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# 72
February 28, 2021
Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:
छोटा मुँह बड़ी बात
(Transliteration: Chota muh badi baat.)
Literal translation: Small mouth big talk.
Figurative meaning: To butt-in and speak way beyond what is expected from someone of a particular age or social status or position in a corporate hierarchy.
Usage in a sample sentence:
मेरा छोटा मुंह बड़ी बात को क्षमा करें, बॉस, लेकिन मुझे लगता है कि आपको मंगल जैसे मृत ग्रह में निवेश नहीं करना चाहिए।
(Transliteration: Mera chota muh badi baat ko shema kare, boss, lekin mujhe lagta hai ki aapko mangal jaise mruth grih mein nivesh nahin karna chahiye.)
Translation: Pardon (my small mouth big talk) my saying so, boss, but I think you must not invest in a dead planet like Mars.
Origins of the idiom: In human society, a person is expected to talk only according to what is expected of them. That expectation is based on the person’s perceived maturity (age), education, social status (caste, wealth), position on the corporate ladder, etc. However, the human mind cannot be put into any such compartments. It can come up with ideas anywhere at any time, irrespective of any such social restrictions. When such ideas are presented, society is quick to repress the idea by putting down the person and telling them that such big talk does not suit their small mouth.
January 31, 2021
Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:
हवा में बातें करना।
(Transliteration: Hawa mein batein karna.)
Literal translation: To talk in the air.
Figurative meaning: To talk baselessly. Empty speech. Idle talk.
Usage in a sample sentence:
“मैंने सुना कि वायरस को नष्ट करने के लिए वोह एक नया दवा बनाया है?”
“अरे यार! कृपया उसके बातों पर विश्वास न करें, उसे हवा में बातें करने की आदत है।“
Transliteration:
“Mai ne suna ki virus ko nasht karne ke liye woh ek naya dawa banaya hai?”
“Arre yaar! Kripaya uske baathon par vishwas na karein, usse hawa mein baatein karne ki aadat hai.
Translation:
“I heard that he has made a new medicine to destroy the virus?”
“Oh man! Please don’t believe anything he says, he has a habit of (talking in the air) making empty speech.”
Origins of the idiom: When your speech is empty or hollow-sounding, it seems like hot air coming out of your mouth. This hot air gets mixed with the air outside and is lost forever. Your words are not solid words, but just air, and it seems like you are just talking in the air. Such talk is not to be taken seriously. Please compare this idiom with yesterday’s idiom. They both seem similar, but have different meanings. Only one word in these Hindi idioms is different, but the meanings are very different.
January 24, 2021
Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:
बात काटना।
(Transliteration: Baat kaatna.)
Literal translation: To cut the talk.
Figurative meaning: To speak out of turn. To interrupt while someone is speaking.
Usage in a sample sentence:
ज़्यादातर, मैं जो भी कहूँ, मेरे पति मेरी बात काटते रहते हैं। यह भी घरेलू हिंसा का एक हल्का रूप है।
(Transliteration: Jyadatar, mai jo bhi kahoon, mere pati meri baat kaathe rehte hain. Yeh bhi ghareloo hinsa ka ek halka roop hai.)
Translation: Most of the time, whatever I say, my husband keeps interrupting me. This too is a mild form of domestic violence.
Origins of the idiom: When someone is speaking and another person interrupts the speaker, it feels as if the second person is cutting off the first person’s talk. By cutting in, the second person forces the first person to stop talking or makes him feel that what he had to say was not important. This perception of ‘cutting off’ someone’s talk would have given rise to this idiom.
Know Yourself - Γνώθι Σεαυτόν 
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