Pukka
पक्का
PUH-kuh
Pukka (पक्का) is a Hindi-origin word used in Indian English, meaning genuine, solid, properly made — an Indian English adjective meaning "the real deal". In crosswords it is the 5-letter answer PUKKA (5).
Meaning & usage
In Hindi, "pakka" literally means "cooked" or "ripe" — by extension solid, firm, finished. Carried into Indian English (and from there into British English), pukka means genuine, first-rate, properly made — "a pukka degree", "a pukka job". It is the opposite of "kachcha", which means raw, half-built or makeshift. The word travels easily; the British TV chef Jamie Oliver popularised it in the UK in the 1990s.
In a sentence
They moved out of the kachcha hut into a pukka brick house.
Common spelling variants
- Pucka
- Pakka
Pukka is the English spelling used in MG Mini puzzles.
Pukka as a crossword answer
Pukka is a 5-letter answer. A typical clue:
“Genuine, solid, properly made — an Indian English adjective meaning "the real deal"” (5)
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