눈깔이 삐었다
[noon-ggal-i bbi-ot-da]
are your eyes sprained?; ya fuckin’ blind?!
Meaning & context
보통 동물들의 눈을 일컫는 단어 ‘눈깔’과 발목이 접지르다와 같은 경우에 쓰이는 단어 ‘삐 다’가 결합된 말. 평범하지 않은 괴상한 취향이나 안목을 가진 사람에게 주로 사용한다.
Here, the word for eyes (noonggal) is one usually used for animals, indicating a lower form of language, and is combined with the word for sprain, wrench, or twist (bbiotda). This gives the impression of one who is without discernment or can’t distinguish between pretty and ugly (read - beer goggles) with regard to a girl or boy, a car, a friend, etc.
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 72–73. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
초록 눈의 동양인
English
Green Eyed Asian
그만 쳐다봐... 너무 무서워!
Stop looking at me. . . You’re scaring me!
왜? 내가 너무 예뻐?
Why? I look too pretty?
넌 그럼 싸이보그가 예뻐? 그놈의 컬러렌즈 좀 빼라.
If you think a cyborg is pretty! Take those things off.
나 이거 방금 산건데... 나 신비롭게 보이지 않아?
I just bought these lenses. Don’t they make me look mysterious?
넌 눈만 나쁜게 아니라 눈깔까지 삐었구나.
Not only are your eyes bad, but your noonggali bbiotda too.
나 라식도 해야할지 몰라... 그리고 쌍꺼풀도.
Maybe I should get LASIK. . . and ssankapul.
니나니노!
Nina nino!
From the book: notes & culture
The Straight Scoop
쌍커풀 [ssang-ka-pul] literally meaning eyelids, this is used to describe a plastic surgical procedure to reproduce the fold in eyelids common to Westerners.
니나니노 [ni-na-ni-no] has no literal meaning. Rather, if the letters are combined, ni (니) combined with na (나) and ni (니) combined with no (노) in a top and bottom configuration, it reveals the word babo (fool) (바보). 글자 그대로는, 아무 의 미도 없다. 단지, 글자 니와 나 그리고 글자 니와 노를 위 아래로 배치하면 단어 바보를 나타내게 된다.
Culturally Speaking
What the Fuck… Let’s Nip and Tuck!
Plastic surgery, literally “form shaping surgery,” is common and widely accepted in Korea, especially the eyes, nose, and cheekbones (more facial restructuring than the nip and tuck typical in the West). Due to flatter noses than caucasians, Koreans often choose to enlarge theirs. As such, “that’s some honker,” which would be an insult in the West, is a compliment in Korea.
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