cusur subțire

Romanian

Etymology

Literally, “thin flaw”. Cusur (“flaw”) is a misconstruction of the unfamiliar Turkish loan usul found in the widely circulated Halima, a popular romance of Oriental origins—no other attestations are known. The original usul is itself only attested in conjunction with the adjective subțire (literally “thin”), possessing a well-established connection to the notion of slyness and cunning.

Noun

cusur subțire n (plural cusururi subțiri) (obsolete)

1. subterfuge, cunning device [until first half of 20th century]

   Synonyms: șiretlic, tertip, viclenie, vicleșug

References

• Ioana Anghel (1994–1995) “Note lexicale și etimologice [Lexical and etymological notes]”, in Dacoromania‎^[1] (in Romanian), volume 1, Bucharest: Romanian Academy, →ISSN, pages 173–175