liškou podšitý
Czech
Etymology
From liška (“fox”) + podšitý (“lined”). In the past animal fur used to be sometimes sown inside coats. At the same time there was a prejudice that some animal characteristics can be transferred to people by touching them. People wearing coats with lined fox fur were expected to have acquired characteristics like cunningness or slyness.[1] Compare Polish tchórzem podszyty.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [lɪʃkou̯ potʃɪtiː]
Idiom
liškou podšitý
- (idiomatic) sly as a fox
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:podšitý
- 1888, Josef Kajetán Tyl, Alchemista:
- „Tys chytrák liškou podšitý!“ odpověděl radní pán, „a rád bysi zákony nadešel, nežli tě samy k soudu popoženou […]“.
- "You are a cunning person, sly as a fox!" answered the town councillor, "and you would like to get round the laws before you get to court because of them […]"
Related terms
- liška podšitá
- čertem podšitý
References
- Machek, Václav (1968), “šíti”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka českého, 2nd edition, Prague: Academia