liška podšitá

Czech
FWOTD – 10 February 2016

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 lined with fox fur were expected to have acquired characteristics like cunningness or slyness.[1][2] Compare Polish tchórzem podszyty.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [lɪʃka potʃɪtaː]

Phrase

liška podšitá

  1. (idiomatic) fox (a cunning person, a person sly as a fox)
    Synonyms: chytrák, liška, lišák, podšívka, všemi mastmi mazaný
    • 1931, Karel Čapek, “Velká pohádka doktorská”, in Devatero pohádek‎:
      „A jejej,“ řekl doktor, který byl filuta, liška podšitá, lišák drbaný, kostelník pálený, kos vykutálený a šibal mazaný, neboť měl za ušima i za lubem, […]
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

References
  1. Machek, Václav (1968) “šíti”, in Etymologický slovník jazyka českého [Etymological Dictionary of the Czech Language], 2nd edition, Prague: Academia
  2. Michal Novotný (2003-05-21). "Liška". Český rozhlas Regina. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
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