liškou podšitý

Czech

Etymology

From liška (“fox”) + podšitý (“lined”). In the past animal fur used to be sometimes sown inside coats. At the same time there was a prejudice that some animal characteristics can be transferred to people by touching them. People wearing coats with lined fox fur were expected to have acquired characteristics like cunningness or slyness. Compare Polish tchórzem podszyty.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lɪʃkou̯ potʃɪtiː]

Idiom

liškou podšitý

1. (idiomatic) sly as a fox

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:podšitý

   • 1888, Josef Kajetán Tyl, Alchemista‎^[1]:

     „Tys chytrák liškou podšitý!“ odpověděl radní pán, „a rád bysi zákony nadešel, nežli tě samy k soudu popoženou […]“.

     "You are a cunning person, sly as a fox!" answered the town councillor, "and you would like to get round the laws before you get to court because of them […]"

Related terms

• čertem podšitý
• liška podšitá