the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. Extra pay; esp. an extra allowance to an English officer serving in India.
n. Rate of exchange; also, the discount on uncurrent coins.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. In British India: Subsistence-money given to soldiers, witnesses, prisoners, and others. An allowance in addition to their pay originally made to troops serving in the field.
n. In British India, agio; discount; difference of exchange.
Word Usage
"No, said my teacher – she pointed out ‘batta’, grasshopper, as an exception."