, and Comments and Corrections. Click on the initial letter to view each set of entries.

These pages are updated regularly; please contact me if you have any suggestions or feedback which can be included.

Latest update: July 2010. New additions are in red.

These pages include quotes taken from the following books:

All is Burning, by Jean Arasanayagam (Penguin 1995)
Fifteen, by Ameena Hussein (ICES 1999)
Sam’s Story, by Elmo Jayawardena (Vijitha Yapa 2001)
The Good Little Ceylonese Girl, by Ashok Ferrey (author publication 2006)
The Banana Tree Crisis, by Isankya Kodithuwakku (Vijitha Yapa 2006)
The Sweet and Simple Kind, by Yasmine Gooneratne (Perera Hussein 2006)
Can You Hear me Running, by Lal Medawattegedara (Zeus 2007)
Rainbows in Braille, by Elmo Jayawardena (author publication 2007)
The(ir) (Au)topsy, by Vihanga Perera (author publication 2007)
The Mango Tree, by Anthea Senaratna (author publication 2008)
Learning to Fly, by Shehani Gomes (Perera Hussein 2008)
Stable Horses, by Vihanga Perera (author publication 2008)
The Moon in the Water, by Ameena Hussein (Perera Hussein 2009)
Theravada Man, by Manuka Wijesinghe (Bay Owl 2009)
Serendipity, by Ashok Ferrey (author publication 2009)
Arathi, by Nihal de Silva (Vijitha Yapa 2010)

NEW ENTRIES:

A	accident ward, adhi poya, Ahikuntika, airlift, amuredi, annexed, arahat, auspicious time
B	backhoe, bank holiday, bare-bodied, Basnayake Nilame, batana, bhakthi gee, bhootaya, b-i-i-g, birth anniversary, biscuit packet, blue magpie, bodhisattva, body wash, bothal karaya, the boys, break (a house), break (cobwebs), bro, buckled, buddy, budu amme!, budu ge, bystander
C	cal, call sb to their house, can manage, car wash, cast (a horoscope), casual leave, cent, Ceylonese, chikungunya, chimney lamp, Cinnamon Gardens, coat and tie, coconut flower, coconut husker, coconut shell, coconut shell spoon, coconut water, cowpea, CR book, cross cousin, cut sb off, cut-out
D	deffa, del chips, dessert, deva, deviyane!, dhammapada, district, doctor Sunny, domiciled, I doubt, drivers' quarters, dukkha
E	early evening, eating-drinking Muslim, eerashtaka, EGB, elephant corridor, encomium, engagement ceremony, English-speaking, estate Tamil
F	fine one, fine thing, fit-on room, footboard traveller, for an example, foreigner, foreign liquor, fruits/foods, fujigraph, full option
G	gal siyambala, game over, garment factory, gas bottle, Gate Mudaliyar, gem pit, go down, go from here!, good self, GOSL, graduate teacher, grinding stone
H	hadu, half, hammer, handphone, I hate, hell of a thing!, here and there, Hikka, hill capital, homecoming sari, hopper mixture, hopper pan, human-elephant conflict
I	icing cake, idda, ilapotha, INGO, intermission, interval, is it?, isn't it?, isso vadai
J	jam bottle, jam (fruit) tree, jaramara, jingbang
K	kade paan, kahata, Kaffir, kaffringna, kambi, kankun, karachchal, katta, kavi, keep, kehel kana, kekka, kerosene oil, kids, Kili, knock off, konde kurulla, kudda, kutti
L	Landmaster, land phone, learners, like, I like, lobaya, loose, love match
M	Mahavamsa, mala batha, malkoha, masala vadai, matchbox, match over, milk bread, mother tongue, mouth, muhurath, mulgedera, Muslim law, muster shed, Mw
N	nadaswaran, nail, Necto, nephew/niece, NGO sector, nil manel, Nittaewo, non-a/c, no use of doing sth
O	olu, oruwa, our boys, our one, overlook
P	palayakat sarong, pallang, palmyrah fence, palmyrah flour, palmyrah grove, panchayudha, parallel cousin, parana coat man, parinirvana, patana, PC, pen drive, perethaya, photo catcher, pilimage, pin, polkatu handa, polos mallung, pound (rice), pre-poya, principal, province, public holiday, punt, put to fall
R	Rajarata, ratnamalu, reload, rice pounder, ring cut, roofing sheets, Ruhunu
S	samsara, sapodilla, sardine, sasana, satakaya, sauce, see will you!, semi-luxury bus, servants' toilet, show, sick note campaign, Sinhala-speaking, Sinhalisation, sis, soap piece, solid, song and dance type, South, spare wheel, sports meet, stringhopper mould, sugar bun, sutra
T	tak tik tuk, talipot palm, tea garden, tea planter, telephone shower, three-wheeler driver, thundering slap, tooth relic, trained teacher, treacle, tri-services, T-shirt, tuition class
U	unknown, upcountry Tamil, uplift
V	vinaya, vulcanising
W	wala, Wayamba, what for..., whole day, wounded, write
Y	yakkini, younger to, yuga