The Surprising Origin of “B*ttload”: From Wine Barrels to Modern Slang
Angrezi zubaan mein bohat se aisay alfaz hain jinhein hum rozmarra ki guftugu mein mazaq ya takiya kalam ke taur par istemal karte hain, lekin unki asal se waqif nahi hotay. Aisa hi ek lafz hai “b*ttload”, jise aam taur par “bohat zyada miqdar” ke liye istemal kiya jaata hai. Lekin kya aap jante hain ke is mazaqia lagne walay lafz ke peeche ek sangeen (serious) aur tareekhi pemana (measurement) chupa hai? Yeh lafzon ki kahani aapko hairan kar degi ke kis tarah waqt ke sath alfaz apne maani (meaning) badal letay hain.
A Barrel of History (Tareekh Ka Ek Barrel)
Is lafz ki asal ko samajhne ke liye humein qadeem (medieval) Bartania (England) ke daur mein jana hoga. Us waqt, sharab (wine) aur deegar mashroobat (beverages) ko naapne ke liye mukhtalif pemanay istemal hotay thay. Inhi mein se ek qanooni aur rasmi (official) pemana tha “butt”. Ek “butt” darasal ek bohat bara lakri ka cask ya barrel hota tha jismein sharab ya ale ko store aur transport kiya jaata tha. Aap in baray baray barrels ko us daur ke puranay sharaab khano (taverns) aur behri jahazon (ships) ke teh-khanon (holds) mein tasawwur kar sakte hain. Yeh us waqt ka ek standard unit tha.
How Much is a “Butt”? (Ek “Butt” Kitna Hota Hai?)
Toh aakhir ek “butt” mein kitni sharab aati thi? Yeh koi choti miqdar nahi thi. Bartanwi (imperial) nizaam ke mutabiq, iski pemaish yeh thi:
- 1 Butt = 2 Hogsheads
- 1 Hogshead = 63 Gallons
- Iska matlab hai, 1 Butt = 126 Gallons (lagbhag 573 litres)
Yeh itni bari miqdar hai ke is se sharab ki 600 se zayed botalain bhari ja sakti hain. Is se andaza hota hai ke jab koi kehta hai “a b*ttload”, to woh waqai ek bohat bari miqdar ki baat kar raha hota hai, bhale hi use iski tareekhi asal ka ilm na ho. Yeh qadeem pemanay ki ikaiyan aaj bhi zubaan mein zinda hain.
From Formal Unit to Funny Slang (Rasmi Pemanay Se Mazaqia Lafz Tak)
Waqt ke sath sath, pemaish ke naye aur standard tareeqay (jaise litres aur gallons) aam ho gaye, aur “butt” ka lafz ek rasmi pemanay ke taur par istemal hona band ho gaya. Lekin, logon ke zehnon mein yeh lafz ek “bohat baray barrel” ya “bohat zyada miqdar” ke tasawwur se jurra raha. Aahista aahista, isne apni rasmi haisiyat kho di aur ek ghair rasmi (informal) slang ke taur par zinda ho gaya. “Butt” ke sath “load” ka lafz jurr gaya, jo iski bari miqdar par mazeed zor deta hai, aur is tarah “b*ttload” ka lafz wajood mein aaya.
Yeh lafzon ki kahani is baat ki behtareen misaal hai ke zubaan (language) ek zinda cheez ki tarah hoti hai jo waqt ke sath badalti rehti hai. Jo lafz kabhi tijarat (commerce) aur qanoon mein ahmiyat rakhta tha, aaj woh doston ki mehfil mein mazaq ke taur par istemal hota hai. Toh agli baar jab aap yeh lafz sunein, to muskuranay ke sath sath uski anokhi tareekh ko bhi yaad rakhein.
