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Today it means

cushy

easy and comfortable, requiring little effort

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Where does the word "cushy" come from? It comes from Hindi khush, and was adopted directly into English (1915).

Read the full story

Where does the word "cushy" come from? It comes from Hindi khush, and was adopted directly into English (1915).

Cushy’s story begins in Hindi: khush meant “pleasant, happy.” Meaning "pleasant" or "happy". It reached English by 1915 as cushy. Anglo-Indian slang adopted by British soldiers serving in colonial India. Today, cushy means easy and comfortable, requiring little effort.

  1. Stage 1 · Hindi · medieval khush "pleasant, happy", meaning "pleasant" or "happy".
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1915 cushy "easy and comfortable", Anglo-Indian slang adopted by British soldiers serving in colonial India.

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