까다
[gga-da]
to scrape knuckles; to beat, thrash or pound someone
The Flashcard
The original illustrated card, front and back.
Meaning & context
누군가를 때리는 행위를 속되게 이르는 말. 본래의 의미 “까다”는 껍질 따위를 벗긴다는 의미인데, 상대방을 치거나 때려 살 껍질을 벗겨내겠다는 의미를 함축하고 있다.
Ggada’s original meaning is to peel (as in an apple or orange) and has inspired many idioms and slang expressions. Here, it refers to beating someone, as the skin of the knuckles will be bruised or scraped off. Some English equivalents would be to scrap, brawl or rumble; also to “give someone a beat-down” or to “throw down.” Ggada can also mean to speak ill of someone or to turn someone down.
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 30–31. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
남자는 남자답게 산다
English
Boys will be Boys
화석! 너 어제 얻어터졌다며? 누구한테 맞은거야?
HwaSeok! I heard you got punched yesterday. Who hit you?
체대 다니는 애.
A physical education student.
체대? 체대라고 해봐야 별거 아니야. 내가 까줄게. [다음날...]
Physical education? Physical education is nothing. I’ll go ggada for you. [The next day. . . . ]
광성! 얼굴이 왜 그래? 멍이 시퍼렇게 들었네.
KwangSung! What happened to your face? You’re all black and blue.
미안해 화석아. 체대 놈은 역시 다르긴 다르더라. 까러 갔다가 되려 엄청 까였어!
Sorry, HwaSeok. Those physical education bastards are truly different – yeah, they’re different. I went to ggada, but quite the opposite got ggada-ed.
From the book: notes & culture
The Straight Scoop
되려 [doi-ryeo] is provincial dialectic for do-ri-o (도리어), the Korean word for “on the contrary,” though it can be heard in Seoul as well.
Culturally Speaking
A ‘Physical’ Education
Someone majoring in physical education (체대 다니는 애) in Korea is treated differently by both the school and other students. They often act like a kind of mafia in their use of respectful language and their interactions with others in their major. Describing someone as Choidae would be somewhat like describing them as “a rugby player” or “a football player,” but would also have some element of menace due to the solidarity of the group. Choidae students are often treated with deference at the school, given fewer requirements and held to lower standards in class.
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