Imagine
being
darkcomplexioned, as many of us
are. Here are some of the
English words or expressions
still in use today, which employ
the word ‘black’ to convey an
undesirable
characteristic:
Black spot, black day, black
market, blackmail and black
magic. (Most of them would
have their equivalent in other
languages.)
To
insult
and
humiliate
someone, one blackens his or
her face. To smear or malign
someone is to “blacken one’s name or reputation”. A black day
in history is one that is covered in shame or ignominy, but a
red-letter day is a glorious one.
The words red, white and green connote a positive aspect. One
is “red-faced” from embarrassment and shame or “green with
envy”. A brazen lie which can be seen through is a “white lie”. To
whitewash something is to cleanse or conceal it.
Then we have this curious tendency to use euphemisms instead
of the actual words. Thus, new words are constantly and
disingenuously coined to describe the humble ‘toilet’ in English:
WC (water closet), lavatory, bathroom, men’s (or women’s)
room, restroom, etc. On the other hand, really ‘stinky’ words
like shit and crap are freely used as metaphors for, well,
something utterly bad.
If you can recall it, try using the Urdu word for toilet in polite
company and see the reaction of those around you. You will
never find them sitting next to you again. You will stink. The
‘Urdu’ word in vogue for, guess what, is toilet, wash room or
bathroom, anything but the word itself, which I will sidestep here
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