छलावा

From छलना (chalnā, “to deceive”) +‎ -आवा (-āvā).

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃʰə.lɑː.ʋɑː/,

छलावा • (chalāvā) m

1. illusion, mirage
   • 1970, Ram Behari Lal Srivastava, Āga aura an̐gaṛāī‎:

     बस छलावा ही छलावा गुड़ भरी बातों में है

     bas chalāvā hī chalāvā guṛ bharī bātõ mẽ hai

     only illusion, there existeth in sweet-filled words

   • 1970, Śrīnivāsa Batrā, Hindī aura Phārasī Sūphī kāvya kā tulanātmaka adhyayana‎:

     ... यह दुनिया एक छलावा है

     ... yah duniyā ek chalāvā hai

     ...this world is an illusion

2. phantasm
3. apparition
   • 1883, Avināśacandra Viśvāsa, Nārībodha‎, page 164:

     ... हलके चलने लगा तो छलावा वहीं ठहर गया हमने गाओं की राह ली जो गांव में पहुचे ते । सुभे तो उसी समय ताप चढ़ा उस गांव में एक सेयाना रहा करता था उसने बहुत सी झाड़ फूंक की तब तीसरे दिन मेरा ताप उतरा॥

     ... halke calne lagā to chalāvā vahī̃ ṭhahar gayā hamne gāõ kī rāh lī jo gāmv mẽ pahuce te . subhe to usī samay tāp caṛhā us gāmv mẽ ek seyānā rahā kartā thā usne bahut sī jhāṛ phūṅk kī tab tīsre din merā tāp utrā.

     ... started sauntering, the apparition halted just there. We took the road to village. That we reached village in morning, my temperature went up. There was a wise one who used to live in the village. he did many a conjurations, that my temperature went down.

4. deception, fraud, trickery
   • 2023, Amar Ujala‎:

     सरकार किसानों के साथ कर रही छलावा

     sarkār kisānõ ke sāth kar rahī chalāvā

     government doing trickery with the farmers

   • 2018 January 26, Raushan Pathak, परती जमीन‎, RAUSHAN SAHEB PATHAK:

     बलराम इस बात से आहत हुआ और उसने कहा - इसका मतलब तुम सिर्फ जमीन हथियाने के इरा से मेरे पास आये थे, विवाह का प्रस्ताव बस एक छलावा था।

     balrām is bāt se āhat huā aur usne kahā - iskā matlab tum sirph jamīn hathiyāne ke irā se mere pās āye the, vivāh kā prastāv bas ek chalāvā thā.

     Balram was hurt from this and said: this means you came from Ira to me only to lay hands on the property, the marriage proposal was only a deception

5. will o' the wisp, ignis fatuus

   Synonyms: अगिया बैताल (agiyā baitāl), उल्कामुख प्रेत (ulkāmukh pret)

6. a kind of malevolent shapeshifting spirit
   • 2021 January 10, DAMIEN DSOUZA, हॉरर स्टोरीज: (Horror Stories): BEST HORROR STORIES IN HINDI‎, TULSI SAHITYA PUBLICATIONS, page 113:

     ...छलावा अपने असली रूप में आ गया था।

     ...chalāvā apne aslī rūp mẽ ā gayā thā.

     ...the malevolent spirit had come to its true form.

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “छलावा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “छलावा”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi : Nagari Pracarini Sabha
• Platts, John T. (1884) “छलावा”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.