In the 15th Century, fragments of obscure Indian tribes, having wandered across Asia and Europe, turned up in Britain. Englishmen thought the swarthy nomads were Egyptians, shortened the word to gypsies. Gypsies did not mind. To them all gorgios (nongypsies) were boro dinellos (big fools) to be tricked and preyed on by the jinni Romanis (clever gypsies). Except for the contacts inevitable in dukkering (fortunetelling), dooking gri (casting a spell on horses to lower their value and price) or drabbing baulor (poisoning a farmer's pigs so that the gypsies could buy the carcasses...
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