CHAPTER IV MISCELLANEOUS IDIOMS

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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

( GiO^§drLL pettzi A i )•j f * . l.T! i'- c....87.302..

Ca l. Ko....

■ €aJ

• Ml »•»*•••*•••«

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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.

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“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. The Telugu equivalent is

therefore based on archery, hs*5* tx*cso (Cheekatlo banam).O

“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.

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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.

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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 *e

(Ibbadimubbadiga).

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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

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(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

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(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. The Telugu idiom is

iWTytf (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

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the singular form of the word “dice.” Success in games in which dice are

used depends upon chance or luck; it does not need any thinking or

intelligence. 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

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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

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(Punah punah parinamam), changing again andagain.

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 which has the same meaning is

SosabcsiM (Kukathoka vankaratheeyu),

trying to straighten a dog’s tail.

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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

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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

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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.” So, the idiom

means within sight of victory, on the verge of victory.

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REFERENCES

1. Quoted in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and fabler 8.

2. Quoted in V.H. Collins 3A book of English idioms, 121

3. V.H. Collins, A Book of English Idioms 237