aage naath ...

[SHARMA GHANSHYAM]

That's what I suggested in my last mail.

"(na) aage naath na piichhe paghaa (pagahaa)"
"(Neither) a nose-ring in front, nor a tail-rope behind."


> I suggest a slightly more colloquial reading would be
>
> "(Neither) a nose-ring in front, nor a tail-rope behind."
>
> The initial "na" in neither-nor constructions is VERY commonly omitted-- I
> can think of countless other examples in proverbs (e.g., jaan na pahcaan
> baRii biibii salaam), poetry, and common speech.  (Whereas in an if-then
> or when-then construction, the "to" is almost never omitted.)

Yes, it's true.

> And this reading very well corresponds to the meaning suggested by the
> dictionary. It's at least another possibility, I would say...

Ghanshyam Sharma
University of Venice