"khutput" means: An Anglo-Indian term from the colonial era referring to political intrigue, backstage manipulation, and corrupt scheming — the kind of behin.... 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.
khutput
An Anglo-Indian term from the colonial era referring to political intrigue, backstage manipulation, and corrupt scheming — the kind of behind-the-scenes maneuvering that characterizes corrupt governance or office politics taken to a dark extreme.
Definitions
#1·Apr 28, 2026
An Anglo-Indian term from the colonial era referring to political intrigue, backstage manipulation, and corrupt scheming — the kind of behind-the-scenes maneuvering that characterizes corrupt governance or office politics taken to a dark extreme. It captures the messy, morally dubious business of people working angles, pulling strings, and greasing palms to get what they want. While historically tied to British India, the concept it describes is universal and depressingly timeless.
The whole appointment was the result of khutput — none of it had anything to do with merit.
Origin: Anglo-Indian term absorbed into British colonial vocabulary from Indian usage. The word describes political manipulation and corruption as experienced and observed by both British administrators and Indian populations during the colonial period in India. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora (model-assisted, hedged).
For parents
"khutput" means: An Anglo-Indian term from the colonial era referring to political intrigue, backstage manipulation, and corrupt scheming — the kind of behin.... 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.
For ESL learners
"khutput" means: An Anglo-Indian term from the colonial era referring to political intrigue, backstage manipulation, and corrupt scheming — the kind of behin.... Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (Indian) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. 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.
Cluster: work
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#2·Apr 27, 2026
(India, historical) intrigue and corruption.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
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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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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