Quote:
Originally Posted by grumpy
Dangerous ground!
The usually accepted authority on Anglo-Indian is HOBSON JOBSON.
This gives Pagri as the "Hindi .. in the colloquial for a scarf of cotton or silk wound round the head in turban form, to protest the head from the sun ......
also spellings puggry, puggerie,pagari, puggaree, puckerie ...."
I think you need to substantiate your definition.
The OED does nothing to contradict the above.
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I dont know why it is 'Dangerous ground'!!! I was not pointing the finger, simply asking which was meant, as I know them as two different items.
Personally I have not heard of 'Hobson Jobson', but I take a lead from the well known Indian RAF pilot Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji. He had joined the RAF amongst a group of trainees in 1940, and flew through the war, being known particularly for the fact that he always wore his turban, complete with RAF badge, even to the point of carrying a spare in the cockpit in case he was forced down. I corresponded at length with Pujji before his death, and raised many questions about the Turban and badge, and he was insistant it was a pagri or Dastar, the puggaree being the strip of cloth worn around the hat, often with a long train at the back. Being a distinguished Indian Sikh, I take his opinion.
The OED has no definition for either pagri or puggaree, but one force to still wear the puggaree is the Australians, and their website gives a definitive answer;
http://www.army.gov.au/Our-history/T...The-Slouch-Hat. The full turban is a pagri, the strip of cloth adapted from it for wear initially by the British, a puggaree.
I have an example of the RAF
puggaree flash, which is in three colours (dark blue, pale blue and maroon), and was worn on the 'Wolseley/Sun Helmet' (North Africa), 'Pith Hat' (India) and 'Bush Hat' (Far East). The RAF
pagri badge, as worn by Pujji and others (in fact Pujji claims to have 'invented it, the RAF never having call for such a badge before) is a brass or gilt eagle and crown with a large spike fixing, worn to the front.
As for 'substantiating my definition', I refer to Royal Air Force Dress Regulations 1939 which state,
'47. Hat, Pith (for officers serving in India) Khaki puggaree as for "Wolseley" pattern helmet but half the length and to be 5 folds... Flash fitted as on "Wolesley" pattern helmet.
Additionally,
'48. Helmets. "Wolseley" pattern, cork, made with six seams, bound with buff leather...Khaki 3 fold puggaree 2 1/2 inches at each side. Flash worn vertically on the left side sewn down the centre of the puggaree; the flash is 3 1/8 inches in height and consists of dark blue 1 inch in width, light blue 3/16 inch and dark red 1 inch, reckoned from front of helmet.'
Hope that is enough of a substantiation? I dont have army dress regulations to hand, but personally doubt they would call the same item a pagri...