Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Hindi term or phrase:
तुम्हारे पूर्वज घास छीला किए !
English translation:
Were your forefathers grass-cutters!
Added to glossary by
SeiTT
Sep 24, 2009 12:19
14 yrs ago
Hindi term
तुम्हारे पूर्वज घास छीला किए !
Hindi to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Idiom (I think)
Greetings,
Is this used as some kind of insult, please? Or is it likely to be just a statement of fact?
Please, what does it mean literally? I think it has something to do with scraping grass, but in what sense can grass be scraped for someone to earn a living?
All the best, and many thanks,
Simon
Is this used as some kind of insult, please? Or is it likely to be just a statement of fact?
Please, what does it mean literally? I think it has something to do with scraping grass, but in what sense can grass be scraped for someone to earn a living?
All the best, and many thanks,
Simon
Proposed translations
(English)
| 5 +4 | Were your forefathers grass-cutters! |
C.M. Rawal
|
Proposed translations
+4
14 hrs
C.M. Rawal
India
India
Native in Hindi
India
Hindi Translator you can bank upon
Native in: Hindi
Works in: English to Hindi, Hindi to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
Were your forefathers grass-cutters!
The literal translation would be 'Were your forefathers grass-cutters!'.
Actually, it is an idiom in Hindi which means a derogatory remark as 'घास खोदना', 'घास काटना' or 'घास छीलना' means to engage oneself in a trifling work.
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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2009-09-25 16:49:21 GMT)
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Yes, primarily they used to get involved in this activity to feed their cattle or to sell it to others for the same purpose, even they could be employed for this purpose. In those primitive days, perhaps there were no lawns to mow. They had vast fields from where they used to cut grass with a sickle sitting under the open sky in scortching heat of the sun. It was really a hard task.
घास उगाने में चूंकि मानवश्रम का निवेश नहीं होता है लिहाजा़ उसे काटने का काम भी निम्न श्रेणी का माना जाता है। इसे करने में किसी कौशल की भी ज़रूरत नहीं होती है, क्योंकि यह उत्पादन से जुड़ा श्रम नहीं है। घास काटनेवाले को घसियारा कहा जाता है। यह बना है घास+कारकः से। घसियारा बनने का क्रम यूं रहा-घासकारकः > घस्सआरक > घसियारा। किसी व्यक्ति के द्वारा फूहड़ तरीके से काम करने पर उसे घसियारा कह कर उलाहना दिया जाता है जिसके पीछे आशय यही रहता है कि उसने कुशलता से काम नहीं किया। जल्दी जल्द, टालू अंदाज में, बेमन से काम निपटाने को घास काटना कहा जाता है। भाव यही है कि जिस तरह घास काटी जाती है, उसी तरह से किया गया काम।
Here is a link to an interesting article in Hindi which tells a lot about the grass.
http://shabdavali.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post_17.html
Actually, it is an idiom in Hindi which means a derogatory remark as 'घास खोदना', 'घास काटना' or 'घास छीलना' means to engage oneself in a trifling work.
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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2009-09-25 16:49:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Yes, primarily they used to get involved in this activity to feed their cattle or to sell it to others for the same purpose, even they could be employed for this purpose. In those primitive days, perhaps there were no lawns to mow. They had vast fields from where they used to cut grass with a sickle sitting under the open sky in scortching heat of the sun. It was really a hard task.
घास उगाने में चूंकि मानवश्रम का निवेश नहीं होता है लिहाजा़ उसे काटने का काम भी निम्न श्रेणी का माना जाता है। इसे करने में किसी कौशल की भी ज़रूरत नहीं होती है, क्योंकि यह उत्पादन से जुड़ा श्रम नहीं है। घास काटनेवाले को घसियारा कहा जाता है। यह बना है घास+कारकः से। घसियारा बनने का क्रम यूं रहा-घासकारकः > घस्सआरक > घसियारा। किसी व्यक्ति के द्वारा फूहड़ तरीके से काम करने पर उसे घसियारा कह कर उलाहना दिया जाता है जिसके पीछे आशय यही रहता है कि उसने कुशलता से काम नहीं किया। जल्दी जल्द, टालू अंदाज में, बेमन से काम निपटाने को घास काटना कहा जाता है। भाव यही है कि जिस तरह घास काटी जाती है, उसी तरह से किया गया काम।
Here is a link to an interesting article in Hindi which tells a lot about the grass.
http://shabdavali.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post_17.html
Note from asker:
| Many thanks - so would they have been cutting grass as in mowing a lawn to make the grass neat or would they have been selling the grass? |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "many thanks, truly scholary"
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