1761.—"A grant signed by the Mogul is called a Phirmaund (farmān). By the Mogul's Son, a Nushawn (nishān). By the Nabob a Perwanna (parwāna). By the Vizier, a Housebul-hookum."—Ibid. 226.
1769.—"Besides it is obvious, that as great a sum might have been drawn from that Company without affecting property ... or running into his golden dream of cockets on the Ganges, or visions of Stamp duties, Perwannas, Dusticks, Kistbundees and Husbulhookums."—Burke, Obsns. on a late Publication called "The Present State of the Nation."
HOT-WINDS, s. This may almost be termed the name of one of the seasons of the year in Upper India, when the hot dry westerly winds prevail, and such aids to coolness as the [tatty] and [thermantidote] (q.v.) are brought into use. May is the typical month of such winds.
1804.—"Holkar appears to me to wish to avoid the contest at present; and so does Gen. Lake, possibly from a desire to give his troops some repose, and not to expose the Europeans to the hot winds in Hindustan."—Wellington, iii. 180.
1873.—"It's no use thinking of lunch in this roaring hot wind that's getting up, so we shall be all light and fresh for another shy at the pigs this afternoon."—The True Reformer, i. p. 8.
HOWDAH, vulg. HOWDER, &c., s. Hind. modified from Ar. haudaj. A great chair or framed seat carried by an elephant. The original Arabic word haudaj is applied to litters carried by camels.
c. 1663.—"At other times he rideth on an Elephant in a Mik-dember or Hauze ... the Mik-dember being a little square House or Turret of Wood, is always painted and gilded; and the Hauze, which is an Oval seat, having a Canopy with Pillars over it, is so likewise."—Bernier, E.T. 119; [ed. Constable, 370].
c. 1785.—"Colonel Smith ... reviewed his troops from the houdar of his elephant."—Carraccioli's L. of Clive, iii. 133.
A popular rhyme which was applied in India successively to Warren Hastings' escape from Benares in 1781, and to Col. Monson's retreat from Malwa in 1804, and which was perhaps much older than either, runs:
"Ghoṛe par hauda, hāthī par jīn