Certificate in Translation (CIT)

CIT-04
Literary Translation

Block

2
Linguistic Aspects of Literary Translation

Unit-18:
Translation of Idioms, Proverbs and Culture-Specific Terms
 EXPERT COMMITTEE

Chairman Members
Prof. Jatin Nayak Dr. Abhilash Nayak Shri Bimal Prasad
Professor in English Regional Director Research and Support Services
Utkal University IGNOU Regional Centre Eastern Media
Bhubaneswar, Odisha Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Convener
Dr. Sambhu Dayal Agrawal Shri Das Benhur Dr. Sangram Jena
Consultant (Academic) in CIT Retired Principal Dy. Director
Odisha State Open UniversityIN TRANSLATION
CERTIFICATE SCS College, Puri Department of Revenue
Sambalpur, Odisha Government of Odisha

Course Writer
Dr. Sambhu Dayal Agrawal
Academic Consultant, CIT
Odisha State Open University
University, Odisha

Welcome Note
Dear Student,

Block-2 of CIT-44 is in your hands. It contains two units. Unit-18 18 will give you some idea how to understand the
inherent meaning and concept of various idioms and proverbs according to the context dealt with in the original
text. Since this part of literary translation deals with typical culture specific tterms
erms and expressions, you may feel
ambiguity in selecting the correct and most appropriate terms and expressions in Odia during the process of
translation. Unit-19
19 will guide you through this aspect of translation of literary texts.
The subject dealt with in this block is very interesting. Nevertheless, you have to first of all try to take interest in
the topic putting aside all your prejudices about idioms and proverbs. Once you start reading attentively, you
will be able to relish the flavor of arising ou
out of the delicious stuff served before you.
Wishing you all the success,
Dr. Sambhu Dayal Agrawal
Academic Consultant, CIT

First Edition: April 2017 Printed at Shreemandir Publication,

Publication Bhubaneswar
Odisha State Open University Page 2
 Unit-18
Translation of idioms, proverbs and culture specific terms

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Structure of the Unit

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18.0 Objectives
18.1 Introduction
18.2 Idioms
18.2.1 Definition
18.2.2 Meaning, Nature and Usage of Idioms
18.2.3 Idioms containing prepositions
18.3 Proverbs
18.3.1 What is a Proverb
18.3.2 Types of Proverbs
18.3.3 Miscomprehension due to Common errors in the use of complex verbs
18.4 Understanding Idioms and Proverbs
18.4.1 Understanding by the use of Prepositions
18.4.2 Understanding Idioms With Reference To the Prepositions
18.5 Understanding Idioms and Proverbs by Their Socio-cultural Roots
18.5.1 Understanding by Contrastive Consideration of Idiomatic Expressions
Containing Postpositions / Prepositions in English and Odia:
18.5.2 Understanding by considering the Literal and Metaphorical Meanings
18.6 Culture-Specific Terms
18.6.1 What is Culture-Specific
18.6.2 Taboos and Life-style
18.7 Summing Up
18.8 Model Answers to Self-Check Exercises
18.9 Model Questions

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18.0 Objectives
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This unit is about translation of idioms, proverbs and culture-specific terms. After
going through the Unit the learners will be able to:
• Know the meaning and nature of idioms and proverbs and their usage;
• Perceive what is culture-specific and its importance in literary translation;
• Understand how to find out the contextual meaning of idioms and phrases;
• Have an idea how to translate literature containing idioms, proverbs and
culture-specific terms and expressions.
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18.1 Introduction
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It is said that literature is the mirror of the society. Stories, novels, drama, poetry,
travelogues, memoirs, biographies, autobiographies and all other types of literature
give us an idea of the people, their culture, geographical features and history of the
concerned part of the world. By going through various literary texts we get a lot of
such knowledge about all these things while enjoying the inherent beauty
embedded in it.

Idioms and phrases make a language and its literature more enjoyable and effective.
Besides, the feelings conveyed by the text become more impressive and have a
deep impact on the readers. The language becomes ornamental. Idioms and
proverbs have historical roots, metaphorical meaning and deep relation with
culture. The concept of some idioms and proverbs are easy to understand; but some
of them elude all our wisdom and knowledge.

Idioms are socio-cultural in nature and it is interesting to find how a particular

notion is communicated by an idiom in English and its corresponding expression in
Odia. For example, ‘To carry coal to Newcastle’ metaphorically means almost the
same as ‘େତଲି ଆ ମୁ େର େତଲ’ in Odia; but they are quite different from literal point
of view. This Odia idiom literally means ‘to pour oil on the already well oiled head’
and the corresponding English idiom ‘to carry coal to a place called Newcastle,
where there are coal mines’. Anyway, this idiom is used where someone gets some
undue benefit. This, however, does not mean that every idiomatic expression in
English has an equivalent in Odia. Proverbs are treated as idioms because of their
almost fixed statue in form and order.

This Unit makes an attempt to discuss some aspects of idioms; their nature, variety,
peculiarity, and the problems they pose for the Odia speaking learners of English,
and translators. Therefore, a study of the nature and meaning of such idioms and
proverbs will surely facilitate better translation of such literary texts. We can better
understand the idioms and proverbs with a contrastive study both in Odia and
English.

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18.2 Idioms
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18.2.1 Definition
While trying to translate an idiom, it is very essential that we understand its
contextual meaning correctly. It is therefore necessary that we study the concept
properly. Idioms mostly have cultural etymology (aêý_ô©ò) and hence it is very
difficult to define it. Several scholars have however tried to define it, but still none
of them is complete.
The Oxford Dictionary defines an ‘idiom’ as: “peculiarity; peculiar phraseology;
the form of speech peculiar or proper to a people or country.” Further, it defines
‘idiomatic’ as: “peculiar to or characteristic of a particular language; pertaining to
exhibiting the expressions, constructions, or phraseology approved by the peculiar
usage of a language, especially as differing from a strictly grammatical or logical
use of words; vernacular; colloquial.”
Longman’s Dictionary defines an ‘idiom’ as ‘a phrase which means something
different from the meaning of the separate words; to be ‘hard up’ means to ‘lack
money’. In Odia we usually say ‘KûùVAaû’ when someone tries to bargain more and
more or not to spend even on genuine necessities.
The Longman’s Dictionary of Idioms (1979) defines idioms as: “Idioms are
invariable or fixed in form or order in a way that makes them different from literal
expressions. Because they are metaphorical, one cannot usually discover their
meaning by looking up their individual words in an ordinary dictionary. Since they
are more or less invariable both in wording and in certain grammatical ways, they
cannot be changed or varied in the way literal expressions are normally varied,
whether in speech or writing. These expressions, or idioms, tend to have other
characteristics in common, although they do not generally apply to every case.
Most, but not all of these expressions belong to informal spoken English rather than
to formal written English.”
Webster’s Dictionary defines an ‘idiom’ as: an accepted phrase, construction or
expression contrary to the usual patterns of the language or having a meaning
different from the literal.

Self-check exercise-1
A. Fill in the blanks:
1. Idioms and phrases make a language and its literature more enjoyable and
effective.
2. Idioms and proverbs have historical roots, metaphorical meaning and deep
relation with culture.
3. The concept of some idioms and proverbs are easy to understand; but some of
them elude all our wisdom and knowledge.
4. While trying to translate an idiom, it is very essential that we understand its
contextual meaning correctly.

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 B. Translat e into Odia: (i) To carry coal to Newcastle, (ii) hard up
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C. Give the definition of ‘idiom’ as given by the Webster’s Dictionary.

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18.2.2 Meaning, Nature and Usage of Idioms

(a) Invariableness: Metaphorical meaning and certain kinds of invariableness

are related to each other. This can be seen in two well-known phrases:
(1) Give up the ghost (to die) jõiû CWÿò~òaû, _âûYaûdê CWÿò~òaû
(2) Spill the beans (to reveal something) K[û IMûkòaû

These meanings are quite different from the literal meanings of the words
used in the phrases. We cannot even substitute words that are close in
meaning in these phrases. ‘The man gave up the ghost’ means ‘the man
died’ but a substitution, such as ‘the man gave up the apparition’ (synonym
of ghost) or ‘the man released the ghost,’ tends to make the phrase literal,
and the idiomatic meaning is lost. One cannot make even simpler
substitutions. A noun may be replaced by a pronoun in a literal sentence, but
this cannot usually be done in an idiom without loss of the idiomatic
meaning. One may say literally, ‘he spilt the beans on the floor’.

We may consider yet another example. One may use an idiom in a sentence
like: He spilt the beans (i.e., revealed the secret) over my plans to find a new
job. In this case, we cannot say ‘he spilt them over my plans to find a new
job’.

(b)Passivization is not always possible: Normally a transitive verb phrase can

be changed into passive. However, when one uses an idiom, some
grammatical operations like the formation of the passive are not possible in
all cases. It would sound quite unnatural to say ‘at 3 O’clock the ghost was
given up by the man’.
We cannot make other changes without losing the idiomatic meaning. For
example, one would not say ‘the men gave up the ghosts’. However,
passivization can take place in some cases such as ‘The idea was given up’
and ‘she was looked after by her sister’. Almost all idiomatic phrases fail in
one way or another to permit the usual grammatical operations which literal
phrases can permit.

(c) Idiomaticity is a matter of degree or scale: Idioms vary a great deal in

how metaphorical or invariable they are. In other words, idiomaticity (the
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 quality of being idiomatic) is a matter of degree or scale. Thus, some of the
phrases we have been considering (He spilt the beans) may be used in a
literal context or they may be used idiomatically.

Other phrases have no literal meaning at all and may only be used as
idioms, e.g. ‘till kingdom come’. Some idioms are completely fixed, e.g.
‘down and out’. Other idioms have a limited number of variants, e.g. ‘up to/
the / one’s ears / eyes/ neck/ eyeball’ (wholly concerned with something), or
is in someone’s bad books’ (in disfavour with someone) which has one
variant expressing the opposite meaning, ‘in someone’s good books’. Other
idioms are very open and allow a large number of certain types of words
(e.g. nouns) to be used in certain positions.

(d) Relation between literal meaning of the words and metaphorical

meaning of the idiom cannot be established: The metaphorical meaning
of some idioms is easier to understand when one knows how it developed.
Wherever possible, historical explanations of the idioms are given in some
dictionaries. See, for example, the ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘blue blood’ of
which historical explanations can be found. In many cases, however, it is
not possible to explain exactly the connection between the literal words of
an idiom, and the metaphorical meaning that has developed. An example is
‘a fine kettle of fish’. No exact connection between a kettle filled with fish
and the idiomatic meaning, ‘a confused or difficult state of affairs’, has so
far been found. The historical explanation of ‘salt of the earth’ is as
follows: someone who is very honest, dependable etc. This has its root in
the Bible: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth’ and ‘but if the salt have lost his
flavour, wherewith will it be salted?’ In Odia we can translate this idiom as
‘iZýaû\ú jeò½¦â’ or ‘bìcò_êZâ’ etcetera.

(e) Many of the idioms are almost full sentences: Many of the idioms are
almost full sentences. Only the subject need be added to make full sentences
of the verb phrases ‘give up the ghost’ and ‘spill the beans’, Other types of
idioms function like particular parts of speech. An idiomatic noun phrase,
for example, will often function in a sentence in the same way a noun
would, as subject, object or complement. Thus the idiomatic noun phrase
‘the salt of the earth’ will normally be used as a complement, as in ‘he is the
salt of the earth’.

(f) Some idioms can also be used in literal as well as idiomatically: It has
been pointed out by Estill and Kemper that providing an unequivocal
definition of an idiom is not easy. But common idioms can be interpreted
either as figurative (metaphorical) or as literal expressions as context
demands. Someone may ‘kick the bucket’ (die) because of an illness, or
may practically kick the bucket the length of the barn. Also context can
make it ambiguous whether a phrase should be interpreted as figurative or

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 as literal, as in the sentence “His wife was stunned when farmer Jones
kicked the bucket (died)”.

The fact that a single, familiar string of words may convey two well-
defined but very different meaning shows that comprehension processes
must be flexible in a way not often considered. There are three possibilities
for the relationship between processing literal and figurative meanings of
idioms. The first possibility is that the literal meaning of the idiomatic
phrase is retrieved and processed before any processing of the figurative
meaning is attempted. If this interpretation were correct, one would expect
that expressions used figuratively would take longer to understand than the
same expressions used literally. But this seems not to be the case. Idioms
and proverbs appear to be rapidly and automatically processed in
appropriate contexts.

A second possibility is that the figurative meaning of an idiomatic

expression is retrieved and processed before any processing of the literal
meaning. This possibility is more difficult to puzzle out than the first
because it is not clear just what cues might trigger the accessing of
figurative meaning and exclude accessing of the literal meaning. However,
Gibbs (1980) suggests that the automatic retrieval of an idiom’s figurative
meaning precedes the computation of its literal meaning. Only when the
figurative meaning is discovered to be inappropriate is the computation of
literal meaning initiated.
A final possibility is that the computation of an idiom’s literal meaning is
simultaneous with the retrieval of its figurative meaning. Spinney and
Cutler (1979) have suggested that the figurative meaning of an idiom is
stored in a discrete lexical entry. For isolated idioms as well as idioms in
biasing contexts, these figurative meanings are retrieved following
recognition of the initial part of the idiom. The computation of literal
meaning is initiated along with the retrieval of figurative meaning.

Look at the idiom ‘bury the hatchet.’ We can use this idiom variously, e.g.:
Literal use: To prepare for the scavenger hunt: Linda decided to hide the
mirror under a flower pot, put the plate under the porch, and bury the
hatchet behind the house.
Ambiguous use: To symbolize the end of the dispute: the two men decided
to dig a hole and bury the hatchet once and for all.
Figurative (metaphorical) use: Eventually the two men decided their
argument was silly and that they should bury the hatchet once and for all.
Non idiomatic control: The woodsman forgot to take the hatchet when he
went camping. In this case the idiom is broken and only the cue word
(hatchet) has been used. This is not an idiom.

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 (g) Another important fact which indicates that the relation of morphemes
(cìkg±, cìk]ûZê) to the meaning is not a simple one is the existence in every
language of combinations of morphemes which have a meaning either
completely unrelated to the meanings of their individual parts or including
something more than the simple sum of these meanings. Such expressions
may be called idioms, and the phenomenon may be called idiomaticity.
Most idioms are complex lexemic signs, being composed of more than one
lexon. A few examples from English are as follows:
(i) ‘Red herring’ could refer to a particular kind of fish having a ruddy
colour, but as an idiom it means ‘a phony issue raised to distract
attention’ and thus is treated by speakers as a unit having no relation to
the individual meaning of its parts.
(ii) ‘Come down with’(@ûKâû« ùjaû), as in ‘Hari came down with smallpox’,
has the meaning ‘contact’ (a disease). It contrasts with its literal
counterpart, seen in ‘Algernon came down with the crayons’.

(iii)‘Kick the bucket’ as an idiom means ‘die’ in contrast to the literal ‘strike
the pail with one’s foot’. Note that ‘The cow kicked the bucket’ could be
ambiguous, in that it could have either the literal or the idiomatic
meaning.

(iv) ‘Woodpecker’ is an idiom despite the fact that woodpeckers do indeed

peck wood. The idiom refers not to just any bird or other animal which
happens to peck wood at one time or another but to a specific group of
species. Furthermore baby woodpeckers do not peck wood until they
have learned to do so, but they are nevertheless woodpeckers.

(v) ‘Madison Square Garden’ is an example of a name which may have

originally been descriptive but has now been institutionalized. The
present garden in the usual sense. Even if we admit the sense ‘athletic
arena of a certain kind’ for ‘garden’ and even if the term were used to
refer to such a garden at Madison Square, it would still be an idiom if it
were an institutionalized proper name rather than a mere description,
Madison Square, incidentally, is itself an idiom like most complex
geographic names.
(h) Emotions and feelings: There are some idioms which stand for emotions
and feelings. ‘He nearly fell off his chair when they told him the news
(surprised).’ It is quite likely that he did not even move his chair, and it is
possible that he was not sitting in a chair at all. In these idioms the meaning
is often specific to English speaking countries. In this and in other idioms
the action referred to may never really happen. Another example: ‘wash my
hands of it’ does not mean that the speaker really performs the action.
Another example is ‘stick one’s chin out’ which means to show opposition

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 to something. This same action, in other countries, may be a sign of
agreement, a way of saying ‘no’ etc.
A translator should be very careful in interpreting these idioms. He should
be aware of the danger of translating such phrases as word for word.
(i) Idioms consist of pairs of words joined by ‘and’/ ‘or’: A large number of
idioms consist of pairs of words joined by ‘and or ‘or’. Many of them
function as a part of speech. ‘Cats and dogs’ in ‘It was raining cats and
dogs’ means ‘heavy rain’ and so functions as an adverb. Many of these
phrases cannot be reversed. For example, in the idiom ‘go / be at hammer
and tongs’ (to quarrel, fight, or argue loudly). One cannot reverse the pair of
nouns and say ‘they were going at each other tongs and hammer’.
(j) A number of idiomatic verb phrases have the pronoun ‘it’ as a fixed part of
the idiom. The pronoun does not refer to a word coming before it as it
normally does. Two such examples are ‘snuff it’ (die), and ‘live it up’ (to
have an exciting time).
(k) A large number of idioms, which compare a quality, condition, action etc.
with a noun are like: as easy as pie (very easy); as black as a kettle (very
black).
(l) Certain verbal idioms (e.g. ‘work like a horse’) are also similes and function
in a similar way to the adjective phrases: we all worked like horses and
finished the work before the scheduled time.
Self-Check Exercise-2
A. Fill in the blanks:
1. Some of the phrases may be used in a ___________________ context or they may be
used _________________________.
2. Historical explanations of some idioms are given in some ________________________.
3. The metaphorical meaning of some idioms is easier to understand when one
knows how it _______________________________.
4. When one uses an idiom, some grammatical operations like the formation of
the ___________________________ are not possible in all cases.
B. Give Odia equivalents of the following idioms and proverbs along with their literal
meaning:
kick the bucket ___________________________________________________come down with__________ ________
_______________________________________________ Spill the beans __________________________________________ _____
C. Translate into Odia:
1. His mother was ill since a month, and finally she gave up the ghost last night.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 I could not go to you because it was raining cats and dogs the whole day.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Mr. Ramesh cannot be involved in such illegal deeds; he is the salt of the
earth.______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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18.2.3 Idioms containing prepositions: Idiomatic Prepositions
multi – word verbs used
Let us consider English prepositions in Hanker after After
idioms (multi –word verbs and proverbs) Harp on On
that are termed ‘idiomatic preposition’ Hear of Of
which form the core. Passing references,
Imbue with With
however, are made to idioms in general.
Jump to To
We will study and analyse the idiomatic
prepositions and their contrastive study in Keep from From

relation to their Odia equivalents in this Lay for For

unit. A sample of idiomatic multi-word Level at At
verbs, and the prepositions in them are Lie beyond Beyond
given in the adjacent table. Profit by / from By / from
Pass through Through
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18.3 Proverbs
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18.3.1 What is a Proverb: As defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, 10th

Edition, “A proverb is a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general
truth or piece of advice.”(pro: put forth+ verbum ‘word’.

Proverbs are treated as idiomatic because they are more or less fixed in
nature. Hence preposition in proverbs are also termed idiomatic. A sample
of some proverbs and the prepositions used in them are given below:

Proverbs Prepositions

When in Rome do as the Romans do in

A bad workman quarrels with his tools with
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush in

18.3.2 Types of Proverbs: Verbs can be divided into:

(1) single word verbs as in: John called the man (R^þ ùfûKUòKê WûKòfû)

(2) multi-word verbs, which are phrasal verbs: John called up the man
(R^þ ùfûKUòKê WKûAfû)

(3) prepositional verbs e.g. John called on the man (R^þ ùfûKUòKê iûlûZ Kfû)

(4) Phrasal prepositional verbs: John put up with the man (R^þ ùfûKUòKê ijý Kfû)

The above-mentioned sentences are superficially similar to the following

sentences in consisting of verbs and prepositional phrases; but are different in
many respects from them:

(5) John called from the office (R^þ Kû~ðýûkdeê WûKòfû/ ù`û^þ Kfû)

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 (6) John called after lunch (R^þ c¤ûjÜ ùbûR^ _ùe WûKòfû/ ù`û^þ Kfû)
(7) John called from under the table (R^þ ùUaêf Zkê WûKòfû)

In the first set (1–4) the adverbial or prepositional particle (up, on, up, with)
forms a semantic (@[ð_ì‰ð) unit with the verb; in the second set (5–7), the
prepositional particle (from, after, from, under) is more closely connected with
the head of the prepositional phrase.

(a) Semantic criteria:

The semantic unity in phrasal and prepositional verbs (1–4, the first set above)
can often be manifested by substitution with a single-word verb, for example,
visit for ‘call on’, summon for ‘call up’ , omit for ‘leave out’, see for ‘look at’
etc.
Furthermore, phrasal and prepositional verbs often have composite meanings
which are not normally deducible from their parts, for example:
Make out = understand; take in = deceive; come by = obtain.

The terms ‘phrasal’ and ‘prepositional’ verbs are not however restricted to such
idiomatic combinations. We can distinguish three sub-classes within the first set
(where it will be convenient to refer to both the adverbial and prepositional
element as ‘particle’):

(a) The verb and the particle keep their individual lexical meanings, as in look
over (inspect), set up (organize). The individuality of the components
appears in possible contrastive substitutions :
Bring in, take out, turn on, switch off

(b) The verb alone keeps its basic lexical meaning and the particle has an
‘intensifying’ function:
‘Find out’ = (discover’, sweep (up) the crumbs, spread (out the rug)

(c) The verb and the particle are fused into a new idiomatic combination, the
meaning of which is not deductible from its parts, for example: bring up =
educate, come by= obtain, put off=post pone, turn up= appear, come in for=
received.

In such combinations there is no possibility of contrastive substitution.

There are no pairs such as ‘bring up / down, put off / on, give up / down,
give in / out,’ etc. for this sub class. The adverbial, lexical values of the
particles have been lost, and the entire verb – particle combination has
acquired a new meaning.

In some cases the same verb–particle combination can belong to more than
one sub class with a corresponding difference in meaning:

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 John the house (literal meaning) R^þ NebòZeKê Mfû
went into
the problem (figurative meaning) R^þ iciýû iµKðùe Pò«û Kfû
John put stay with R^þ ùceú ijòZ ejòfû/aûi Kfû
up with
tolerate R^þ ùceúKê (aýajûe aû C_iÚòZòKê) ijòfû
Mary

(b) Passivization

The syntactic similarity of verbs in the first (1–4) can be seen in their
acceptance of passivization :
first set: The man was Called up
Called on
Put up with
second set: Lunch was called after
The table was called from under
The office was called from

In the passive, the verbs of the first set behave identically with single–word
transitive verbs (The man was called), whereas the verbs of the second set
do not admit of the passive. Note that ambiguous combinations like ‘put up
with’ take the passive only when they have the figurative meaning:
Mary couldn’t easily be put up with (= tolerate, but not ‘stay with’)

(c) Samples of multi-word verbs

Multi-word verbs are very numerous, and we can only give a short list for
each verb class. The words in parenthesis illustrate or gloss their meanings.
Phrasal Verbs Prepositional verbs
Back up (somebody) Add to (the bill)
Blow up (a ship) Allow for (delays)
Break off (our relations) Apply for (a post)
Bring about (a change) Approve of (an action)
Bring up (children) Attend to (the matter)
Burn up (a house) Care for (somebody)
Catch on (understand) Comment on (the results)
Draw up (a contract) Conform to (a standard)
Fill out (a form) Congratulate (someone)on(his exam)
Find out (a secret) Consent to (the proposal)
Get over (an idea) Cure (somebody)of (a disease)
Give up (surrender) Enlarge on (a topic)
Make out (understand) Hind at (other possibilities)
Make up (a story) Insist on (coming)

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 Pass over(a question) Live on (a small salary)
Pull up (‘stop’) Object to (something)
Put (an idea)across Part with (something)
Put off (an answer) Refer to (a dictionary)
See (somebody) off Resort to (violence)
Turn off (the light) Run for (president)
Turn up (at a meeting) Take to (drink)

(d) Examples of Phrasal-prepositional Verbs: Break in on (somebody’s

conversation), Catch up on (my reading), Catch up on
(‘investigate’), Come down with (a cold), Come up with (the idea), Cut
down on (expense).
It is useful to distinguish between the adverbial and prepositional use of the
particles because the intonation of the sentence is different:
He took three hours to climb up. (adverb): ZûKê PXÿòaûKê Zò^ò N<û fûMòfûö
He is climbing up the mountain. (preposition): ùi _ûjûWÿ C_eKê PXÿêQòö

But notice that in such sentences as this next one, ‘up’ is an adverb in both
cases in spite of its position:
He is counting his money up: ùi Zû’ Uuû MYòaûùe fûMòQò/ MYêQò
He is counting up his money: ùi Zû’ Uuû (gúNâ gúNâ) MYò_KûCQòö

When used with verbs of movement, Go In

with or without objects, there is Come Out
generally no difficulty in understanding Jump Away
the meaning of the phrasal verb if the They Walk Back
Swim Down
meaning of the adverb particle is known.
Hurry Up
A few examples are given in the adjacent
Run off
table.
Apart from their general meaning the particles may have several other
meanings. Viz.:

(1). Up: Apart from its general meaning Turn In

of ‘in an upward direction’, the Put Out
particle ‘up’ has several other Bring Back
I Throw something Off
meanings:
Carry Away
(i) With verbs of movement, Push Up
‘approach’; e.g., lay on

I dashed up to him and shook hands. Note that in these cases ‘up’ is
frequently followed by the preposition ‘to’. The phrase ‘up to’ means
‘as far as’ and is a compound preposition. Some other verbs that can
collocate (commonly placed together) with ‘up to’ to form phrasal
verbs are ‘run’, ‘walk’, ‘sail’, ‘rush’ etcetera.
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 (ii) Completion: Consider these two sentences:
You will never get rich if you don’t save: i*d ^Kùf Zêùc Run
]^ú ùjûA_ûeòa ^ûjóö Walk
Sail up to
They have saved up enough money to go for a holiday. Rush
QêUò KûUòaû _ûAñ ùicûù^ ~ù[Á Uuû i*d KeòiûeòQ«òö Go
March
In the second sentence ‘up’ implies that the saving is Drive
complete enough for a definite purpose. ‘Up’ can Swim
come
collocate with the following verbs to indicate
completion. A few examples are given here:
Finish up, Drink up, Burn up, Dry up, Tear up, Save up, Wake up,
Wash up, Cut up, Fill up, Tie up, Use up etc.

(2). Down: Apart from its general meaning of ‘in a downward direction’,
‘down’ has these other meanings:
(i). Completion of destruction: Someone has watered down all
the whisky, it’s undrinkable.
Similarly, we can have other phrasal verbs such as: burn down, pull
down, cut down, tear down, fall down, tone down, knock down,
break down, raze down etcetera to indicate completion of some
action.
(ii). Similarly we can have phrasal verbs like Put down, Copy
down, Write down, and Take down etcetera to indicate
writing.

(3). Out: Apart from its general meaning of ‘from the interior to the
exterior’, the particle ‘out’ has several other meaning:
(i).‘Clearness and loudness’ with verbs of speaking, writing,
drawing: Please copy out this article before lunch. c¤ûjÜ ùbûR^ _ìaðeê Gjò
ùfLûUòKê CZûeò ^ò@ö

So also we have phrasal verbs like ‘short out, speak out, read out ,
call out , shriek out , mark out, draw out, write out , set out etcetera
to indicate clarity and / or loudness of action.

(ii). sudden action: War has broken out between both countries.
\êA ù\g c¤ùe ~ê¡ fûMòMfûYòö

(iii). Disappearance, vanishing: I am going to wipe out all words

on the blackboard. cêñ Kkû_Uûùe ùfLû[ôaû iaê g± fòbûA ù\aûKê ~ûCQòö
Some more such phrasal verbs are ‘wipe out’, ‘go out’, ‘wear out’,
‘die out’, ‘fade out’, ‘put out’.
(iv). Distribution: Mr. Jones, will you hand out the textbooks?

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 ‘Give out’, ‘share out’, ‘pay out’, are some such words.
(v). Expansion and projection: The policeman put out his right
hand to stop the traffic.
Some such other phrasal verbs are ‘stick out, hold out, pull out, point
out, jut out, stretch out, hand out, and reach out.’
(4). Off: Apart from its general meaning of ‘from the surface or top of’, the
particle has these other meanings:
The aeroplane took off at six O’clock. CWÿûRûjûRUò Q@Uûùaùk aòcû^NûUú QûWÿòfûö
He shook the ants off his sleeve. ùi ^òR iûUð jûZeê _òµìWÿòMêWÿòKê SûWÿòù\fûö
Peel off the outer skin before you eat them. ùiMêWÿòKê LûAaû_ìaðeê ùiMêWÿòKeê
ùPû_û / (aûjûe PcWÿû) QWÿûA^ò@ö

Some such other phrasal verbs are: set off, push off, pass off , cool
off, die off , drive off, hurry off , fly off , go off, turn off, switch off,
wear off, give off etcetera.

(5). On: Apart from its general meaning of ‘on the surface of’, this particle
‘on’ has two other meanings:

(i) Progression and continuation: You must carry on with your work till
the teacher returns. gòlK ù`eòaû _~ðý« Zêùc ^òR ^òRe Kûc Keê[ôaö

Some such other phrasal verbs are ‘read on, come on, keep on, get on,
drive on, carry on, walk on, go on, hurry on’
(ii) Attachment: She sewed on all his buttons for him. ùi Zû’e iaê ùaûZûc
fMûAù\fûö

Some such other phrasal verbs are ‘stick on, screw on, put on, pin on ,
nail on, switch on, hang on, fasten on, turn on, tie on, fix on etcetera.’
(6) Over: Apart from its general meaning of ‘from one side to the other’ the
particle ‘over’ has the meaning of ‘consideration and inspection’; viz.:
think over, look over, read over, talk over, and go over etcetera.
(e) Complex verbs are idiomatic combinations of a verb and adverb, a verb
and preposition or verbs with both adverb and preposition. They cause
difficulties for non-native students and translators because of their meaning
and grammar. Many verbs in English can be used together with an adverb
or preposition, and are straightforward to use and understand, as in, for
example:
The girl walked along the road. (Verb+ prep)
He opened the door and looked inside. (Verb+adv.)

Often, however, a verbal combination (verb + adv, verb + prep, verb + adv
+ prep) can have not only its normal meaning but can also mean something

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 different. The combination of ‘hold’ and ‘up’, for example can be used with
normal meaning. For example:
Hold up your right hand and repeat these words for me.

But it can also have a completely different meaning: ‘to stop by force in
order to rob’, as in:
The criminals held up the train and stole all the passengers’ money.

Here the meaning of the expression cannot be guessed from the verb alone.
So it is an example of a complex verb. Thus, complex verbs are idiomatic
combinations.
The following are the three types of complex verbs. The first type has a verb
followed by an adverb:
The old lady was taken in (deceived) by the salesman.

The second type of complex verb has verb followed by a preposition:

She set about making a new dress.

The third type of complex verb has a verb followed by an adverb and a
preposition;
I can’t put up with (bear or suffer) him; he’s always complaining.
cêñ @ûC Zû’ K[û ijò_ûeòaò^ò, ùi iaêùaùk PêMêfò KeêQòö

Some complex verbs such as ‘depend on’ or ‘despair of,’ the verb, in spite
of always having the same meaning, can be used only with a certain
preposition when used in combination. We cannot say ‘depend from’ or
‘depend with’.

(i) Bring home to= to persuade (someone) to believe (something)

You must bring home to John where the difficulty lies:
@iêaò]û ùKCñVò @Qò, ùiK[û Zêùc R^þKê aêSûA ù\aû CPòZö

(ii) A trained dog can act as a guide to a blind person.

ùMûUòG Zûfòc _âû¯ KêKêe RùY @§ ùfûKKê aûU KXÿûAù^A _ûeòaö

(iii) Come across as = to seem to be (judging by behavior )

He comes across as being very sincere.
ùi RùY ^òÂûaû^þ ùfûKbkò RYû_WÿêQ«òö

(iv) Depend on = to trust; be sure of (someone or something)

It depends on the map. Gjû ^Kèû C_ùe ^òbðe Kùeö

(v) Get round to = to find time for (something) especially after delay.

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 The committee will get round to your suggestion after they have
dealt with urgent business. iaê Reêeú Kûc ZêUûAaû _ùe ~ûA KcòUò Zêc _âÉûa
C_ùe aòPûe Keò_ûùeö

(vi) Lead to:

It’s sleeping late in the morning that leads to missing the bus.
aiþ ]eò^_ûeòaû iKûùk ùWeò _~ðý« ùgûAaûe `kö

(vii) Pick on: to choose (someone ) for a purpose, often unpleasant.

The examiners can pick on any student to answer questions.
_âgÜ MêWÿòKe C©e ù\aû_ûAñ _eúlKcûù^ ù~ùKøYiò QûZâKê aûQò _ûe«òö

(viii) Keep on at: to repeatedly tell (someone to do something)

She kept on at me to buy her a new coat.
Zû _ûAñ ^ì@û ùKûUþ KòYòaûKê ùi ùcûùZ aûe´ûe Kjê[ûG/ ùcû ijòZ ùNûhû fMûA[ûGö

(ix) Result in: to have (something) as a result in (something) at the end.

The quarrel resulted in his mother leaving the house.
KkòZKeûke `kÊeì_ Zûu cû’ Ne QûWÿò PûfòMùfö

(x) Keep from: to prevent or delay (someone or something) from

(something or doing something).
Don’t let me keep you from going out. ZêcKê aûjûeKê ~òaûKê aûeY KeòaûKê
ùcûùZ aû¤ Ke^ûö

(xi) Put up to: to encourage; give (someone) the idea of doing

(something) usually wrong.
I know who put him up to cheating.
^Kf KeòaûKê/VKòaûKê ZûKê KòG CÄûCQò, cêñ RûYòQòö

(xii) Regard as : to consider (someone or something) to be (something)

They regarded him as foolish/ their enemy.
ùicûù^ ZûKê ùaûKû/ gZî cù^ Keê[ôùfö
Some complex verbs consisting of a verb and an adverb (phrasal verbs) are
‘give up’, ‘give in’, ‘point out’, ‘figure out’, ‘fit up’, ‘leave off’ and ‘let
through.’
In Odia complex verbs do not occur. This is one reason why Odia speaking
English learners do not feel at ease in using the English complex-verbs. As
has already been pointed out that in almost all cases the meaning of the
complex verb cannot be predicted by looking at the individual meanings of
its components. Secondly, some combinations like ‘be behind’ (V + prep)

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 are used both in the literal sense and in the idiomatic sense. For example ‘be
behind’ in its literal sense means ‘to be placed at the back’ and idiomatically
it means ‘to provide a reason for something’ or ‘to be less advanced than
something or somebody’:
i. Your letters are behind the clock. (literal) Zêc PòVòMêWÿòK N<û _Qùe @Qòö
ii. What’s behind his offer? Zûu _âÉûa _Qùe Kò ejiý/CùŸgý @Qò?(figurative meaning)
iii. Your grandfather’s ideas are a long way behind those of to-day. (idiomatic)
Zêc ùRùRaû_ûu aòPûeiaê ajêZ _êeêYûKûkò@ûö

18.3.3 Miscomprehension due to Common errors in the use of complex verbs:

Lack of exact and adequate knowledge of the complex verbs often leads to
miscomprehension. The translator has to be careful about such mistakes that the
text in the source language may have. Some of such common errors can be cited
as follows:
Correct Incorrect
Fill in the form fill up the form
Look after erroneously meant as ‘looking at something.’
Hard up erroneously associated with ‘hardness.’
As it has already been pointed out, Odia Put on Wear, _ò§òaû
language has no complex-verbs such as
Call on iûlûZ Keòaû
idiomatic V + prep, V + adv or V + adv +
Abide by obey, cû^òaû
prep structures. We can, however, find their
verb equivalents in Odia. The adjacent table Be at attack, @ûKâcY Keòaû
gives a list of English complex verbs and their Insist on \ûaò Keòaû
Odia verb equivalents. Listen to obey, cû^òaû; Hear, gêYòaû

Now-a-days many complex-verbs are also Reconcile with _ê’Yò iûw ùjaû
used as ‘compound’ nouns / adjectives. For Refrain from _âZòùeû] Keòaû
example, ‘Knock out’ (verb), for example, is Teem with _eò_ì‰ð ùjaû
used as a compound noun and ‘cast off’ Tinge with E¬òZKeòaû
(verb) is used as a compound adjective. The
meaning(s) and usage (s) of some frequent compound noun / adjectives and their
Odia equivalents are given below.

Complex verbs Complex nouns / adjectives Odia

Equivalents
Look on: Why do you Looker-on (n)= spectator. ଦଶନ (n)
merely look on football I did not take part in the game : I was
instead of playing? merely a looker-on

Break out: Cholera has Break – out (n): People are afraid of ହଠାତ ଆର
broken out in our city. break-out of cholera.
େହବା

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 Break down: Overworking Break down (n): Very hard work was ନ େହବା
broke-down Mr. Dey. responsible for Mr. Dey’s nervous
breakdown.

Walk over A walk-over (n) = an easy victory ସହଜେର ପରା

without (much) opposition: Our team had
a walk-over last Saturday. କରିବା
Knock out: His opponent Knock-out (adj.): He suddenly gives his ପରା କରିବା
was knocked out within opponent a knock-out.
minutes. A knock-out: He won by a knock-out.

Some more of the very frequent compound adjectives / nouns derived from
complex verbs are as follows:

a black – out a state of complete darkness when every light is extinguished or

(n) concealed. aäûKþ @ûCUþ
a break-through an advance past the enemy’s line of defence. gZîe aìýj ùb\
(n)
a build-up (n) a concentration of forces.
call-up (n) a summons for military service WûKeû
cast-off (adj) Rejected LûeR
a close – up (n) a picture taken with the object very near the camera. @ûL-_ûL
a come –back a return (to action, boxing etc.) _âZýûa©ð^
(n)
a cut-out (n) a picture cut from a paper. KUþ@ûCUþ
a drawback (n) a disadvantage. @iêaò]û
a fall off (n) a decree
a flash-back (n) a scene (usually in a film) in the past by way of explanation or
commentary. iáZòPûeY
a frame-up (n) a trick to make an innocent person seem guilty. c^MXÿû KûjûYú
a go-between an intermediary. c]ýiÚò
(n)
(a)Grown-up (an) adult. _âû¯ adÄ, iûaûkK
(n),(adj)
a hang-over (n) the after effect of being intoxicated. ^ògûe _âbûa
a hide-out (n) a place for hiding. Mê¯ @ûWØû,
a hold -up (n) a forcible detention of people. @UK
a lay-off (n) a time when a person is unemployed. Lûfò icd

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 a let-out (n) an excuse. aûjû^û
a passer-by (n) Several passers-by witnessed the accident. GKû aûUù\A ~ûC[ôaû
aýqò
a runner - up a person, or an animal, or a thing which comes second in a race
(n) or competition. \êA^´e _âZòù~ûMú,
a send-off (n) a denomination of farewell and good wishes for a journey. aò\ûd
i´¡ð^û
a set-back (n) a reverse, a check. aû]û
a stand -by (n) a person or thing one can rely on for support. ^òbðeù~ûMý ijûdK
a stand-in (n) a substitute. aòKÌ
a stop-over (n) a brief stay at a place during a journey. ùWeû, iõlò¯ ejYò
a try-out (n) a test. _eúlû
a turn-out (n) Gathering, output. bòWÿ,
a turnover (n) 1. The total amount of sales. Kûeaûe 2. An upset aò_~ðýd

Self-Check Exercise-3
A. Give a one-sentence definition of ‘proverb’.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B. Give one-word substitutionin in English and Odia equivalents of the following:

call up, leave out, look at, make out, turn on, switch off, put off, turn up, appear.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

C. Translate into Odia:

(1) The teacher called up the naughty boy _______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(2) Rani put up with her husband in spite of the atrocities inflicted upon her
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(3) I called on my friend in the hospital. ___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.4 Understanding Idioms and Proverbs

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.4.1 Understanding by the use of Prepositions:

Prepositions in English Proverbs are not as problematic as those in complex verbs

because conceptually they do not vary to any considerable extent. In most cases, in

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proverbs, they mean the same as in normal (unidiomatic) expressions. For example
the preposition ‘to’ before the word ‘Newcastle’ in ‘To carry coal to Newcastle’
does not give any specific meaning. Thus this does not modify the proverb
semantically (related to its meaning) or conceptually in the sense ‘in’ does in the
complex verb ‘taken in’ (deceived). Other such proverbial prepositions (under-
scribed) show this point:
1. When in Rome do as the Romans do. ù~ ù\ùg ~ûA ùi `k LûA

2. People who live in glass house should not throw stones. KûPNùe ejê[ôaû
ùfûK @^ý @ûWÿKê ùUKû `òwòaû @^êPòZþ
3. To rub salt on the green wound. KUû Nû@ûùe Pì^ ùaûkòaû

4. To shoot in the dark. @§ûe Nùe aûWÿò aêfûAaû

5. Too much of anything is good for nothing. @Zò ùf´ê Pò_êWÿòùf _òZû

6. To fish in troubled waters. KuWÿûKê ùMûkò@û _ûYò iêjûG/ _eòiÚòZòe _ûA\û CVûAaû
7. A bad workman quarrels with his tools. ^ûPò ^RûYò @MYû auû
8. To add fuel to the fire. ^ò@ûñùe Nò@ Xûkòaû

9. A prophet is not honored in his community. Mûñ K^ò@û iòxûYò^ûKú

Odia speaking English learners and translators sometimes commit a typical

mistake which can be traced back to the Vibhakti (aòbqò) system (post-
positions) of their language:
He will be angry on/with me: ùi ùcû C_ùe eûMòa

18.4.2 Understanding Idioms With Reference To the Prepositions:

One of the problems of understanding, remembering and aptly using
idiomatic expression such as complex verbs arises from the many possible
collocations of verbs with prepositions and adverbs. Let us take, for
example, the verb ‘put’. It can collocate with such prepositions or adverbs
as ‘up’, ‘out’, ‘to’, ‘off’, ‘on’ etcetera to form complex verbs.
Anyone who opposes the King will be put to death. eûRûuê aòùeû]
Keê[ôaû ùfûKKê cûeò\ò@û~òa
The meeting was put off indefinitely. ibû @^ò½òZ Kûk _ûAñ iÚMòZ ùjfû

We have to put up with all odds of life. @ûcKê Rúa^e iaê _âZòKìk
_eòiÚòZòKê iûcÜû KeòaûKê / ijòaûKê _Wÿòa

Further, most phrasal structures such as ‘put to’ may be complex verbs as
well as literal elsewhere (and hence non-idiomatic).

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 She put a finger to her lips to signal silence. (‘put to’ is literal and
non-idiomatic). ùi _ûUòùe @ûwêVò eLò Pê_þ ejòaûKê iùuZ ù\ùf

They abide by the rule. ùicûù^ ^òdc cû^«ò/ cû^ò Pk«ò

They abide by it. ùicûù^ GjûKê cû^«ò

They abide sincerely, by the rule. ùicûù^ ^òÂûe ijòZ ^òdc cû^«ò

The rule by which they abide was framed during the British regime.
ùicûù^ cû^ê[ôaû @ûA^ AõùeR @ckùe Zò@ûeò ùjûA[ôfû
If you join the army, you must abide by its rules and regulations.
ùi^ûùe b©òð ùjùf ZêcKê ùiVû ^úZò^òdc cû^ò PkòaûKê ùja
You must abide by the results of your mistakes. Zêùc ^òR bêfe `kû`kKê
cû^òòù^aû CPòZ
Account for:
The employee accounted for the mistake. KcðPûeú ^òR bêf _ûAñ ùK÷`òdZþ ù\ùf/
lZò_ìeY ù\ùf
The mistake was accounted for by the employee. bêf _ûAñ KcðPûeúu \ßûe
ùK÷`òdZ/ lZòò_ìeY \ò@ûMfû
What did the employee account for? KcðPûeú KûjóKò ùK÷`òdZ/ lZò_ìeY ù\ùf?

When/ Where did the employee account for? KcðPûeú ùKùa / ùKCñVûùe
ùK÷`òdZ/ lZò_ìeY ù\ùf?
Admit to:
We admitted the students to the tenth class. @ûùc QûZâcû^uê \gc ùgâYúùe ^ûc
ùfLûAfêö
The students whom we admitted to the tenth class are scholars. @ûùc \gc
ùgâYúùe ^ûc ùfLûA[ôaû QûZâcûù^ ùc]ûaúö
Agree on / upon / about:
I agree entirely with him. cêñ Zûu ijòZ iµì‰ð bûaùe GKcZ

The man with whom I agree is very wise. cêñ GKcZ ùjûA[ôaû aýqò RYK aê¡òcû^þö
I agree the man with. cêñ ùfûKUò ijòZ GKcZö
Who do I agree with? cêñ Kûjû ijòZ GKcZ?

Where do I agree with? cêñ ùKCñVûùe GKcZ?

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 Musicians rarely agree on the way a piece of music should be played.
iwúZmcûù^ ùKøYiò aû\ý~ªKê aRûAaû ùg÷kú iµKðùe GKcZ ùjaû aòekö
They have decided on fighting the evil in the country. ùicûù^ ù\gùe @^ýûd-
@^úZò aòeê¡ùe fùXÿA KeòaûKê ^ò¿©ò ù^AQ«òö
They went back. ùicûù^ ù`eòMùfö

They unwillingly went back. @^òzû iù©ß ùicûù^ ù`eòMùfö

Go back:
Go back, the bomb may explode now. ù`eò~û@, ùaûcûUò Gùa `êUò~ûA_ûùeö

it is idiomatic in ‘Let us go back to what the Chairman was saying’. @ûùc

@¤l cùjû\d Kjò[ôaû K[ûKê ù`eò~òaûö
I missed the train and had to go back on the bus. ùUâ^þ ]eò^_ûeòaûeê ùcûùZ aiþ
\ßûeû ù`eòaûKê ùjfûö
But it is idiomatic in the following:
You should never go back on your promise to a child. (fail to fulfil )
ùMûUòG _òfûKê ù\A[ôaû _âZògîZòeê Zêùc Ijeò~òaû @^êPòZö
The storm was so severe that even the sailors had to hold to the ropes. (seize)
SWÿùZû`û^þ GùZ Zúaâ [ôfû ù~ ^ûaòKcûù^ iêelû _ûAñ fwe _KûAaûKê/ @UKò~òaûKê aû¤
ùjùfö
The ship held to her course in spite of the storm. (keep to). SWÿùZû`û^ iù©ß
RûjûR ^òR M«aý _[ùe @ûùMAPûfòfûö (Rûeò eLòaû)
The storm was so severe that they had to hold firmly to the ropes. SWÿùZû`û^þ
GùZ Zúaâ [ôfû ù~ ùicûù^ \éXÿZûe ijòZ \CWÿòKê RûaêWÿò ]eòaûKê aû¤ ùjùfö
The ropes to which they held were the only hope for them during the storm.
ùicûù^ RûaêWÿò ]eò[ôaû \CWÿò jó SWÿaZûi icdùe ùicû^u _ûAñ GKcûZâ iûjûbehû [ôfûö
The thief held out a gun and every one raised their hands in fear. ùPûeUò a§êK
ù\LûAaûùe icùÉ bdùe jûZ C_eKê ùUKòù\ùfö
The thief held firmly out the gun. ùPûeUò \éXÿZûe ijòZ a§êK ]eòfûö
‘Hold out` can also be used in metaphorical sense:
I don’t hold out much hope for his success in the examination. _eúlûùe Zû’e
i`kZû ù^A cêñ ùagò @ûgûaû\ú ^êùjñö
Will the water supply hold out through the summer? (to last) Rkù~ûMûY
MâúhàKûk ~ûK @aýûjZ ejò_ûeòaZ?

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It is to be marked here that like most other idioms, ‘hold out’ is quite different from
its component words (‘hold’ and ‘out’) and thus it poses problems for the learners
and translators.
Hand the cases over to me, it is mine. cûcfûMêWÿòK ùcûùZ ù\A\ò@, ùiMêWÿòK ùcûeö
The command of the ship was handed over to the captain. RûjûRe _eòPûk^û \ûdòZß
Kýûù_Ö^þu C_ùe ^ýÉ Keò\ò@ûMfûö
Hear me out, please; I’ve still a lot to say. (to listen (someone / something)
to the end.) \dûKeò ¤û^ \ò@«ê, ùcû’e @ûjêeò @ù^K KòQò KjòaûKê @Qòö
Your support helped the team on to victory. (to encourage someone or
something) @û_Yu ic[ð^ \kKê RòYòaûùe iûjû~ý Kfûö
Your support helped the team undoubtedly on to victory. ^òüiù¦j bûaùe
@û_Yu iûjû~ý UòcþKê aòRd jûif Keòaûùe iûjû~ý Kfûö
The police kept after the criminal for a long time. (to continue chasing )
ù_ûfòi \úNð icd]eò @_eû]úKê ùMûWÿûAfû/ ùMûWÿûAaû RûeòeLòfû/ @aýûjZ eLòfûö
The police ‘kept after the criminal. ù_ûfòi @_eû]úKê ùMûWÿûAaû Rûeò
eLòfûö/ùMûWÿûC[ûGö
The criminal was kept after by the police. ù_ûfòi \ßûeû @_eû]úKê ùMûWÿûAaû
RûeòeLûMfûö
Who did the police keep after? ù_ûfòi Kûjû_Qùe ùMûWÿûC[ûG?
Where did the police keep after? ù_ûfòi ùKCñVò ùMûWÿûAfû?
Get your hands off. Zêùc jÉùl_ Keòaû a¦Ke/ Zêùc (G[ôùe) cêŠ ùLkû@ ^ûjóö
The police at last caught the young jewel thief and led him away. ù_ûfòi
@«Zü e^ô ùPûeòKeò[ôaû ùPûeKê ]eòù^AMfûö
The police led the thief quickly away to the Police Station. ù_ûfòi Lêaþ gúNâ
ùPûeKê [û^ûKê ù^AMfûö
The girl led her little brother to school. Sò@Uò Zû’ bûAKê ÄêfKê aûùUAù^fû/ aûU
KXÿûAù^fûö (to guide something, someone or an animal to a place)
This road leads to Berhampur. Gjò iWÿKUò aâjà_êeKê ~ûAQòö
Who did the girl lead to school? Sò@Uò KûjûKê ÄêfKê aûùUAù^fû?
What (place) does the road lead to? iWÿKUò ùKCñVòKê ~ûAQò?
Her little brother was led to school this morning. Zû’ bûAKê @ûRò iKûùk ÄêfKê
aûùUA\ò@ûMfûö
The girl led her little brother quickly to school. Sò@Uò ^òR UòKò bûAUòKê gúNâ
aò\ýûkdKê aûùUAù^fûö
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This road leads straight to Berhampur. Gjò iWÿKUò iò]ûikL aâjà_êeKê ~ûAQòö
Her little brother whom she led to the school is very clever. (Sò@Uò) Zû’e ù~Cñ
iû^bûAKê ÄêfKê aûùUAù\fû, ùi bû’eò aê¡ò@ûö
A school should not try to lead a child away from him family. (to influence
someone), especially to leave. aò\ýûkd _òfûcû^uê ^òR _eòaûeVûeê \ìùeAù\aû aû LûiþKeò
QûWÿò~òaû _ûAñ _âbûaòZ KeòaûKê ùPÁû Keòaû @^êPòZö
It was raining when I last looked out. (to direct one’s eyes outside) cêñ aûjûeKê
CŠòfûùaùk ahðû ùjC[ôfûö
He turned and left her; but she looked after him with tears in his eyes. (=to watch)
ùi ZûKê QûWÿò ù`eòMùf; Kò«ê ùi Zûu ~òaû aûUKê @gî_ì‰ð ^d^ùe Pûjó ejò[û’«òö
She looked after him / the man ùi Zûu (ùfûKUò) C_ùe flý eLòùf; Zûue / ùfûKUòe
iaêK[û aêSòùf/ \ûdòZß ù^ùfö
She looked sorrowfully after him. ùi aòchð bûaùe Zûu ~òaû aûUKê Pûjóùfö
You must make up the time that you have wasted.(to repay a loss of money or
time) Zêùc ^Á Keò[ôaû icde KûcKê Zêùc beYû KeòaûKê _Wÿòaö

You must make up the time. ZêcKê icd _ìeû / beYû KeòaûKê ùjaö

You must make up it. Zêùc GjûKê beYû Keòaû CPòZ/ KeòaûKê aû]ýö
Pass the cake round so that everyone can take a piece.) to hand something round a
group of people.) _òVûUòKê Zêùc icÉuê aêfûA\ò@, ù~còZòKò icùÉ ùi[ôeê LùŠ LùŠ
ù^A_ûeòùaö
We passed a rope round the sunken object to raise it. (to make something go round
something or someone) aêWÿò~ûA[ôaû Rò^òhUòKê C_eKê CVûAaûKê (aûjûe KeòaûKê) @ûùc ZûKê
Pûeò_Uê \CWÿòùe aû§òù\fêö
A rope was passed round the sunken object to raise it. Rò^òhUòKê C_eKê CVûAaûKê (aûjûe
KeòaûKê) ZûKê Pûeò_Uê \CWÿòùe aû§ò\ò@ûMfûö
The dinner guest put down his knife and fork with a look of satisfaction. ùbûR^ _ùe
@Zò[ô Zé¯ I i«êÁ RYû_Wÿê[û’«ò / @Zò[ô LûAiûeò i«êÁ ùjùfö
The police are attempting to put down violence in the city. (to control, defeat, stop
something) ù_ûfòiaûfû ijeùe jòõiû \c^ (_âgcòZ) KeòaûKê ùPÁû KeêQ«òö
The knife and fork which the dinner guest put down are not traceable.
ùbûR^ _ùe @Zò[ô QûWÿò[ôaû K<ûPûcP còkê^ûjóö
Anybody who opposed the king was put to death. eûRûuê aòùeû] Keò[ôaû/ Keê[ôaû _âùZýK
aýqòKê cûeò\ò@ûMfûö

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She put a finger suddenly to her lip to signal silence. ^úea ejòaûKê iùuZ ù\aû_ûAñ ùi
jVûZþ ^òR IVùe @ûwêVò ù\ùfö
I can see a bird up the chimney. Pòc^ò bòZùe ùMûUòG _lú [ôaû cêñ ù\Lò_ûeêQòö

We’ve taken on a house in the country for the summer. (to rent a home)
We’ve taken recently on a house. MâúhàKûk KUûAaû _ûAñ @ûùc Mûñùe NeUòG ù^AQêö

I took the old man carefully over the busy road. (to cross something such as water
or road) aêXÿûùfûKUòKê cêñ iZKðZûe ijòZ bòWÿ fûMò[ôaû iWÿK _ûeò KeûAù\fòö

The director himself will take the visitors over the factory. (to show some one
round a place). @ûM«êKcû^u ^òùŸðgK ^òùR KûeLû^û aêfûA ù\LûAùaö

The two brothers are so much alike that their own mother can hardly tell them
apart. \êAbûA _eÆe ù\LòaûKê GùZ ùck Lû’«ò ù~ ùicû^u ^òR cû@ûaò ùicû^uê @fMû @fMû
PòjÜò_ûe«ò^òö
His frequent lateness will tell against him when promotions are being decided. (to
be recorded as unfavourable) aòk´ùe @ûiòaû @býûi _ù\û^ÜZò ùaùk Zûu _ûAñ _âZòKìk
_eòiÚòZò iéÁòKeòa (Zûu aò_lùe ~òa)ö
I depend on my father. cêñ ùcû aû_ûu C_ùe ^òbðegúkö

My father on whom I depend is a writer. cêñ ^òbðe Keê[ôaû ùcû aû_û RùY ùfLKö

I depend entirely on my father. cêñ ùcû aû_ûu C_ùe iµì‰ð eìù_ ^òbðegúkö

Who do I depend on? cêñ Kûjû C_ùe ^òbðe Kùe?

Self-check Exercise: 4
A. Give the Odia equivalents for the following idiom:
1. To rub salt on the green wound. ___________________________________________________________________________
2. To shoot in the dark. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Too much of anything is good for nothing. ___________________________________________________________
B. Translate into Odia:
1. Anyone who opposes the minister will be dealt with severely.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Anyone who opposes the king will be put to death. _______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The meeting was put off indefinitely. ___________________________________________________________________

4. They abide by the rule. _____________________________________________________________________________________
5. The employee accounted for the mistake. ____________________________________________________________
6. They have decided on fighting out the evil in the country. _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Let us go back to what the Chairman was saying’. ________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.5 Understanding Idioms and Proverbs by Their Socio-cultural Roots

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Idioms specific to a particular society

Proverbs are also idiomatic in nature because of their invariableness and because
their meaning cannot always be predicted from their constituents. But in some
respects they vary from other idiomatic expressions such as idioms proper, e.g. ‘a
kettle of fish.’ Some proverbs are full sentences or are sentence-like structures
where the verb ‘be’ is ‘understood’. ‘Too much courtesy, too much craft’ is one
such example where the be-verb ‘is’ is understand. Most proverbs cast light on the
socio-cultural aspects of the people who use them and have their origin in that
society. In this sense they are culture-bound and socio-cultural in nature. For
example the Odia proverb:

ଅତି େଲାଭରୁ ତ ି ମେର (The weaver dies from too much of greed. Too much
greed breeds misfortune.)
This idiom has its origin in a legend of the Indian society while ‘To carry
coal to Newcastle’ has its origin in Great Britain.

In order to properly understand such proverbs one should know their socio-cultural
origin. The socio-cultural origin of ‘ଅତି େଲାଭରୁ ତ ି ମେର’ can be traced to an Indian
legend teaching morality and wisdom: God offered a boon to a weaver. He asked
for a second head and a second pair of hands so that he could weave two pieces of
cloth simultaneously. He thought that this would make him rich very soon. God
blessed him with the boon. Having acquired the additional limbs, he started for
home. Some people saw him on the way and instantly killed him thinking him to be
a demon. This anecdote (short entertaining story or hearsay) implies that greed or
foolish use of an opportunity may be very harmful.

Similarly, to understand the implication of ‘To carry coal to Newcastle’ the learner/
translator has to know that Newcastle in Great Britain is abundant with coal, and to
carry coal to that place would be foolish, ludicrous and a mere waste of time,
energy and money.

Universal Idioms

Some proverbs, on the other hand are partly culture-bound and we find them used
in many countries. For example, proverbs like ‘A barking dog seldom bites’
(ଭୁକିଲାକୁ କୁର କାମୁùWÿ ନାହ), ‘To err is human, to forgive is divine’, and ‘Man is mortal’
(cYòh Rúa^ lYbwêe, R^àùe céZêý ]îa) are not culture-bound and are universal in
nature. Their use or association is not confined to a certain country or countries
alone.

Most of the proverbs are like sermons and they contain in them the wisdom of past
ages. They embody in themselves truth and experience of the innumerable
generations of humanity.
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Odia is rich in proverbs. Some of its proverbs have their formal and conceptual
counterparts in English as ‘A barking dog seldom bites’ has one (bêKòfû KêKêe KûcêùWÿ
^ûjó); but most of them are conceptually equivalent to their English counterparts :
‘To carry coal to Newcastle’ is conceptually almost the same as ‘େତଲି ଆ
ମୁ େର େତଲ.’

Unique Idioms and Proverbs

Further, there are some proverbs in Odia which do not seem to have either formal
or conceptual equivalents in English:

‘େଗାଦରା େକାùWÿ େଯେତ ମାùWÿ େସେତ’ in English means: whatever quantity of

clay that an elephantiasis affected person digs (with a spade), presses it down
under his feet; and therefore all his labour is lost. This proverb is used when some
hard work done by a person is wasted unwittingly (@RûYZùe) or unwisely.

18.5.1 Understanding by Contrastive Consideration of Idiomatic Expressions

Containing Postpositions / Prepositions in English and Odia:
Prepositions in English proverbs do not pose any special problem for Odia speaking
students and most other non-native speakers of English because they behave the
same way as in non-idiomatic sentences. For example prepositions such as ‘in’,
‘on’, ‘at’, ‘about’, ‘after’, ‘under’, ‘behind’, ‘into’, etc. do not play any different
roles in proverbs (which are idiomatic) and non-idiomatic expressions. For example
‘in’ in ‘Rome was not built in a day’ is not different from the ‘in’ in ‘The work can
be done in a day’, But problems arise where the conventional use of the
postposition (Odia has no preposition) in Odia varies from the conventional use of
prepositions in English. A sentence in Odia and its counterpart in English can
illustrate this:

He is angry with me: େସ େମା ଉପେର ରାଗିଛ ି

The conventional preposition ‘with’ that collocates with ‘being angry’ in Odia is
‘on.’ Odia speaking English learners, like most Indians, are carried away by the
habit of their mother tongues and consequently go wrong in the use of the English
preposition and most of them tend to write and speak ‘He is angry / annoyed on /
upon me.’

In Odia the equivalents of idiomatic phrasal verbs such as ‘put on’ (wear) ‘look
into’ (investigate) do not exist and the Odia speaking translators tend to interpret
their meaning by taking into account the verb, and the preposition that follows and
consequently go wrong.

18.5.2 Understanding by considering the Literal and Metaphorical Meanings:

The nature of the postposition in Odia and preposition in English proverbs shows
that postpositions or prepositions are not responsible for the idiomaticity of the
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proverbs; proverbs tend to be idiomatic because of their fixed form and
socio-cultural associations.

Guessing the meaning of idiomatic expressions is most likely to go wrong even in a

given context. Our students are already familiar with the meaning and use of many
proverbs in their mother tongue. You have to simply know the English equivalent
proverbs and idioms. However, all complex verbs and proverbs in English do not
have their equivalents in Odia. In such cases the idiomatic expressions may be
understood through explanation and contextualization. Some idiomatic expressions
are derogatory in implication and not fit for polite use. One should know the
appropriate context of their use.
(a) Let us consider a few tips for learning complex verbs some of which can be
used in their literal sense along with their idiomatic sense.
‘Incline to’: Let us consider both of its uses, literal and idiomatic. If we
begin explaining this phrase first in its literal sense and then the idiomatic
meaning, we can perceive the meanings and usage more effectively. The
meaning of ’incline’ as a verb is ‘to bend, lean or slope towards something’.
Now let us consider its meaning in this sentence:
Be careful round the corner of such a road where it inclines steadily to the right.

Now we can frame a sentence using ‘incline to’ idiomatically:

My experience inclines me to the view that all people are not to be trusted.

We can guess the meaning of the verbal phrase here and understand the
suitable Odia equivalent of the English complex-verb: Xkòaû.

(b) All complex-verbs do not have an idiomatic meaning along with a literal
meaning. ‘Inculcate in’ for example has idiomatic meaning only. In such a
case its meaning may be explained by using it in a sentence:
Inculcate in: to fix (an idea) by forceful teaching in some one. E.g.:
We should inculcate good manners in our children.
‘Insist on’ is a complex verb that has more than one idiomatic meaning.
Insist on or ‘upon’:
1. to declare something firmly: Throughout the trial, the prisoner insisted
on his lack of guilt.
2. to urge, strongly demand: I must insist on paying my share of the mean.
Another complex verb is ‘live on’: It has at least two literal meanings and
two idiomatic meanings. We can get all the four meanings with suitable
example as this is used in our day to day life.
Literal meaning:
1. to have one’s home as (aûi Keòaû): Some Chinese live on boats.

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 2. to eat (Lû\ý _\û[ð): Cows mostly live on grass, husk and straw.

Idiomatic use: to live at the cost of someone else (^òbðeKeò a*òaû): He has
been living on his sister for nearly a year; it is not fair when he is able to
work.
Consider the complex verb ‘look after’: It can be used idiomatically as well
as literally.
Literal meaning: to watch (someone or something) usually from the
back as he/ it moves away): He turned and left her; but she looked after him
with tears in her eyes.
Idiomatic use: to take care of, take the responsibility for (someone or
something): Sarita looks after the children when their mother goes out to work.
(c) English proverbs such as ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’, ‘A bad
workman quarrels with his tools’, ‘To add insult to injury’, ‘People / those
who live in glass houses should not throw stones’ can be understood in the
following way:
‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’.
Many people who go to foreign countries feel uncomfortable due to the
different culture, custom, manners and food habits. We should adapt
ourselves to these new surroundings. This consideration will remind us the
Odia equivalent, ‘ù~ ù\ùg ~ûA ùi `k LûAö’

A bad workman quarrels with his tools.

A bad workman does not hold himself responsible for his inefficient work;
rather his tools; by saying that the tools are not of good quality etc.
Similarly some people who are not good at something do not admit their
deficiency and blame some others or something, instead of trying to
improve their own skill. This reminds us the Odia equivalent of the
proverbs: ‘କାଟି ନ ଜାଣିେଲ କଟୁ ରୀ େଦାଷ’ and ‘ନାଚି ନଜାଣିେଲ ଅଗଣା େଦାଷ’. A person
who does not know how to dance properly finds fault with the courtyard.
To add insult to injury.
This proverb means causing offence to someone after one has already
harmed to him in some other way: When she arrived he said that he wished
she had never come, and then added insult to injury by not speaking to her.
This considereation will remind us the Odia proverb: ‘KUû Nû@ûùe Pì^ ù\aû’,
i.e, to apply lime to an open wound.
People /those who live in glass houses should not throw stones:
If a person living in a glass house throws stones at others, there may be
retaliation resulting in the breaking down of their own glass house.
Similarly, if a person who commits vices him selves, makes allegations

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 against others, it is sure that others will retaliate in the same way that could
harm him selves as well. So such people should practise constraint in their
behaviour towards others. This consideration will remind the translator the
Odia proverb: ‘ଚାଲୁ ଣୀ କହୁ ଛ ି ଛୁ ,କ
ି ି େତା ଦିହେର େଗାେଟ କଣା.The sieve is telling the
needle that it (the latter) has a hole in its body, although it has hundreds of
holes in its own body. The Odia equivalent is satirical in nature.

Too much of familiarity breeds contempt: ଅତି ପରିଚେୟ େଗୗରବ ନ

Literary meaning: Because of too much of familiarity with somebody

prestige is lost.
Metaphorical meaning: Let us not lose prestige by being too friendly with
somebody.

Necessity knows no laws: ଆତୁ େର ନିୟମ ନା ି

Literal meaning: No laws need be observed when a situation so demands; i.e., they
should not be literally observed in all circumstances.
Metaphorical meaning: Laws need be violated when a situation so demands. They
should not be literally observed in all circumstances.

To carry coal to Newcastle: େତଲି ଆ ମୁ େର େତଲ

Literal meaning: There is no necessity of pouring oil on the oil-drenched head as

there is already plenty of oil.
Metaphorical meaning: If somebody has enough of something there is no necessity
of giving him that very thing anymore. It is unnecessary and ridiculous.

This proverb is usually used when more of favours are bestowed on people who are
already much favoured while the have-nots (with no ‘oil on head’) are ignored.
New castle is famous for coal extraction. It is unnecessary, ridiculous and foolish to
carry coal to that place for any purpose.

Morning shows the day or Face is the index of mind

Odia equivalent: Zêkiú \êA _Zâeê aûùi or ବିଛୁଆତି ଦୁ ଇ ପ0ରୁ କୁ ାଇ ହୁ ଏ
Tulasi (Basil plant) smells well even when it is as small as having only two leaves
while the nettle causes severe itching sensation at that smallest stage on contact.
The Basil plant proverb is used when promise of goodness is marked in a small
child and it is thought that this goodness would grow with the growth of the child.
On the other hand, a person uses the ‘Nettle’ proverb when he notices wickedness
in a child and thinks that this wickedness will continue to be there in the child or
will increase with the latter’s growth. In short, these two proverbs are used as
prediction regarding the quality that a child will have in future.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do: େଯ େଦେଶ ଯାଇ େସ ଫଳ ଖାଇ

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One should eat the fruits of the country to which one goes. Metaphorically it means
that we should adapt to the circumstances in a new setting or environment.

Something is better than nothing: ନାହ ମାମୁଠାରୁ କଣା ମାମୁ ଭଲ

In Indian context, in general, and in Odia context, in particular, the maternal uncle
is a source of great help (material and otherwise) to his nephew and niece. In such a
case a physically handicapped maternal uncle will naturally be preferable to ‘no
uncle’ situation. To feel the native touch of such proverbs one need understand the
social set-up related to it.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.’ Or,’ The Kettle
calls the pot black.: ଚାଲୁ ଣି କହୁ ଛ ି ଛୁ ,କ
ି ୁ େତା ଦିହେର େଗାେଟ କଣା
In spite of having hundreds of holes itself, the sieve is telling the needle that the
latter has a hole in its body. This implies that a person who has several vices him
selves, should not point fingers (try to defame) at others.

One cannot clap with only one hand: ଏକ ହାତେର ତାଳି ବାେଜ ନାହ
This implies that it takes two persons to make a quarrel.

‘To beat about the bush’ or ‘To shoot in the dark’: ଅ5ାରେର ବାଡି ବୁ ଲାଇବା The Odia
proverb means ‘To dangle a stick in the dark’, that implies that someone is trying to
approach a subject without coming to the point.

To count chickens before they are hatched: ଅନାଗତ ଚେଢଇକି େବସର ବଟା

The Odia proverb implies the meaning ‘Preparing spices (by grinding and crushing) for
cooking the meat of a bird which is yet to be hatched out of the egg or which is yet to
be caught and brought home. The metaphorical meaning is ‘unnecessary planning for
something that has not been realized yet’.

Muddy water suits the crabs well: କ8ଡାକୁ େଗାଳି ପାଣି ସୁହାଏ

The crab can prey well in muddy water as its prey cannot see it and it remains
invisible to its predators such as birds. This proverb is used when a person takes an
undue advantage of a mishap or troublesome situation. For example, black
marketers and hoarders making huge profits during war and natural calamities. This
proverb is applicable in such situations.

If a creature lives in water it should not quarrel with the crocodile.

ପାଣିେର ରହି କୁ ୀର ସେ9 ବିବାଦ
The crocodile is much more powerful in water than on land. So it is dangerous to
quarrel with it there. This proverb implies the meaning ‘Do not quarrel with the
mighty in the latter’s favourable locality’.
େଢ8ି :ଗକୁ ଗେଲବି ଧାନ କୁ େଟ : Even if the paddy-pounder (paddy thrashing/
pounding machine) goes to heaven, it will have to pound paddy there (to extract

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rice). This proverb is used to refer to the constant nature of work that is not bettered
by changing one place for another, however better the second place may be.

Money is the root of all evil. : ଅଥ ଅନଥର କାରଣ

One slip does not end misery.: ଏକ ମାଘେର gúZ ଯାଏ ନାହ

Even if Magha (the cold month: December-January) comes to an end, it does not
drive away cold from earth permanently: it recurs year after year. The metaphorical
meaning is that ‘One’s misery may end temporarily but not for all times to come’.

Set a thief to catch a thief: କ>ାେର କ>ା କାଢିବû

Take out the thorn that has pierced your flesh with the help of another thorn.
Metaphorically it means to deal with a troublesome person one has to make use of
another such person against him.

To add insult to injury: କଟା ଘାେର ଚୂ ନ େଦବା

Literally the Odia proverb means ‘to apply lime to an open wound.’ Metaphorically
it means ‘to torture a person who has already suffered a lot’.

Too many cooks spoil the broth: ବହୁ େଲାକେର ମୂଷା ମେର ନାହ

Hunger is the best sauce.: େଭାକ େବେଳ @û´òkû ଆମ@ ସୁଆଦ

‘Ill got, ill spent’. Or ‘Easy come, easy go.’ ପାପ ଧନ AାୟBି ତେର ଯାଏ

A person spends his ill-got money lavishly as he has not experienced the hardship
of earning it.
When you are in Rome do as the Romans do: େଯ େଦେଶ ଯାଇ େସ ଫଳ ଖାଇ

This implies that one should adapt himself to the new circumstances.

Are sweets something unattainable for a king? ରଜାକୁ ଖଜା ଅପୂବ!

Nothing is unattainable be unattainable for those who have money and power.

Self-check Exercise- 5
Translate these idioms and proverbs into Odia:
1. Too much greed breeds misfortune ____________________________________________________________________
2. A barking dog seldom bites _______________________________________________________________________________

3. Man is mortal ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Too much of familiarity breeds contempt____________________________________________________________

5. Necessity knows no laws __________________________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.6 Culture-Specific Terms

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.6.1 What is Culture-Specific:

Man lives in the society in association with other human beings. The concept of
family, God, good and bad things and habits, fear and activities of natural forces
etcetera have given rise to many beliefs, practices and taboos that differs from place
to place and people to people. Just as they have developed many languages that are
quite different from each other. All these aspects together constitute the culture of a
particular society and the terms used for specific things, practices and beliefs are
termed as culture-specific terms. Since the practices and taboos of one place is quite
different from another, it is most likely that equivalents of the terms used
specifically in one society may not be available in another. This poses a very tough
challenge for the translator to find out synonyms of such terms in the target
language.

Every society has its own practices and culture specific activities. Muslims take out
tazias on Muharram and observe month long fast during Ramzan. Christians too
observe specific rituals on Christmas, Ester, and other occasions. All these terms
like Ramzan, tazia, Muharram, Ester, Christmas etcetera are culture specific and
cannot be translated due to absence of such practices in other societies. Idol
worshippers practice human-like activities for their deities like bathing, brushing
teeth, dressing them with specific costumes on specific occasions and so on and
these activities are denoted by specific localized terms. Such culture-specific terms
are not translated, rather put as they are in the target language while translating
such a text in another language where such practices are not there. A foot note
however is given explaining the term and the practice attached to it in brief.

18.6.2 Taboos and Life-style:

A taboo (also tabu) is a social or religious custom placing prohibition or restriction

on a particular thing or person.

Every society has many such practices based on social practices of the people. For
example: Funerals, Christening ceremony, rituals on birth, appeasing the spirits of
ancestors by offering oblations, observing fasts and specific worships, offering
prayers to deities and so on. Many taboos have crept up in such observances.
Taking food is prohibited in many such rituals. In Odisha, people don’t take non-
veg food on Thursdays and Mondays, the days of worships like Ganesh Chaturthi,
Saraswati Puja, Dussehera etc. Santoshi Mata is worshipped on Fridays when sour
food is totally prohibited. Many taboos are based on blind beliefs; a few examples
may be cited here: It is a sin to clean the floor after evening. One should not move
on if a cat crosses the road while you are moving. You should not cut nails at night.
Metals, especially iron should not be given to anybody after evening. Instruments
kept on the worship place cannot be taken out even if it is necessary to extinguish

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fire that has caught your house. In rural areas, people worship unknown deities to
cure fatal diseases like cholera, chicken pox etc. and think the deity will get
annoyed if they take the patient to the hospital. In remote areas, rustic people cause
burn injuries to babies suffering from disease thinking that the child is under the
spell of some evil spirit.

A translator has to be careful while translating such things. While the practices can
be described in the target language, the associated terms should be kept as they are
in the source language simply in transcript form, of course with a foot note giving
an idea of the custom or taboo.
Self-check Exercise-6
Answer the following questions within 50 words:
1. What do you mean by a culture specific term?
Every human society practices specific rituals and customs and have specific terms
denoting specific acts or objects. These terms are known as culture specific terms.
2. What is a taboo?
A taboo (also tabu) is a social or religious custom placing prohibition or restriction
on a particular thing or person.
3. Give two examples of taboos widely practiced in India.
(a) People stop proceeding ahead when a cat crosses the road in their front.
(b) Instruments kept on the worship place cannot be taken out even if it is
necessary to extinguish fire that has caught your house.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.7 Summing Up
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Idioms and proverbs have their origin in the culture of specific human societies.
We have three types of idioms:
1. Universal: Some idioms are universal in nature and therefore have their
equivalents with the same literal and metaphorical meanings in various
languages of the world. A translator thus is automatically reminded of its
equivalent in the target language.
2. Some idioms and proverbs have only metaphorical equivalents in various
languages having same contextual meanings. A translator should take the
help of his own memory and resources like Idiom thesaurus, dictionary and
friends etc to find out such equivalents in the target language.
3. There are still some other idioms and proverbs, which are specific to a
particular culture having their roots in the legends and scriptures of the
concerned society. A translator has to create his own piece of translated
proverb in the target language or reproduce the text in a plain manner with
its contextual meaning.

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 Before translating idioms and proverbs or culture specific terms, one has to
understand its underlying meaning. A contrastive study and knowledge of the
nature of prepositions, postpositions, verbs and adverbs, complex verbs etc in
the source and target languages helps us in perceiving the meaning of the
idioms and proverbs.

Every society has its own vocabulary based on the specific cultural activities
and life-style of the people. Rituals and taboos give rise to a lot of
culture-specific terms that does not find equivalents in the target language that
is used by another set of people residing at a different distant place. Such
culture specific terms are given in the translated text only in the transcript
original form with a brief foot-note about the contextual meaning in the source
language.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.8 Model Answers to Self-Check Exercises

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Self-check exercise-1
A. Fill in the blanks:
1. Idioms and phrases make a language and its literature more enjoyable and
effective.
2. Idioms and proverbs have historical roots, metaphorical meaning and deep relation
with culture.
3. The concept of some idioms and proverbs are easy to understand; but some of them
elude all our wisdom and knowledge.
4. While trying to translate an idiom, it is very essential that we understand its
contextual meaning correctly.

B. Translat e into Odia: To carry coal to Newcastle: ùZfò@û cêŠùe ùZf ,

Hard up: KûùVA~òaû

C. Give the definition of ‘idiom’ as given by the Webster’s Dictionary.

Webster’s Dictionary defines an ‘idiom’ as an accepted phrase, construction or
expression contrary to the usual patterns of the language or having a meaning
different from the literal.
Self-Check Exercise-2:

A. Fill in the blanks:

1. some of the phrases may be used in a literal context or they may be used
idiomatically.
2. historical explanations of some idioms are given in some dictionaries.
3. The metaphorical meaning of some idioms is easier to understand when one
knows how it developed.
4. When one uses an idiom, some grammatical operations like the formation of
the passive are not possible in all cases.

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B. Give Odia equivalents of the following idioms and proverbs along with their literal
meaning:
kick the bucket: céZêý cêLùe _Wÿòaû, aûfUòKê fûZ cûeòaû; come down with: ùeûMûKâû«
ùjaû, Kûjû ijòZ ZkKê IjäûAaû; Spill the beans: K[û aû ejiý IMûkòaû, aò^þMêWÿòKê aòõQò
ù\aû
C. Translate into Odia:
1. His mother was ill since a month, and finally she gave up the ghost last
night: Zûu cû@û cûùi ùjfû ùacûe [ôùf, ùghùe MZ eûZòùe Zûue _âûYaûdê
CWÿòMfûö

2 I could not go to you because it was raining cats and dogs the whole day:
\ò^ Zcûc cìhkû]ûe ahûð ùjaû ù~ûMêñ cêñ @û_Yu ^òKUKê ~ûA_ûeòfò^òö

3. Mr. Ramesh cannot be involved in such illegal deeds; he is the salt of the
earth: Eùcgaûaê Gbkò ùa@ûA^ MZòaò]ôùe fò¯ ùjûA_ûeòùa^ò; ùi iZýaû\ú jeò½¦âö

Self-Check Exercise-3
A. Give a one-sentence definition of ‘proverb’.
A proverb is a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of
advice.
B. Give one-word substitutionin in English and Odia equivalents of the following:
call up: summon, WKûAaû; leave out: omit, (ùKøYiò K[ûKê)GWÿûAù\aû; look at: see,
@^ûAaû, Pûjóaû, ù\Lòaû; make out: understand, aêSò_ûeòaû; turn on: to start, Pûfê
Keòaû; switch off: to stop, a¦Keòaû; put off: post pone, iÚMòZ ùjaû; turn up:
appear, @ûiòaû;

C. Translate into Odia:

(1) The teacher called up the naughty boy: gòlK \êÁ _òfûUòKê WKûAùf
(2) Rani put up with her husband in spite of the atrocities inflicted upon her:
Zcûc @ZýûPûe iù©ß eûYú Zû’ Êûcúuê ijý Kfûö
(3) I called on my friend in the hospital: cêñ ùcû iûwKê WûqeLû^ûùe ù\Lû Kfòö

Self-check Exercise: 4
A. Give the Odia equivalents for the following idiom:
1. To rub salt on the green wound. KUû Nû@ûùe Pì^ ùaûkòaû
2. To shoot in the dark. @§ûe Nùe aûWÿò aêfûAaû
3. Too much of anything is good for nothing. @Zò ùf´ê Pò_êWÿòùf _òZû
B. Translate into Odia:
1. Anyone who opposes the minister will be dealt with severely. cªúuê aòùeû]
Keê[ôaû ùfûK aòeê¡ùe KWÿû Kû~ðýû^êÂû^ MâjY Keû~òaö

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 2. Anyone who opposes the king will be put to death. eûRûuê aòùeû] Keê[ôaû
ùfûKKê cûeò\ò@û~òa
3. The meeting was put off indefinitely. ibû @^ò½òZ Kûk _ûAñ iÚMòZ ùjfû
4. They abide by the rule. ùicûù^ ^òdc cû^«ò/ cû^ò Pk«ò
5. The employee accounted for the mistake. KcðPûeú ^òR bêf _ûAñ ùK÷`òdZþ ù\ùf/
lZò_ìeY ù\ùf
6. They have decided on fighting the evil in the country. ùicûù^ ù\gùe @^ýûd-
@^úZò aòeê¡ùe fùXÿA KeòaûKê ^ò¿©ò ù^AQ«òö
7. Let us go back to what the Chairman was saying’. @ûùc @¤l cùjû\d Kjò[ôaû
K[ûKê ù`eò~òaûö

Self-check Exercise: 5
Translate these idioms and proverbs into Odia:
1. Too much greed breeds misfortune: ଅତି େଲାଭରୁ ତ ି ମେର

2. A barking dog seldom bites: ଭୁକିଲାକୁ କୁର କାମୁùWÿ ନାହ

3. Man is mortal: cYòh Rúa^ lYbwêe, R^àùe céZêý ]îa

4. Too much of familiarity breeds contempt: ଅତି ପରିଚେୟ େଗୗରବ ନ
5. Necessity knows no laws: ଆତୁ େର ନିୟମ ନା ି
Self-check Exercise-6
Answer the following questions within 50 words:
1. What do you mean by a culture specific term?
Every human society practices specific rituals and customs and have specific terms
denoting specific acts or objects. These terms are known as culture specific terms.
2. What is a taboo?
A taboo (also tabu) is a social or religious custom placing prohibition or restriction
on a particular thing or person.
3. Give two examples of taboos widely practiced in India.
(1) People stop proceeding ahead when a cat crosses the road in their front.
(2) Instruments kept on the worship place cannot be taken out even if it is
necessary to extinguish fire that has caught your house.

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References:
1. Idiomatic Prepositions for Oriya Speaking Learners at the Undergraduate Level – A
Constrastive and Pedagogical Study by Dr. Suresh Kumar Mahapatro, M. Litt., Central
Institute of English & Foreign Languages, Hyderabad – 500 007, June,1985.
2. The Concise Oxford Dictionary. Seventh Edition.
3. Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary. Second unabridged Edition.

Further Reading:
1. Meaning of the English Verb, ISBN-0-582-30531-4 by Geoffrey N. Leech, Longman
Group UK Ltd., Longman House, Burnt Mill, Harlow, Essex CM 202JE, England;
Published by Longman Inc. New York.
2. The English Verb, by Michael Lewis, ISBN-0-906717-40-X
3. A University Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk & Sidney Green Baum (Conscised),
Longman Group Ltd., ISBN-0-582-52280-3
4. A Grammar of Contemporary English. 1972, by R. Quirk.
5. An Intermediate English practice Book by S. Pit Carder, 1960.
6. Interpreting Idioms, 1982, by Estill and Kemper.
7. Introduction to Stratificational Grammar, by David C. Lockwood.
8. Longman Dictionary of English idioms, 1979.
9. Longmans Dictionary of Phrasal Verb, 1983.
10. Outline to Stratificational Grammer by Sydney M. Lamb.
11. Prepositional and Adverbial Particles by J.B. Heaton, 1965.

[Written on the lines of ‘Idiomatic Prepositions for Oriya Speaking Learners at the Undergraduate Level: a Contrastive and
Pedagogical Study’ By Dr. Suresh Mahapatro M.Lit., Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad,
500007, 1985 with the author’s verbal permission.]

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