Aug 20, 2009 09:24
14 yrs ago
Hindi term
भीगी बिल्ली की तरह
Hindi to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Idioms
Greetings,
भीगी बिल्ली की तरह is obviously a description of servility. Here’s the full sentence:
बात यह है न, कि खन्ना जी ख़ुद पंजाबी हैं; और उनके सामने प्रकाश एकदम दब जाते हैं – भीगी बिल्ली की तरह !
Please excuse my ignorance about cats – what is servile about a wet cat, please?
Best wishes,
Simon
भीगी बिल्ली की तरह is obviously a description of servility. Here’s the full sentence:
बात यह है न, कि खन्ना जी ख़ुद पंजाबी हैं; और उनके सामने प्रकाश एकदम दब जाते हैं – भीगी बिल्ली की तरह !
Please excuse my ignorance about cats – what is servile about a wet cat, please?
Best wishes,
Simon
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | Like a whipped dog |
Balasubramaniam L.
|
| 5 +2 | to be very meek and quiet (भीगी बिल्ली बनना) |
Lalit Sati
|
| 4 +1 | As an odd man out/as a wolf in lamb's clothing |
Ramesh Bhatt
|
| 2 | Like a soggy moggy! |
nke
|
Proposed translations
+1
4 mins
Balasubramaniam L.
India
India
Native in Hindi
India
Fast, accurate, elegant translation
Native in: Hindi 
Works in: English to Hindi, Hindi
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
Like a whipped dog
Cats are supposed to not like water. So when a cat is made wet, it feels extremely uncomfortable, sorry for itself and utterly servile.
The corresponding English proverb/idiom is like a whipped dog.
The corresponding English proverb/idiom is like a whipped dog.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "many thanks excellent"
+1
10 mins
Ramesh Bhatt
Nepal
Nepal
Native in English
Nepal
Everyoung Global Intellectual Foundation
Native in: Urdu 
, English
Works in: English to Tibetan, Tibetan to English, English to Nepali, and 18 more.
As an odd man out/as a wolf in lamb's clothing
भीगी बिल्ली is a well known expression, its idiomatic expression in English is "wolf in lamb's clothing"; but this is a negative and disrespectful expression in respect to a person. Hence "odd man out", "in fixes", "in fives and sixes", "uncomfortable" etc., will be the better expressions to use.
+2
15 mins
Lalit Sati
India
India
Native in Hindi
India
M.Sc. | Full-time Freelance Translator
Native in: Hindi
Works in: English to Hindi, Hindi to English, Hindi
to be very meek and quiet (भीगी बिल्ली बनना)
भीगी बिल्ली बनना
-to be very meek and quiet
-to behave in too submissive a manner
(Hindi-English Dictionary, Aliied Publishers, India)
1 day 28 mins
Like a soggy moggy!
This might apply to someone who is in a pitable state unable to stand up for himself, so am not sure if it is as perfect as 'like a whipped dog' idom suggested by Balasubramanium -ji.
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