Borrowed from Hindi and Urdu, jasoos means a spy or secret agent — but in everyday South Asian use it's more likely to describe a nosy neighbour, a snooping sibling, or anyone who can't mind their own business. It carries a mix of suspicion and humour. Parents call kids a jasoos for eavesdropping on grown-up conversations; friends use it when someone's a little too well-informed about everyone else's drama.
"Stop being such a jasoos," she laughed, catching her brother with his ear pressed to the door.
"jasoos" means: Borrowed from Hindi and Urdu, jasoos means a spy or secret agent — but in everyday South Asian use it's more likely to describe a nosy neigh.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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"jasoos" means: Borrowed from Hindi and Urdu, jasoos means a spy or secret agent — but in everyday South Asian use it's more likely to describe a nosy neigh.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"jasoos" means: Borrowed from Hindi and Urdu, jasoos means a spy or secret agent — but in everyday South Asian use it's more likely to describe a nosy neigh.... Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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(India, historical) A spy.
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