Chori Aur Seena Jori

January 12, 2021

Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:

चोरी और सीना जोरी।

(Transliteration: Chori aur seena jori.)

Me? Steal? How dare you!

Literal translation: Stealing and chest-thumping.

Figurative meaning: To do something wrong (for example, steal) and then to be remorseless and behave as if one is proud of it.  When you question a thief, he takes the moral high ground and questions your questioning him!

Usage in a sample sentence:

अरे वाह! चोरी और सीना जोरी? मेरी बहन के घर से cash चुराते हुए मैंने आपको पकड़ा तो आप मुझसे कह रहे हैं कि यह मेरा घर नहीं है और मेरा आपसे सवाल करने का कोई अधिकार नहीं है?

(Transliteration: Arre wah! Chori aur seena jori? Meri behan ke ghar se cash churate huwae maine aapko pakda toh aap mujhse keh rahe hain ke yeh mera ghar nahin hai aur mera aapse saval karne ka koi adhikaar nahin hain?)

Translation: Oh wow! Stealing and chest-thumping? I caught you stealing cash from my sister’s house and you are telling me that this is not my house and I have no right to question you?

Origins of the idiom: The origin of this idiom seem to be quite easy to guess. We all have come across such people many times in our lives. They do something wrong and they do not like being questioned about it. They think they have every right to steal, but we do not have any right to question them.

Ungli Utthana

January 6, 2021

Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:

उँगली उठाना।

(Transliteration: Ungli utthana.)

Literal translation: To raise a finger.

Figurative meaning: To accuse. To point a finger at.

You did it, didn’t you?

Usage in a sample sentence:

कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि आप कितने ईमानदार रहें हैं; जिस दिन आप पर कुछ गलत करने का संदेह होता है, समाज आप पर उंगली उठाता है।

(Transliteration: Koi fark nahin padta ki aap kitne imaandaar rahen hain; jis din aap par kuch galat karne ka sandeh hota hai, samaj aap par ungli utthata hai.)

Translation: It doesn’t matter how honest you have been; the day you are suspected of doing something wrong, the society raises a finger against you.

Origins of the idiom: The origins of this idiom seem to be quite easy to guess. When we accuse someone of wrongdoing, we usually point a finger at them to blame them. This universal body language must have got embedded in our oral tradition of speaking metaphorically.