a-i freca ridichea // A freca ridichea cuiva

[buketturk]

Hi,

Can anyone explain me the meaning of "a-i" in this expression? I think I understood the meaning of expression but i didn't get "a-i"...

Thank you...

 

[farscape]

"a-i" is a contraction from "a + îi" (preposition + personal pronoun).
A freca ridichea cuiva -> to get/be on somebody's case.

 

[buketturk]

Thank you! So what is the simple form of that? "A freca ridichea cuiva" or "a-i freca ridichea" ?

BTW I'm searching for this expression: a-i freca ridichea (cuiva) expr. 1. a bate tare (pe cineva). 2. a critica (pe cineva), a certa aspru (pe cineva).

 

[farscape]

Thank you! So what is the simple form of that? "A freca ridichea cuiva" or "a-i freca ridichea" ?

BTW I'm searching for this expression: a-i freca ridichea (cuiva) expr. 1. a bate tare (pe cineva). 2. a critica (pe cineva), a certa aspru (pe cineva).

The form to use depends a lot on the specifics and context:
Gigel îi freacă ridichea lui Ionel (harshly criticising, mostly for the wrong reasons)
A-i freca ridichea cuiva cere talent -> to get/be on somebody's case requires skill

 

[buketturk]

Gigel îi freacă ridichea lui Ionel (harshly criticising, mostly for the wrong reasons)

I'm talking about that, so. Are they same expressions?

 

[farscape]

I'm talking about that, so. Are they same expressions?

Yes: Gigel is harshly criticising Ionel. It's used for verbal abuse, never heard it used to mean physical abuse.

 

[buketturk]

Okay. But how can we put it in a form like "to..." in Romanian?

 

[farscape]

Okay. But how can we put it in a form like "to..." in Romanian?

A freca ridichea cuiva... thought we've been here before (to get on somebody's case/criticise harshly and perhaps w/o good reason).

 

[buketturk]

thought we've been here before

Yes... But this: "a-i freca ridichea" ?

 

[Zareza]

a (-i) freca ridichea cuiva - (a îi freca ridichea cuiva/lui/ei) = a bate (pe cineva); a-i face (cuiva) greutăți, a critica

a (le) freca ridichea - (a le freca ridichea lor) - several interlocutors

Both expressions mentioned in the thread are valid.

 

[buketturk]

Well, thank you both. Actually I'll write a footnote to a book like this:

* a freca ridichea: An expression romanian that means "to harshly criticising someone".

Is it OK like this you think?

 

[Zareza]

The correct expression must have one of the two: îi or cuiva.

a freca ridichea cuiva or a-i freca ridichea (in the second, the word cuiva (someone) is implied becase of îi (aprox. him/her))

The best would be a-i freca ridichea cuiva (Romanian expression)

I've found some English equivalents:

to tear somebody off a strip / to tear a strip off somebody / to tear strips off somebody (British English, informal)
- to speak angrily to somebody who has done something wrong, criticize severely
- to scold, upbraid, or rebuke someone very severely, as for an error or wrongdoing

to ream somebody out (American English, informal)
- to criticize somebody strongly because they have done something wrong

This expression to be on somebody’s case (informal) implies repetitiveness or insistence
- to criticize somebody all the time

a-i freca ridichea cuiva could only happen once (moderator's note: that is... debatable)

 

[buketturk]

So a-i freca ridichea (cuiva) means (literally) "rubbing (someone's) radish" or "rub (someone) a radish" ? Cause at first, I'll give the literally meaning (like word to word), then I'll explain its utilisation.

 

[Zareza]

to rub someone's radish (radish= his/her back (topside)) - the first meaning is to hit someone (cf. dex.ro)
(not a radish)

 

[buketturk]

Thank you.

 

[farscape]

a-i freca ridichea cuiva could only happen once

Not sure where you got that from, Zareza. This is what we have in the dictionary (one of the entries):

"...(Familiar) A freca (cuiva) ridichea = a) a bate zdravăn (pe cineva). Făt-Frumos privea și creștea carnea pe el de mulțumire, cînd vedea că freacă ridichea becisnicului de zăcaș, după cum i se cuvenea.ISPIRESCU, L. 108; b) a-i face (cuiva) greutăți, mizerii. Vorbeau tare, să audă conservatorii: azi le frecăm ridichea numărul unu! Am adunat documente. PAS, L. I 281. – (...)"

 

[Zareza]

Am comparat:
to be on somebody’s case care implică all the time (to criticize somebody all the time)
și
a-i freca ridichea cuiva care nu sugerează frecvența acțiunii, repetitivitate în timp (doar în spațiu).
Se poate întâmpla și doar o singură dată această acțiune. (This action can only happen once.)

 

[farscape]

A freca - to rub - is a repetitive action 🙂

 

[Zareza]

Categoric.
Am editat.

 

[Zareza]

A freca este o acțiune repetitivă în sine.

Dar: Am frecat cu oțet covorul o oră, l-am lăsat să se usuce și apoi l-am frecat din nou, înseamnă că am frecat covorul de două ori.

Rubbing is a repetitive action in itself.

But: I rubbed the carpet with vinegar for an hour, I let it dry and then I rubbed it again, it means I rubbed the carpet twice.