CHAPTER III IDIOMS AND

HUMAN ANATOMY

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A Darby and Joan

The idiom means an ideal couple. The names used in the

English idiom are the characters in a ballad written by Henery Woodfall

(1735). The characters are said to be Joan Darby, of Bertholomew Close,

who died in 1730, and his wife “As chaste as a picture cut in alabaster. You

might sooner move a Scythian rock than shoot fire into her bosom.”1

Woodfall served his apprentiship to John Darby ; but another account

localises the couple in the West Riding of Yorkshire. These characters

represent an old and devoted married couple. There are two Telugu

equivalents based on Hindu mythology: $a«ra*3ajc»#

(Sitaramulu)/ ! (Parvateeparameswarulu ).

Hindus consider Sita and Rama, and Parvathi and Parameshwara as the most

ideal couples. Their devotion to each other is an example to the world. So,

if anybody wants to talk about an ideal marriage , these couples are taken for

comparison.

A left-handed compliment

This idiom means something said or written about a

person which seems to be like a praise but actually has an underlying

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implicaion that is unfavourable. Normally, a present is given with the right

hand,but in this idiom a person is imagined to be doing so with the left hand.

This shows that it is not a genuine compliment. The Telugu idiom is more

direct than the English one. The idiom £*«<£ S"St>3

(notito pogadi nosalu vekkirinchu) means, to praise

with the mouth and simultaneously show contempt on the forehead.

Achilles’ heel

This idiom means the one v-eak spot in a man’s character.

Anatomists call the great tendon connecting the heel with the calf of the leg

“the tendon of Achilles.” According to the legend, Achilles’ mother Thetis

tried to make her son invulnerable by dipping him in the Styx. The heel by

which she held him was not immersed in water and so remained vulnerable.

In the Trojan War, Paris wounded Achilles in this spot and killed him. To

bruise the heel of Achilles means, to attack a person or a nation at the

weakest point. The Telugu idiom which expresses this idea is

(Keelerigi vathapettu ) which advises a person to

know the weak point of his enemy before atacking him.

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(Ayuvu pattu) is a near equivalent of “Achilles’ heel,” though the Telugu

idiom does not mean weak point.

Bury one’s head in the sand

To avoid facing facts or not to recognise realities by

pretending that they do not exist. According to the fable, ostriches thrust

their heads in the sand when hunted. They think that the enemy cannot see

them because they cannot see the enemy. In the same way people try to

ignore things which they do not like by simply pretending that they have not

seen it or observed it. The Telugu idiom IS

(Ushtrapakshi valakam). “Ushtrapakshi” isaostrichf and “valakam”

means “behaviour.” Thus, unlike in the English idiom, in the Telugu idiom

the ostrich is mentioned.

Call a man’s bluff

The idiom means, to unmask a person’s pretence or

deception. This metaphor originated from the game of poker. In this game

the word “bluff’ means to try to impose on one’s opponent by staking on a

bad hand. The Telugu idiom which has the same meaning is

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&x>Zx>Ko tToAo-So (Musugu tolaginchu). It means, to unmask a person,

and, metaphorically, to expose the true nature of a person.

Gall and wormwood

This idiom shows how an idea is emphasised by using

words which have the same meaning. “Gall” is a secretion of the liver. It is

very bitter. Thus, figuratively, “gall” became the seat for bitterness of spirit

and rancour. “Wormwood” is a Middle English word. It is primarily a plant

called “antemisia.” This plant is known for its bitter taste. In the sixteenth

century this became an emblem of what was bitter and grievous to the soul.

Thus “wormwood” also represents bitterness and rancour.

A combination of these two words appears in the Bible

also : “remembering mine affliction and my misery', the wormwood and the

gall.” Both the words suggest bitterness. It can be said that the two words

having the same meaning are used to emphasise the idea of bitterness. This

word does not seem to have a Telugu equivalent.

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Hand in glove

This idiom means, on intimate terms, in intimate relations.

This mostly applies to business transactions. The idiom refers to the close

connection between the glove and the hand that wears it. The expression

first appeared in John Florio’s translation of Montaigne’s essays. In 1680 it

appeared in Mansel’s Narrative of the Popish Plot: “Mrs Coillier to whom'j

Mr. Willoughby was such a crony that they were hand in glove.” The

idiom is generally used in a dergotatory sense. Since Indians don’t wear

gloves generally, there is no Telugu equivalent to this idiom. The closest

phrase that has similar meaning is

(Oddikagala sneham), close friendship.

Hand in hand

The idiom means in friendly fashion; unitedly. The Telugu

equivalent is 53eT*^o(Chetilo cheyi).

Have the ball at one’s feet

The idiom means to be in circumstances in which one is

bound to be successful. This metaphor originated from football.

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The reference is to the player who is in the correct position and the ball is at

a point where he is sure of making a goal. There seems to be no Telugu

equivalent of this idiom.

In the hands of

Figuratively, the phrase means in the charge or control of. The

Telugu equivalent is (Chetilo vundu).

Kick the bucket

This idiom is used to convey the message that a person is

dead. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “bucket” is a pole on

which a dead pig is hung. The idiom originated from this meaning. Another

theory is that the bucket was kicked away by a person attempting suicide,

who stood on it to hang himself. This idiom has been literally translated

into Telugu, ( Balchi thannadam^and is

used only in absolutely comic situations. This shows how a language can

adopt certain things from other languages provided it is convenient and easy

for adoption.

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Kith and Kin

The phrase means close relations. “Kith” is from O.E. “Cyth,”

relationship, and “Kin” from “Cynn”, kind, family, “Kin” has always meant

relations by blood and marriage. “Kith” is a phrasal collocation. It

originally meant one’s country. Now it also means acquaintances. The

Telugu idiom having the same meaning is oo£je>©ko (Bandhu

balagam).

Out of hand

One of the meanings of this idiom is, beyond control. The Telugu

equivalent is (Cheyidati povu).

Play a person false

This idiom means,to deceive or betray a person. This is a

figurative extension of the word “play” as used in the idioms “play the

game” and “play fair.” “Play fair” is a colloquial synonym of the idiom

“play the game,” which means to conduct the game according to the

principles followed by those who generally play that particular game. The

words in the idiom “play a person false” are equivalent to an allussion of

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“play the game with a person falsely,” i.e., not keeping to the rules. The

figurative use of play is common, acting a part not on stage but in real life.

The Telugu equivalent is (Viswasagathukamu)

This idiom is not based on any game. It means, to betray a person’s

confidence.

Right hand

This idiom means a person’s main assistant, his best and most

trustworthy man. The Telugu idiom is (Kudibhujam),

right shoulder.

Step off on the wrong foot

This idiom means, to make a mistake in the initial stage. The

metaphor is from military drill. If the rule in an exercise is to move the left

foot first and a solider moves the right foot, then he is out of step with the

rest of the soldiers. The Telugu idiom is

(Adilone hamsapadu ). In Telugu “adi” means “beginning” and

“padu” means “step”. “Hamsa” is i^swarfj which wobbles while walking .

The idiom suggests that the very begii?ing is not good.

Square a person

The idiom means,to gain a person's agreement, in return tor what

lawyers call a consideration, financial or moral. In a bad sense, it means,

to bribe a person. The Telugu equivalent of this idiom is

saocs^oSo^.(Lanchamicchi manchamekku). “Lanchamu”means“bribqT

“manchamu” is “bed.” Unless one is bribed^oitcannot even get into bed.

The boot is m the other leg/foot

This idiom conveys the idea that the true position of the

circumstances is exactly the reverse. The allusion is to a person conceived

as putting on his left leg a boot that ought to be put on the right foot or vice

versa. The idiom is generally used when a blame or responsibility is

ascribed to another person instead of the person who has to bear it. There is

no Telugu equivalent of this idiom.

To burn one's fingers

This idiom means, to suffer loss or mischance. The allusion is to

taking chestnuts from the fire The Telugu idiom has “hands” instead of

“fingers” tScSjeuipcojS'So (Chetulu kalchukonu).

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To change hands

This idiom means, to pass from one possessor to another. The

Telugu equivalent is identical : 3a-3c»(Chetulu maru).

To get /have the upperhand

This idiom means,to control, to obtain mastery. The allusion is to

having one’s hand in a position in which one can strike a person. The

Telugu equivalent is (Paicheyi), “pai” is upper, and

“cheyi” is hand.

To have or keep an eye on

The idiom means, to keep watch over someone or something.

This idiom is perhaps based on the phrase “to eye a person with suspicion.”

The Telugu equivalent is similar to the English idiom : t-s 53^ tyoz*

(Okakannu vesi vunchu).

To have one’s head screwed in the right way

This idiom means, to be sensible, especially in practical matters.

A screw is used to hold two things together. Unless it is correctly fixed, it

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cannot hold those two things. In the same way, the head can work better

only if it is put in the right way. The Telugu idiom is

3j£ircSoSbi3<3©s*<S5J (Medakaya meeda talakaya); “meda” is

“neck,” and “tala” is “head.” It is used only in a negative sentence : “No

one who has head on his neck would behave like that "

To have one’s hands full

The idiom means, to have as much work as one can do, sometimes

with an implication that the person is fully occupied and so can't accept any

other task. The Telugu equivalent is

(Chetininda panivundu).

To lay their heads together

The idiom means^to be in close consultation with each

other. This allusion was to two people sitting near each other to discuss a

matter. Today the idiom means putting together the thoughts arising in the

brains of different people. The Telugu idiom is

(Okati modalu nalugu cheru), four

heads joining one head.

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To put one’s hand on one’s heart

This idiom means, to make a solemn promise or

declaration. The heart is believed to be the seat of one’s spiritual being. So

it is regarded as a sacred thing. The allusion in the idiom is to a person

making the gesture as a form of oath. The Telugu idiom .

ft(Gundemeeda cheyivesi cheppu) has

the same meaning as its English equivalent.

To see eye to eye

This idiom means, to be of the same mind, to agree

completely or think alike. An interesting point to note is that though the

phrase “see eye to eye” has assumed the character of 4W English idiom, in

the sense given above, this application of it has no warrant in the original

context, where it is a translation in the Bible of the Hebrew, and is there

used of people looking at one another eye to eye, face to face. HetOy

Bradley, in The Making of English, observes that this sort of thing

happened to many Bibilical phrases, for the most part literal renderings of

tJdchHebrew or Greek, have assumed the character of English idioms, and are

A.

often used with little or no consciousness of their origin* The phrase, used

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by the great poet Nannaya, S)3»iS^iS (Ekathmatha),

seems to be close to this idiom in meaning.

To teach one’s grandmother how to suck eggs

This idiom means, to tell a person how to do something in

which he has more experience and expertness. The allusion in the English

idiom is to making a hole at each end of a raw egg and sucking the contents

without losing or spilling. This can be got only by practice. This expression

holds good for the English because all of them eat eggs. According to the

idiom old people can suck the egg easily because they would have been

doing it since their childhood. This idiom cannot be used in India because it

is not a general practice to take raw eggs. There are many Indians who do

not even touch an egg. The Telugu idiom which conveys a similar meaning

is (Tataku daggulu nerpu).

Cough is a common infection. An aged person would have had a number of

cough bouts. So one does not have to teach him how to cough.

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Toe the line/toe the mark

This idiom means, to do exactly what one is told or to

follow instructions to the minute details. The metaphor most probably

comes from athletics. The competitors who are about to take part in a race

stand with their feet just touching the line. The Telugu idiom which has the

same meaning is (Tu-cha-tappaka).

It means to observe all rules including trivial ones.

Wash one’s hands

This idiom means, to divest oneself of any further connection

with or responsibility for a matter or person. In other words, to have

nothing to do with a thing after having been concerned in the matter; to

abandon it completely. The allusion is to Pontius Pilate’s washing his hands

at the trial of Jesus : “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that

rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the

multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just person : see ye to

it’ ” (Matt. XXVII, 24). The Telugu equivalent,

S&sosSCisteS'z* (chetulu kadugukonu), seems to have originated as

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a metaphor from the fact that people wash their hands in order to get rid of a

stain.

Win hands down

This idiom means, to win easily. The metaphor is taken

from horse racing. During a horse-race the jockey has to hold the reins

tightly to make his horse run fast. If he drops his hands, it means that he is

relaxing the hold on the reins. This shows that he need not worry himself to

make his horse go fast. He does this only when he is sure of winning. He

does not have to take pains to win the race. The Telugu idiom is

(Hastamalaka vijayam), which means, to win

without moving the hands, i.e., without any effort.

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REFERENCES

1. Quoted in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and fable $00.

2. Quoted in V.H. Collins, A Book of English Idioms 133.

3. Henry Bradley, The Making of English, 1904 (London :

Macmillan, 1957)224.