The word "testy" comes from the Old French word "testu," which is derived from "teste," which means "head."

In English, "testy" first meant "aggressive" or "contentious," but then acquired the new meaning of "irritable." In this sense, one becomes testy when a source of irritation begins to act and push the person towards a state of nervousness. If the irritation is continued, it may lead to an outburst.

"Fuming," on the other hand, is a figurative way of describing someone who is so burning with rage, in the manner of speaking, that you can almost see or smell the fumes coming out. Think of the person as boiling over with indignation. That is why I like Sami's sugestions, as they all point to heat and burning.

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Note added at 2003-01-08 12:19:09 (GMT)
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In addition to Sami\'s suggestion اسـتشاط غضباً , I am familir with a similar-sounding expression that may also be appropiate her:

اسـتشاظ غضباً أو شاظ به الغضب

The expression comes from the word شواظ which is defined by Al-Munjid as

لهب لا دخان فيه أو حر النار أو الشمس او شده الغلة

So the expression مستشيظ غضباً may also fit your sentence because it likewise expresses the general theme of heat and burning.

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Note added at 2003-01-09 23:48:20 (GMT)
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Dear Amer,

My note about the choice to use either a verb or an adjective is not related to the English sentence. I was merely referring to the choices you have in phrasing your Arabic translation. You can cast it in a variety of forms, regardless of how the English sentence was constructed. For instance, you can say:

سفير مؤدب، وإن كان يغلي حنقاً

سفيرمؤدب، وإن كان مسـتشيظاً غضباً

سـفير مؤدب، وإن كان احتراقه من الغيظ غير خافٍ

سـفير مؤدب، وإن كانت تفوح منه رائحة الغضب

سـفير مؤدب، وإن كان دخان حنقه متصاعداً

الخ

. الحنق هو اشتداد الغيظ والغضب

Fuming is usually rendered as يرغي ويزبد or ثارت ثائرته and as Sami suggests استشاط غضباً. The last one has a redundant element because (استشاط على فلان)means: اشتد غضبه عليه.

ولا يستشيط المرء إلا غضباً. At any rate, here's another alternative.

الحنق هو شدة الغيظ والغضب

Cheers
Ali



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Note added at 2003-01-10 09:24:27 (GMT)
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Amer --

The \"but\" is a rhetorical contrastive device in English that does not work well when translated verbatim into Arabic as suggested. The contrast works better in Arabic by abutting the stative adjective and the active adjectival verbal phrase asyndetically like so:

سفير مؤدب يستشيط غضباً.

instead of :

سفير مؤدب ولكنه يستشيط غضباً.

In the latter you have two problems: (1) faulty syntactic parallelism (that is there is no parallel structure) and following on from that (2) faulty contrast between stative and active conditions.

If you wish, you may express the contrast syndetically by using another device (بل), but you have to maintain the parallel construction and the type of adjectrival condition (stative + stative as in 1 or active + active as in 2).

(1) سفير مؤدب بل حانق.

(2) سفير يتحلى بالأدب ولكنه يستشيط غضباً

to give you the same rhetorical effect.

Cheers
Ali














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Note added at 2003-01-10 10:01:56 (GMT)
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Amer --

The \"but\" is a rhetorical contrastive device in English that does not work well when translated verbatim into Arabic as suggested. The contrast works better in Arabic by abutting the stative adjective and the active adjectival verbal phrase asyndetically like so:

سفير مؤدب يستشيط غضباً.

instead of :

سفير مؤدب ولكنه يستشيط غضباً.

In the latter you have two problems: (1) faulty syntactic parallelism (that is there is no parallel structure) and following on from that (2) faulty contrast between stative and active conditions.

If you wish, you may express the contrast syndetically by using another device (بل), but you have to maintain the parallel construction and the type of adjectrival condition (stative + stative as in 1 or active + active as in 2).

(1) سفير مؤدب بل حانق.

(2) سفير يتحلى بالأدب ولكنه يستشيط غضباً

to give you the same rhetorical effect.

Cheers
Ali

مصطلح يطلق على الشخص الشديد الغضب وكان الدخان يتصاعد منه نتيجة شدة هياجه