Word Meaning
क़िमार-ख़ाना
qimaar-khaana
Meaning
A gambling den or casino; a place where bets are placed.
Detailed Meaning
Literally refers to a gambling house or den where games of chance are played. In classical Urdu poetry, it is often employed metaphorically, as in 'qimaar-khaana-e-ishq' (the gambling house of love), depicting love as a perilous game where one wagers heart, reason, and worldly standing. In this couplet, it represents the court of love which the destitute lover can no longer afford to frequent.
Etymology
Arabic 'qimār' (gambling, wager) + Persian 'khāna' (house, place).
Usage
In ghazal poetics, love is frequently stylized as a gambling house where ruin and voluntary loss of self are celebrated as true surrender.
Examples
He wagered his very soul in the gambling den of love.
Left empty-handed at the door of the hazard house.
