ख़ाला

Meaning

Maternal aunt; idiomatically used to denote an informal, easy, or lawless place.

Detailed Meaning

Literally meaning a maternal aunt, the term is prominently used in Urdu poetry and idiom in the phrase 'khana-e-khala' (aunt's house), signifying an informal place where one may act without decorum or difficulty. In this couplet, it serves as a stern warning to the ascetic that the realm of devotion or the tavern is not an easy, lawless refuge where one enters casually.

Etymology

Arabic (خالة, khālah, maternal aunt), adopted into Persian and Urdu.

Usage

In classical Urdu poetry, it is almost exclusively invoked via the Persian construct 'khana-e-khala' to mock someone treating a sacred or perilous space too lightly.

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Related Words