Hey Gautam

Welcome to the board. I'm an infrequent dropper in, but I'm sure the regulars will give you a rousing reception.

If I'm not mistaken takia kalam (a phrase new to me) is probably more Urdu/Persian than Sanskrit. Am I right in assuming it translates as "pillow pen" or "pillow talk"?

The closest that English has, to my knowledge, for this is something like "catchphrase", though the usage is quite different.

I have also heard writers describe such behaviour as a form of 'verbal tic', but again, that's a far more general description than the specific one you seek.

Wish I could have been more helpful.

cheer

the sunshine warrior

PS. Ha! It's taken me just over 8 years to get to 1000 posts!

Last edited by shanks; 03/28/08 01:49 PM.