눈탱이가 밤탱이 되다
[noon-taeng-i-ga bam-taeng-i dwe-da]
get a black eye; have a shiner
The Flashcard
The original illustrated card, front and back.
Meaning & context
문자 그대로의 의미는 눈이 밤처럼 되다라는 뜻이다. 밤과 같이 진한 갈색(또는 구워졌을 때의 검정색)을 띄고 있으며, 의미는 눈에 멍이 들다라는 뜻이다. 한국인들은 리듬감 있는 이 표현을 좋아한다.
Literally “your eyeballs have become chestnuts.” As chestnuts are dark brown (or black when roasted), the meaning of noon-taeng-i-ga bam-taeng-i dwe-da is to get a black eye. Koreans like this expression for its rhythm.
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 74–75. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
남자는 남자답게 산다 2
English
Boys will be Boys 2
그 체대애랑의 싸움은 어떻게 된거지? 우리가 무엇 때문에 그렇게 눈탱이가 밤탱이 된거야?
So what was this fight with the Phys Ed student over anyway? What was so important that we both got noontaengiga bamtaengi?
그건 모두 밤색 머리 여자때문이야.
It’s all over a girl with chestnut hair.
이게 모두 그 영계때문이라고? 음, 그렇게 가치있는 애구나.
All this over a chick!? Well, she had better be worth it.
야 늑대, 그 여자애한테 가까이 가면 다른 눈탱이도 밤탱이가 될거야.
Hey wolf, you go near her and your other noontaengiga bamtaengi dwelkoya.
From the book: notes & culture
The Over Box
A Maniac, Monger, Freak or Fiend
The Endings – ~쟁이, ~탱이, ~생이, ~돌이, ~꾸러기 Stemming from a jang-i (쟁이) or a specialist, these suffixes are used to describe a particular trait or habit, often to suggest that they do something way too much, and used in a somewhat disparaging way, to mock or belittle as a fanatic or an addict.
•고집쟁이 [go-jib-jaeng-i] a stubborn, obstinate, hardheaded individual.
•담탱이 [dam-taeng-i] a homeroom teacher, similar to calling someone “teach.”
•멋쟁이 [meot-jaeng-i] a person who always looks cool, a classy dresser.
•못땡이 [mot-ddaeng-i] someone who consistently does poorly (or doesn’t do what he/she should at any given time.
•심술쟁이 [shim-sul-jaeng-i] an ill-natured person, a crank, constantly cross
•욕심쟁이 [yok-shim-jaeng-i] a greedy, rapacious, or materialistic person, a greed head
•잠탱이 [jam-taeng-i] a heavy-eyed person asleep on their feet, a sleepyhead.
•점쟁이 [jeom-jaeng-i] a palm-reading, crystal gazer; a fortune-telling psychic, seer or southsayer.
•짠돌이 [jjan-dol-i] a miser, a skinflint, a penny-pinching tightwad.
•쫌생이 [jjom-saeng-i] a narrow-minded person, from jom, [좀] a person that slowly destroys from within, like a bookworm or clothes moth. As with someone who buys a coffee for a friend and then says: “Who am I, I’m the one who bought coffee yesterday.” Similar expressions: 쫀쫀하다 [jjon-jjon-ha-da], 쪼잔하다 [jjo-jan-ha-da]
The Straight Scoop
늑대 [neuk-dae] literally a wolf and similar to the English “a shark,” for a man always trying to pick up women. Happy hunting, fellas. Woop, woop, wooooo!
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As Much as a Rat’s Tail
Illustrated Korean, bilingual conversations, and the stories behind the expressions. Read here, then keep the complete book close.
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