Tapta

English

Misunderstanding of "Tapta" causes panic to both the horse thief and the tiger.

Etymology

From the Meitei language words, "tap" (the sound of rain water drops falling on the ground) and "ta" (literally meaning "to fall")

Noun

Tapta (plural Taptas)

1. An imaginary creature, in Meitei folklore, described by a mother to frighten her child to stop crying, which was misunderstood by a tiger for a man, who mistakenly mount on the very tiger, mistaking it as a horse, thereby resulting in a panicking situation for both the thief and the tiger.