새되다
[sae-doe-da]
to be made a fool of; put in an awkward position
The Flashcard
The original illustrated card, front and back.
Meaning & context
글자 그대로, 새가 되다. 일어나지않을 일을 기대하고 기다리는등의 어리석은 행동을 한 것. 이와 관련있는 영어표현은 다음과 같다. “여기 황무지에서 우리는 새처럼 앉아있다...”
Literally “to become a bird.” This relates to feeling foolish when doing something absurd or awkward like waiting for someone who is not coming or something that is just not going to happen. This vaguely correlates to the English expression: “Here we sit like birds in the wilderness . . .”
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 146–147. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
정신나간 새
English
Loony Bird
너 아름이한테 또 전화하는거야? 너 그러다가 새된다.
Are you calling Arum again? You’re saedoeda.
나 이미 새됐어. 이번 전화 안받으면, 황무지의 새처럼 여기서 영원히 앉아 기다릴거야.
I’m already saedoeda. Now if she doesn’t answer, I’ll sit here forever like a bird in the wilderness.
뭐? 그냥 아름이는 잊어버리고 떠나.
What? Forget about her and move on.
절대. 창현이가 말한 것 처럼. “나는 야생동물이 스스로 불쌍하다고 여기는건 본 적 없다. 새는 나무에서 떨어져 얼어죽을 때도 스스로 불쌍하다 여기지 않지.” 아름이도 야생이고, 아름이는 꼭 올거야.
Never. Like ChangHyun told us. “I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A bird will fall frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.” She’s a wild thing too, and she’ll come.
넌 그냥 새가 아니야, 정신나간 새지.
You’re not just a bird, you’re a loony bird.
From the book: notes & culture
Korean
Superstitions
Myth, Legend and Delusionary Illusions
•비오는 날에는 회를 먹지마라. [bi-o-neun nal-oe-neun hui-reul meok-ji-ma-ra] If you eat sushi on a rainy day, you will get a stomachache.
•시험보기 전 날 미역국 먹으면 시험에서 떨어진다. [si-heom-bo-gi jeon nal miyeok-gug meok-eu-myeon si-heom-oe-seo ddeor-eo-jin-da] If you eat miyokguk the day before a test, you will fail – it is slippery soup, and so you will slip and fall. (Korean slang for failing a test is to fall off.)
•시험보기 전 날 엿을 먹으면 시험에 붙는다. [si-heom-bo-gi jeon nal yeot-eul meok-eu-myeon si-heom-ae but-neun-da] If you eat yot (엿) the day before a test, you will succeed – it is sticky, and so you will pass . . . because you won’t slip and fall.
•동짓날에는 팥죽을 먹어야한다. [dong-jit-nal-oe-neun pat-juk-eul meok-eo-ya-han-da] You should eat red bean soup on the Winter Solstice (Traditionally, Koreans thought that sprinkling red bean soup on the ground will ward off goblins), and for some, dog soup or young chicken with ginseng soup on the Summer Solstice (purely for good health, of course).
•감옥에서 나오면 두부를 먹어야한다. [gam-ok-oe-seo na-o-myeon du-bu-reul meok-eo-ya-han-da] When you get out of prison, you need to have a tofu party. (The white tofu signifies purity)
•빨간 글씨로 이름을 쓰면 죽는다. [bbal-gan geul-ssi-ro i-rum-eul sseu-myeon juk-neun-da] Write your name in red, and you will die. (In Korean ancestral rites, the name of the dead person is written on a piece of paper in red.)
•돼지 꿈을 꾸면 돈이 들어온다. [due-ji ggum-eul ggu-myeon don-i deur-eo-on-da] If you dream about a pig, you will have luck with money.
•도둑질하고 그 집에 똥싸면 안 들킨다. [do-dok-jil-ha-go geu jib-ae ddong-ssa-myeon an deul-kin-da] If a thief poops at the house he steals from, he cannot be caught.
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