[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Etymology: Hindi thag [têg] "a cheat, swindler" from Sanskrit sthagah "a cheat," the noun of the verb sthagati "he covers, conceals." Apparently, the meaning of Hindi "thag" derived from the concealment of cheats and swindlers. By the 19th century, however, the Hindi word referred to highway robbers of northern India, perhaps more appropriately called phansigars "stranglers," since they were known to strangle their victims to death after robbing them. The original Thugs were devotees of the goddess Kali, claiming that their victims were sacrifices to her. The Sanskrit verb is akin to English "thatch," which still covers many English houses, German Dach "roof," and Latin "toga," a type of body covering.