Hobson-Jobson is the short (and better-known) title of
Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and
Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical
and Discursive, a historical dictionary of Anglo-Indian words and
terms from Indian languages which came into use during the British rule
of India.
It was written by Henry Yule and Arthur C. Burnell and first
published in 1886. Burnell had died before the work was finished, and
most of it was finished by Yule, who however deeply acknowledges
Burnell's contributions. A subsequent edition was edited by William
Crooke in 1903, with extra quotations and an index added. The first and
second editions are collector's items, though otherwise the second
edition is widely available in numerous facsimile reprints.
In Anglo-Indian English, the term Hobson-Jobson referred to
any festival or entertainment, but especially ceremonies of the Mourning
of Muharram. In origin the term is a corruption by British soldiers of
"Yā Ḥasan! Yā Ḥosain!" which is repeatedly cried by Shia Muslims as they
beat their chests throughout the procession of the Muharram. Yule and
Burnell were looking for a catchy title for their dictionary and decided
upon this since it was a "typical and delightful example" of the type of
the highly domesticated words in the dictionary and at the same time
conveyed "a veiled intimation of dual authorship".
The dictionary holds over 2,000 entries, generally with citations
from literary sources, many of which date to the first European contact
with the Indian subcontinent, frequently in other non-English European
languages. Most entries also have etymological notes.
