Talk:Basha (tarpaulin)

Basha was current among British troops of the 14th Army in WWII. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.233.81.187 (talk) 12:02, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

I found "basha" in notes my father made in 1943 around the time of the Battle of Kohima. "Basher" also appears in Green's Dictionary of Slang with an example dated 1943. The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English edited by Tom Dalzell & Terry Victor states that the origin of the word is Assamese. Assam adjoins Nagaland, the site of the Battle for Kohima. This suggests to me British forces used Basha long before the war in Malaysia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.199.82.210 (talk) 14:31, 27 January 2016 (UTC)