# Urdu: phakii?



## UrduMedium

Noticed this word at the end of the headline in the attached news report. Anyone knows what this word means? I could not find it in my dictionary.

Edit: Sorry cannot upload the image. Keeps giving error. The headline from newspaper read as follows:

وفاقی وزیر ریلوے کا راولپنڈی تک سفر، قومی خزانے کو ۱۰ لاکھ کی پھکی

نواے وقت ۲۱ جون

Edit: Link to report here.


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## marrish

Please do attach the news report and if possible provide the headline!


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## UrduMedium

^ Please check the updates above.


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## Faylasoof

UrduMedium said:


> Noticed this word at the end of the headline in the attached news report. Anyone knows what this word means? I could not find it in my dictionary.
> 
> Edit: Sorry cannot upload the image. Keeps giving error. The headline from newspaper read as follows:
> 
> وفاقی وزیر ریلوے کا راولپنڈی تک سفر، قومی خزانے کو ۱۰ لاکھ کی پھکی
> 
> نواے وقت ۲۱ جون
> 
> Edit: Link to report here.


 UM SaaHib, having had a quick glance (no time to read the news item now), I think it is _*phikii*_ - from _*pheknaa*_. here _to throw away / cause to waste / cause a loss._

_Federal Railway Minister's trip to (till) Rawalpindi - loss of 10 lakh (Rupees) to the National Exchequer._


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## marrish

UrduMedium said:


> ^ Please check the updates above.


Thank you. The word is not _phakii_ but *phakkii پھکّی. *It means a handful of some dry powdery substance like fennel seeds or ajwain seeds or some medicine that should be consumed dry (which is of course not necessarily easy or pleasant). In this context it means to tear something to dry pieces in the sense of wasting.


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## Alfaaz

Here is a dictionary entry. In addition to the above mentioned examples, it seems to be used in the forms پھکنا ، پکھتا/پھکتی ، پھکّو ...perhaps a different pronunciation of پھانکنا?!


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## marrish

Yes, it is related to the last verb you mention!


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## Qureshpor

As far as Urdu is concerned, this is how a couple of well known dictionaries define this word:
phaknii/phaNknii/phaNkii = phaaNkne kii davaa (Verbs: phaknaa/phaaNknaa)

The Punjabi equivalent is "phakkii" as has already been mentioned by marrish SaaHib.

I have n't come across this usage before but I suspect the meaning is equivalent to "haRap kar jaanaa" or "nuqsaan pahuNchaanaa". Faylasoof SaaHib has already provided the latter meaning albeit via a different route. Here are a few more examples from the net.

aaj vifaaqii daaru_lHukuumat aur Karachi meN hone vaale sarkaarii jalsoN se qaumii xazaane ko ek arab ki phakkii lage gii. (..kaa nuqsaan ho gaa)

Shayaan Centre meN chorii kii vaardaat: naa-ma3luum chor dukkaandaar ko taqriib-an ek laakh kii phakkii de ga’e...(kaa nuqsaan..)

Hukuumatii xazaanah ko karoRoN kii phakii (..kaa nuqsaan)


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## UrduMedium

Thanks everyone for your responses. Seems like phakkii (Punjabi) is intended word here. Others don't quite seem to fit well. Interesting word ...


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## marrish

UrduMedium said:


> Thanks everyone for your responses. Seems like phakkii (Punjabi) is intended word here. Others don't quite seem to fit well. Interesting word ...


QP SaaHib said it was Punjabi form of the word and it is certainly true but the whole picture can be seen in janaab-e-Platts' definition which attests the word being a part of Urdu vocabulary more than a century  ago:
H پهکي फक्की _phakkī_, = H پهکيا फकिया _phakiyā_, s.f.=_phaṅkī_; _phāṅkī_, qq.v.

The link to the online Urdu lexicon for phaaNknaa points out to this meaning:
3. { مجازا } روپیہ اٹھانا، نہایت خرچ کرنا، دولت اڑانا۔  (فرہنگِ آصفیہ)
_majaaz-an} rupiyyah uThaanaa, nihaayat xarch karnaa, daulat uRaanaa} - (Farhang-e-Aasafiyyah).
_
In this way we can see that there is a connection on the grounds of Urdu of the idiom _phaaNknaa_ and _phakkii karnaa/maarnaa/uRaanaa_. Still I follow QP SaaHib and I would say that particular idiom ''_phakkii lagnaa_'' and the similar has Punjabi background.

As generally known, journalese frequently uses expressions and idioms one would not have used when composing a neat and clean text.​


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## Qureshpor

^ Shah SaaHib, I did point out Urdu words too but I must confess I somehow missed the metaphorical meaning provided in the Farhang. In conclusion, one can say that phakkii (I don't think Farhang-i-Asifiyyag and Nur-ul-Lughaat gives the pronunciation as "phakkii") is used with its original Urdu nuance but in Punjabi style!


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## marrish

Qureshpor said:


> ^ Shah SaaHib, I did point out Urdu words too but I must confess I somehow missed the metaphorical meaning provided in the Farhang. In conclusion, one can say that phakkii (I don't think Farhang-i-Asifiyyag and Nur-ul-Lughaat gives the pronunciation as "phakkii") is used with its original Urdu nuance but in Punjabi style!


I'd agree on the whole with your conclusion, with one reservation which is _phakkii_ being inculded in Platts. Of course it is only a regional variant which coincides with Punjabi and the other more current words have a nasal ''n''.


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## Alfaaz

As always, corrections to any misconceptions would be appreciated, but this seemed like another (slang?) equivalent of چونا لگنا، ہاتھ/ہینڈ ہونا، وغیرہ ...!?


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## marrish

Not that I know as those given by you Alfaaz SaaHib, are about deceipt, treachery and so on, not about a loss.


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## Faylasoof

Everyone has made interesting points on this! To really ascertain what word is this may require contacting the paper directly! However, according to my perspective and understanding and prior experience this is _phikii _from _pheknaa_ / _pheNknaa_ and not from _phaaNknaa._ 

By _phaaNknaa,_ we always mean to _toss or chuck something in the mouth_, e.g. _ phal kii phaaNK phaaNknaa_ or _chuuran /_ _tambaakuu (_تنباکو तंबाकू_) phaaNknaa. _From this verb we also have: _pha*N*kii _= _phaaNkne kii dawaa_, and _phaaNK_ = A flake, or a piece / slice of any edible thing (usually fruit) that can be tossed in the mouth. [Platts : H پهانك फांक _phāṅk_ [S. प्रक्षिप्त; or प्राश+क], s.m.  As much of anything as can be thrown or taken into the mouth; bit, piece, slice (of fruit), flake; a clove (of garlic)]

This use of _phikii / phikaa_ is not unusual for us and I can demonstrate how we use it:

_dukaan kii be-Hadd qiimat lagii / uThii magar sab phikii! 
_
The shop was valued much / sold for a large sum but all was lost / wasted!

_bahut qiimatii maal thaa magar sab phikaa!_

The goods were very valuable but all lost!

In the news item above, my understanding of _10 laakh ki phikii_ can be seen as _10 laakh kii raqam phikii _with the word _raqam_ in the original being محذوف _maHZuuf _. This makes sense to me.

Now if this is meant to be something else, like _phakkii_, then I'm not aware of it as we don't use it.


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## UrduMedium

^ Faylasoof saahab- But the "ko" in the sentence does not seem to go with your explanation of phikii, at least to my ears. What do you say?

قومی خزانے کو ۱۰ لاکھ کی (رقم) پھکی


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## Chhaatr

Is this "phakkii" = Hindi "chapat lagnaa", "chuunaa lagnaa"?


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## UrduMedium

^ I tend to agree with chapat lagnaa as the meaning of this word. As in, "chaalaan se 500 rupai ki chapat lag gaii" meaning unexpected loss.


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## Chhaatr

Thank you for the clarification.  _chapat lagnaa_ and _chuunaa lagnaa_ are basically the same.


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## UrduMedium

^ You are probably right. However, I'm not used to hearing chuunaa lagnaa with monetary or material loss, but only cheating.


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## Faylasoof

UrduMedium said:


> ^ Faylasoof saahab- But the "ko" in the sentence does not seem to go with your explanation of phikii, at least to my ears. What do you say?
> 
> قومی خزانے کو ۱۰ لاکھ کی (رقم) پھکی


 UM SaaHib, I was debating about that ! The use of _kii_ instead would be more common but I have heard the_ ko_ form as well. However, looking at the alternative of *phakkii* = *chapat* can also fit and perhaps that was really meant. We don't use _*phakkii*,_ but* چپت chapat* / *ٹیپ *_*Tiip*, _yes definitely!


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## marrish

UrduMedium said:


> ^ You are probably right. However, I'm not used to hearing chuunaa lagnaa with monetary or material loss, but only cheating.


In agreement with post 14 of mine.


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