거두절미

Korean

FWOTD – 11 June 2021

Sino-Korean word from 去頭截尾 (“removing the head, severing the tail”).

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈkɘ(ː)dud͡ʑʌ̹ɭmi]
Phonetic hangul: [거(ː)두절미]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	geodujeolmi
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	geodujeolmi
McCune–Reischauer^?	kŏdujŏlmi
Yale Romanization^?	kētwucel.mi

거두절미 • (geodujeolmi) (hanja 去頭截尾) (four-character idiom from Classical Chinese)

cutting to the chase; saying only the essentials; saying only what ought to be said
Synonym: 단도직입(單刀直入) (dandojigip)
- 1981, 김원우, 무기질 청년, →ISBN:
  좀 장황하나 나 로서 는 거두절미할 성질 이 아닌 것 같아서 이다.
  Jom janghwanghana naroseo-neun geodujeolmihal seongjir-i anin geot gataseo-ida.
  It is a bit long-winded, but because I am not the kind to say only the essentials.
removing the context of something said; reporting something in a partial way
- 2008, “정병국의원, 'YTN 발언 일부언론 거두절미 보도 유감'”, in Yangpyeong Baegun Sinmun‎^[1]:
  일부 언론 거두절미 보도 유감
  ilbueollon geodujeolmi bodo yugam
  non-contextualized reporting of certain media outlets is regrettable
(literally, now rare) severing the head and tail; severing the tips (in cooking)
- late 19th c., 是(시)議(의)全(전)書(서):
  닭젹 은 거두 졀미ᄒᆞ고 ᄇᆡ 갈너 젼쳬 로 어여 ᄌᆡ여 구어 쓰ᄃᆡ […]
  dakjeog-eun geodu jeolmihago bae galleo jeonche-ro eoyeo jaeyeo gueo sseudae [ … ]
  for roast chicken, cut off the head and the tail and split its belly, and cut out slices from the whole [of the chicken] and have it measured and roasted […]