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Hindi to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Idiom (I think) | | Hindi term or phrase: तुम्हारे पूर्वज घास छीला किए ! | 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 |
| SeiTTKudoZ activityQuestions: 2859 ( 2 open) ( 5 closed without grading) Answers: 1
United Kingdom
| Local time: 03:19
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| | Were your forefathers grass-cutters! | Explanation:
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 |
| Selected response from:
  cmrawal
Local time: 07:49
| Grading comment many thanks, truly scholary
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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14 hrs confidence:  peer agreement (net): +4 Were your forefathers grass-cutters!
Explanation:
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
| cmrawal
Local time: 07:49
Native speaker of:  Hindi
PRO pts in category: 4
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| | Grading comment | many thanks, truly scholary |
| Notes to answerer
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?
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The translation workplace 
