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.