CHAPTER IV
MISCELLANEOUS IDIOMS
41
A house of cards
“A house of cards” is an insecure arrangement. The idiom is an
allusion to a children’s game of constructing a toy house with playing-cards.
It was, perhaps, after the introduction of the idea of building a toy house
with playing-cards that the Telugu equivalent, which is nothing but a
translation of the English one, came into existence. The Telugu idiom is,
interestingly, in the plural form,
1>s3oSe»
(Pekamedalu).“Peka” is
“card,” and “medalu” means “multistoried buildings.”
A hue and cry
Literally, this idiom means an excited clamour in a chase after
one or more people. Figuratively, it is an outcry raised about something, in
alarm or opposition. The word “hue” is derived from Old French “huer,”
and means “cry.”
The idiom refers to an early system for apprehending
suspected criminals. Neighbours were bounded to join in a hue and cry and
to pursue a suspect to the bounds of the manor.
The Telugu
expressionjwhich conveys this meaning is
jf *
(
GiO^§drLL pettzi
A i )•
!
i'-
■
. l.T
c....87.302..
Ca l. Ko....
• Ml
»•»*•••*•••«
€aJ
42
A hurly- burly
This idiom means a commotion, an uproar, confusion, strife.
This term goes back to the sixteenth century. There is no record of the use
of “hurly” by itself until fifty years after the use of the compound phrase.
“Burly” by itself is not connected with “commotion” in any sense.
According to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, the term “hurly-burly”
was formed on the phrase “hurling and burling.”
This phrase had the
meaning of “strife,” “commotion,”The Telugu equivalent is AcX&rfyo .
(^anJa, rc^cltun).
A round peg in a square hole /a square peg in a round hole
This idiom is used to refer to a person in a wrong position or
situation. It is highly impossible to fix a round peg in a square hole or a
square peg in a round hole. This is due to the difference in the shapes. A
person may have a number of abilities but if he is not given the correct
position, those abilities will become useless.
In Telugu the idiom
(Asthana pathithudu) is used.
43
“Pathithudu” means a person of bad character. “Asthanam” is the wrtmj?
ph.ce ■
A shot in the dark
This idiom means, to do something by fluke or chance.
Shooting is common to an Englishman. However perfect one may be, one
cannot shoot in the dark. It is only by chance that he may catch the bull’s
eye.
This idiom does not hold good in Telugu because there are
many Indians who have not even seen a gun.
therefore based on archery,
The Telugu equivalent is
hs*5O* tx*cso
(Cheekatlo banam).
“cheekati” is “darkness,’’and “banam” is arrow.
A square deal /fair and square
This idiom means, to have an honest and straight forward
transaction. If there are no loopholes in a particular transaction, this idiom
can be used. The Telugu equivalent of this idiom is
3*3
(Porapochchalu leni), which means clear, without any “layers” of
misunderstanding.
44
A square meal
A square is a perfect figure. It has nothing more or less. A full
meal consists of different courses. First, soup is served, then a salad, then
the items of the main meal, and finally, the dessert. If a person has all these
items, he is said to have a full meal. This is described as a square meal.
The Telugu equivalent of this idiom is
(Mrushtannamu),
which means a costly meal.
Bag and baggage
“Bag and baggage” means all the belongings. Originally, it
was a military phrase signifying the soldier with all his belongings or the
whole of the equipment of stores of an army. Hence Mr. Gladstone’s “Bag
and Baggage Policy” with regard to the Near East, which implied that the
Turks must be completely cleared out of the Balkans : “Let the Turks now
carry away their abuses in the only possible manner, namely by carrying
away themselves.... one and all, bag and baggage, shall I hope,clear out
form the province they have desolated and profaned” ( N.E. Gladsone, The
Bulgarian Horros and the Question of the East, 1876 ).’ Thus this idiom is
generally used with reference to forced and perhaps ignominious departure.
45
The Telugu idiom is
t53^<aIS
(Butta thatta). There is
another idiom in Telugu which is more often used with reference to
ignominious departure :
(Moota-mulle). The
meaning of the idioms in both the languages is the same, but the words used
in each idiom conveys the culture of each language. The English use bags
to pack their things.
Now a days Indians also use only bags.
In the
beginning Indians used “buttas,” i.e. baskets made of bamboo.
Be on the square
This idiom means, to act honestly and straightforwardly. The
Telugu equivalent of this idiom is
(Mukkuki sootiga nadachu), going straight as the nose guides you.
By leaps and bounds
The phrase is generally used figuratively for making an advance
in a project by sudden acts and going ahead with it unexpectedly or
surprisingly quickly. The Telugu equivalent is
(Ibbadimubbadiga).
*e
46
From pillar to post
This phrase is generally used with the past or the past
participle of the verb “to drive,” i.e., “driven form pillar to post.” Literally,
the term means from one place to another. Figuratively, it means from one
resource to another. In both cases it gives the meaning of being harrassed or
repulsed. According to Brewer, the phrase originated from the tennis court
and was originally from “post to pillar.” The allusion is to banging abut of
balls. In the fifteenth century Lydgate used the term for a person “made to
dance from whipping-post to pillory.” The Telugu idiom is
(Nalugu dikkula parugettinchu).
Gordian knot
This idiom means a great difficulty.
Godious,
a peasant, being
chosen King of Phrygia, dedicated his wagon to Jupiter. He fastened the
yolk to a beam with a rope of bark so ingeniously that no one could untie it.
When Alexander was told that whoever untied the knot would reign over the
whole East, he cut the knot with his sword. Thus “to cut the Gordian knot”
is to get out of a difficult position by one decisive step to resolve a situation
by
force
or
by
evasive
action.
The
Telugu
equivalent
is
47
(Brahmamudi).
The Telugu idiom does
not have any negative connotation,
Helter - skelter
This idiom means “pell-mel! ”
The term was used by
Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. “Skelter” means to “rush,” “hurry,” or “dash
along ” It is not known when the word “helter” originated. According to
The Oxford English Dictionary, the word imitates the hurried or rapid and
irregular clatter of feet or of many running feet. The Telugu equivalent is
(Chellacheduru).
Hit square / squarely
This idiom means, to hit exactly on the effective spot.
Figuratively, the idiom means, to make an effective point in an argument.
The
Telugu
idiom
that
comes
closest
to
this
idiom
is
(Gurichoosi kottu), aim and shoot (an arrow ).
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Milestone
Figuratively, a milestone is a stage - usually an important stage - in
history or in human life. The Telugu idiom
(Milurayi)
is another example of the possibility', at least in some cases, of translating
literally an idiom from one language into another language
Part and Parcel
The idiom is used to mean a necessary or essential element
in an arrangement. At one time the word “part" had a special meaning of
being an essential or integral portion. There serins to be no difference in the
meaning of the two nouns used in this expression The Telugu idiom
49
(Abhinnamu) means something which is not
separate from some other thing.
Play fast and loose
This idiom means,to act in an irreliable and inconstant way.
According to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, “fast and loose” was
the name of an old cheating game.
As far back as the middle of the
sixteenth century, the phrase was used figuratively to mean “slippery' and
inconstant.”
If the phrase is examined word by word, “fast” seems to
convey the meaning “in a fastened, fixed or attached way,” and “loose” “in
an unfixed way.” The phrase is generally used with reference to relations
between man and woman in love affairs. At one moment the lovers seem to
be so attached that nothing can separate them; at the next moment a trivial
matter may create a havoc between them.
iWTytf
The Telugu idiom is
(Nishchita
anishchita kriya kalapumulu). It means vacillation
The die is cast
This idiom means the decision is made or the course of action is
irrevocably taken. The metaphor comes from the game of chance “Die” is
50
the singular form of the word “dice.” Success in games in which dice are
used
depends upon chance or luck;
intelligence.
it does not need any thinking or
The idiom is used to refer to decisions which involve certain
amount of chance or risk.
Shakespeare uses it in the
play Richard III :
“Slave ! I have set my life upon a cast, / And I will stand the hazard of the
die” (V, iv, 10).
The Telugu idiom based on this game is
(Pachika paru). The meaning of the Telugu idiom is different from
that of the English one.
The Telugu idiom refers to a person who has
succeeded in his designs against somebody, and it has a negative
connotation.
There’s the rub
The idiom means, that is where a doubt or difficulty enters.
The word “rub” in this idiom means “impediment.” It comes from the game
of bowls.
It is used for an “impediment” to the course of the bowls.
Hamlet’s celebrated speech beginning with “To be or not to be” contains
this idiom. The game of bowls is not popular in India. So there is no idiom
51
based on this game in the languages of India. There is, however, a Telugu
idiom, a sentence, in inverted syntax,
fiou*
(Akkade vacchindi thanta), which conveys the same meaning.
To all intents and purposes
The words “intent” and “purpose” have the same meaning.
This idiom reflects the addiction of the English speakers to a two - fold
structure for the rhythmic sound and emphasis. The idiom is used to mean,
virtually or practically. There seems to be no exact Telugu equivalent of
this idiom.
To chop and change
The idiom means, to be constantly changing, generally used
derogatorily.
The word “chop” in this idiom is in no way connected to the
word “chop” meaning “cut.” The word “chop” in the sense it is used in this
idiom is also used in the phrase “to chop logic,” which means “to enter into
an exchange of words, to argue for the sake of arguing.” At one time “to
chop” meant “to barter.” Perhaps this was a variety of “to chap,” which in
Old English meant to “buy and sell.” The Telugu equivalent is
52
(Punah punah parinamam), changing again and
again.
To draw a line
The meaning of this idiom is, to set limits. While playing
certain games like tennis, lines are drawn to show the area in which the
game has to be played, i.e., the boundaries in which the game is to be played
are set. The game cannot be played beyond these boundaries. In Telugu it
is
©*£cj3«p
(Lakshmanarekha). In the Telugu idiom the
line is not the line drawn for playing games.
It is the line drawn by a
popular mythological figure, Lakshmana. When in exile, Rama, on the
request of Sita, goes in search of a golden deer. Fearing that some harm has
befallen Rama, Sita asks her brother-in-law Lakshmana to go and help
Rama. Lakshmana draws a line and asks Sita not to cross it. Sita crosses
the line and becomes responsible for a great disaster. Here, to cross the line
means to invite trouble. The surface meaning of the idiom is the same in
both the languages, but the Telugu idiom has a greater significance because
it involves a character in the Hindu mythology.
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To hum and haw
This idiom means, to talk hesitatingly, with inarticulate sounds
between words,phrases, clauses, and sentences. In this sense “hum” as a
noun goes back to the seventeenth century; “haw” both as noun and verb
goes back to the seventeenth century. &
(Tatapatayinchu)
is the Telugu equivalent of this idiom.
To square a circle
A circle is a round figure and a square is a four sided figure.
Mathematically; it is highly impossible to construct a square with the
measurements of a circle. This is due to the fact that the ratio between the
diameter and the circumference of a circle cannot be determined precisely.
It is, therefore, highly impossible to construct a square of the same area as
that of a given circle. Thus the idiom means, to attempt the impossible.
The
Telugu
idiom
SosabcsiM
trying to straighten a dog’s tail.
which
has
the
same
meaning
is
(Kukathoka vankaratheeyu),
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To square an account
This idiom means, to settle an account or charge. Generally,
when there is a dispute regarding accounts, a settelement is made by the
partners. This settlement and payment means that the account is squared,
i.e., there are no more disputes regarding that particular matter. The usage
of the plural form of the word account has another meaning : “To square the
accounts” means to take revenge. The Telugu idiom
3e^So3*$
(Debbaku debba ) means retaliation. Another idiom in English that
means retaliation is “tit for tat,” probably representing “tip for tap,” i.e.,
blow for blow.
Topsy - turvy
This idiom means upside down, with the natural position
reversed. The term is found in print as far back as 1528. Its popular use
may have been still earlier. The Oxford English Dictionary says that there is
no evidence of what the two elements forming this allitjative combination
originally were. Probably “topsy” represented “top-side” and “turvy” may
have been connected with “turve” ( turn ).3 The top-side is turned and so
“topsy - turvy” has got the meaning “upside down.”
The Telugu idiom
55
which has the same meg8ing is
ao^osjeun*
(Talakrinduloga).
According to Brewer, this idiom is from top, with “so” and obselete ‘terve,”
connected with O.E. “tearflian,” to turn or roll over. He also quotes a line
from Shakepeare’s Henery IVPart I (IV, i) : “Turn it topsy-turvy down.”
Turn the tables
This idiom means, to reverse the position.
The Concise
Oxford Dictionary of Current English says that the allusion is to the sense of
the word “tables” in die game of backgammon. The expression is generally
used with reference to a person altering his situation in relation to another
person so as to get the better of him. Thus a person “turns the tables” when
he deals with a charge made against him by bringing a counter charge. The
Telugu idiom which expresses this meaning is
(Tharumara cheyu).
We will call it square
This idiom means,
a matter is settled fairly. Sometimes, if
there are conflicts regarding any matter, the speaker or speakers agree not to
make any further claims.
In such a situation this idiom is used. The
56
Telugu idiom is
(Sajavaina oppukolu),
a fair agreement.
Within an ace
A thing or person is said to be within an ace of happening
when something almost happens. The meaning of “ace” in the game of
“rackets” is one point or a service which beats the opponent. The allusion is
probably to a person who will win the game if he gains one more point. The
Telugu equivalent is
Socsso^tao^soos
(Vijayaputanchulu).
“Vijayamu” means “victory,” “anchulu” means “verge.”
means within sight of victory, on the verge of victory.
So, the idiom
57
REFERENCES
1.
Quoted in Brewer's Dictionary ofPhrase andfabler 8.
2.
Quoted in V.H. Collins 3A book ofEnglish idioms, 121
3.
V.H. Collins, A Book of English Idioms 237