Scotland Yard's new name to refer to Obama: Chaalak

12 May,2011 08:21 AM IST |   |  Agencies

The London police squad's code name for US President's visit to UK this month means 'crafty' and 'cheeky' in Punjabi


The London police squad's code name for US President's visit to UK this month means 'crafty' and 'cheeky' in Punjabi

London: Guess what's the code name Scotland Yard has chosen for US President Barack Obama's state visit to Britain later this month? It's chaalak, a Punjabi word that means sharp and crafty. An article in a British newspaper said that the Scotland Yard randomly selects code names and the choice of the word chaalak for Obama's trip has raised eyebrows. Obama will be in Britain May 24-26.


Random pick? The code name was selected randomly for Barack Obama.
File pic


The word chaalak in Punjabi is used to describe someone who is cheeky, sharp, crafty and too clever for his or her own good, the media report said. Hindi-speakers are only too familiar with the word in contexts political and otherwise.

It's not the only codename that has come into focus. The US Secret Service had chosen "Rawhide" for Ronald Reagan's period in the White House. Rawhide is animal skin that has not been exposed to tanning. It is also an American Western TV series that aired between 1959 and 1965.
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Scotland Yard Barack Obama code name Chalaak Punjabi