January 28, 2021
Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:
चप्पा-चप्पा छानना।
(Transliteration: Chappa chappa chaan-na.)
Literal translation: To search ‘chappa’ by ‘chappa.’ (Chappa is a small length, defined as ‘four fingers wide.’)
Figurative meaning: To search minutely (within a specified area).
Usage in a sample sentence:
पुलिस ने फरार अपराधी की तलाश में शहर का चप्पा चप्पा छान मारा, लेकिन वोह नहि मिला।
(Transliteration: Pulees ne faraar apraadhi ki talash mein shahar ka chappa chappa chaan mara, lekin woh nahi mila.)
Translation: The police searched ‘chappa chappa’ (every inch) of the city for the absconding criminal, but they could not find him.
Origins of the idiom: Chappa is a small measure of length, defined as the width of four fingers held together. When we search for something very minutely over a given area, we do it by searching one small area at a time. We may say that we searched “inch by inch” or we may say in Hindi, “chappa by chappa.”
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