5 ms·

I went into the article expecting it be full of usual banal platitudes, but it's a cute little list of random stuff. I was also pleasantly surprised to see 'ek

I went into the article expecting it be full of usual banal platitudes, but it's a cute little list of random stuff. I was also pleasantly surprised to see 'ek number' on the list though.

valarauko 6y ago
As an Indian who's lived almost 4 decades in India, I have never heard of "ek number" as the response to a joke, or even ever used in the stated context of the joke being rated no 1. The closest I can think of is the phrase being directed at the joker, not the joke; a sort of "Oh, you're a first rate a-hole for cracking that joke". It's a terminated "Ek number ka ... (haraami?)", which is the only form I've ever heard this phrase.
- FlyingSnake 6y ago
  ‘Ek number’ is more of a Maharashtra thing IMO. You’ll hear it quite frequently in MH state
  - valarauko 6y ago
    I speak Marathi, but haven't ever lived in Maharashtra. In Hindi, it wasn't uncommon to hear "ek number ka ...", but to me the context was always a negging directed at the audacity of the joker, and never as a rating of the joke itself. I also haven't heard anybody use "ek number .." in Hindi in any form in a very long time. It's possible the phrase evolved different contexts and implications in the two languages.
    - FlyingSnake 6y ago
      I speak Marathi as well as Hindi and probably use that term daily just like what that article mentioned. AFAICT most of my friends and family also use that term frequently. Example usage could be “ek number Bhau...” when complimenting some post on WhatsApp
    - codecutter 6y ago
      I was born and brought up in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Marathi is my native language. Ek number was commonly used in my childhood days in Mumbai and it means "First class" or "Classic". Typical uses: ek number joke, ek number daaru (daaru = alcohol, liquor), ek number maal (First class, good looking, hot girl), ek number vada pav (classic food dish) etc.
- ghoomketu 6y ago
  Same here. The most common term I've heard is badhiya or mast or even jhakas. Never heard anyone say ek number. The closest I can think is ek-dam but a person would rarely say that in response to a joke.
  - kranner 6y ago
    "Mast" and "jhakas" sound like Maharashtra- or even Mumbai-specific words. As a North Indian Hindi speaker I can attest they are not used in North India. Specifically "mast" has a different connotation in the North, something like 'entranced', not just 'nice' the way it is used for almost anything in Mumbai.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- mockingbirdz 6y ago
  There is a great,devotional Sufi song which goes "Ali da pehla number", which translates to "Ali is at number one" meaning "Ali is the greatest". I think the song is in the Sindhi language. Also in Mumbai slang, "Do number" means shady. As in, "do number ka dhanda" i.e. illegal business. "Do" rhyming with the English "go" means two.
clashmeifyoucan 6y ago
Same, I did not expect that at all. Funnily enough, I haven't heard it used much outside North India so I didn't think it was as popular. Other replies say it's a common phrase in Maharashtra too, TIL.

I went into the article expecting it be full of usual banal platitudes, but it's a cute little list of random stuff. I was also pleasantly surprised to see 'ek number' on the list though.

valarauko 6y ago

As an Indian who's lived almost 4 decades in India, I have never heard of "ek number" as the response to a joke, or even ever used in the stated context of the joke being rated no 1. The closest I can think of is the phrase being directed at the joker, not the joke; a sort of "Oh, you're a first rate a-hole for cracking that joke". It's a terminated "Ek number ka ... (haraami?)", which is the only form I've ever heard this phrase.

FlyingSnake 6y ago
‘Ek number’ is more of a Maharashtra thing IMO. You’ll hear it quite frequently in MH state
- valarauko 6y ago
  I speak Marathi, but haven't ever lived in Maharashtra. In Hindi, it wasn't uncommon to hear "ek number ka ...", but to me the context was always a negging directed at the audacity of the joker, and never as a rating of the joke itself. I also haven't heard anybody use "ek number .." in Hindi in any form in a very long time. It's possible the phrase evolved different contexts and implications in the two languages.
  - FlyingSnake 6y ago
    I speak Marathi as well as Hindi and probably use that term daily just like what that article mentioned. AFAICT most of my friends and family also use that term frequently. Example usage could be “ek number Bhau...” when complimenting some post on WhatsApp
  - codecutter 6y ago
    I was born and brought up in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Marathi is my native language. Ek number was commonly used in my childhood days in Mumbai and it means "First class" or "Classic". Typical uses: ek number joke, ek number daaru (daaru = alcohol, liquor), ek number maal (First class, good looking, hot girl), ek number vada pav (classic food dish) etc.
ghoomketu 6y ago
Same here. The most common term I've heard is badhiya or mast or even jhakas. Never heard anyone say ek number. The closest I can think is ek-dam but a person would rarely say that in response to a joke.
- kranner 6y ago
  "Mast" and "jhakas" sound like Maharashtra- or even Mumbai-specific words. As a North Indian Hindi speaker I can attest they are not used in North India. Specifically "mast" has a different connotation in the North, something like 'entranced', not just 'nice' the way it is used for almost anything in Mumbai.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mockingbirdz 6y ago
There is a great,devotional Sufi song which goes "Ali da pehla number", which translates to "Ali is at number one" meaning "Ali is the greatest". I think the song is in the Sindhi language. Also in Mumbai slang, "Do number" means shady. As in, "do number ka dhanda" i.e. illegal business. "Do" rhyming with the English "go" means two.

clashmeifyoucan 6y ago

Same, I did not expect that at all. Funnily enough, I haven't heard it used much outside North India so I didn't think it was as popular. Other replies say it's a common phrase in Maharashtra too, TIL.