tension
In South Asian English, tension is overwhelmingly used as a noun meaning "anxiety", "stress" or "worry" rather than the physical-force sense it usually has in British and American English.
Definitions
In South Asian English, tension is overwhelmingly used as a noun meaning "anxiety", "stress" or "worry" rather than the physical-force sense it usually has in British and American English. Borrowed in this sense from Hindi/Urdu usage, where "tension" sits at the same semantic spot as "stress" in English ("Tension mat lo" = "Don't take tension" = "Don't stress"). Common in casual speech ("itni tension mat lo, beta"), in office chat ("client is giving me tension") and in advertising for everything from chyawanprash to head-massage oil. The verb collocations are distinctive: tension is something you "take", "give" or "have", rather than something you "feel".
Don't take so much tension yaar, the exam is still two weeks away.
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