# Urdu-Hindi-Punjabi: Secret Squirrel



## Qureshpor

You must have come across people who hardly say anything in a gathering of people. They listen quite attentively themselves making the usual facial impressions as the situation demands. But you don't really get to know them because they are so secretive, perhaps unnecessarily. I am not sure if "Secret Squirrel" is the right term in English and I am not really suggesting this kind of person belongs to any intelligence organisation, like the character in the "Secret Squirrel" cartoons.


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## UrduMedium

QURESHPOR said:


> You must have come across people who hardly say anything in a gathering of people. They listen quite attentively themselves making the usual facial impressions as the situation demands. But you don't really get to know them because they are so secretive, perhaps unnecessarily. I am not sure if "Secret Squirrel" is the right term in English and I am not really suggesting this kind of person belongs to any intelligence organisation, like the character in the "Secret Squirrel" cartoons.



How about chhupe rustam?


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## Alfaaz

For Urdu and Punjabi: 

خفیہ گلہری/ شجر پاش
khufiyah gilahri/shajar paash! Literal translation!

میسنا / میسنی or عیار
meesna/meesni or a'yyaar

The above mentioned would mostly have negative connotations. If the person is just shy/taciturn/self-conscious, then probably these could work: 

متوجہ / چوکس (اور شرمیلا) سامع؛ کم گو، احتراز پسند، کم سخن
mutawajjih / chauks (aur sharmeela) saami'; kam go; iHtiraaz pasand; kam sukhn


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## BP.

Whoa you're so precisely describing the 3uzlat pasand person in post 4.

The last line of suggestions by Alfaaz is quite good, if without the additional connotation of shadiness you seem to imply.


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## marrish

Well,  BP SaaHib, the post 4 is the very yours!


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## BP.

Didn't say it isn't!


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## Alfaaz

> Whoa you're so precisely describing the 3uzlat pasand person in post 4.


BP, wouldn't عزلت پسند mean one who likes loneliness/solitude, who wouldn't even be expected to attend parties (maybe online forums, as those are in _tanhaa'ii_),....more than a person who is just quite and likes to listen attentively, but wouldn't feel uncomfortable going to social gatherings?


> Didn't say it isn't!


That was a very creative way of indirectly saying something!


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## BP.

Alfaaz said:


> BP, wouldn't عزلت پسند mean one who likes loneliness/solitude, who wouldn't even be expected to attend parties (maybe online forums, as those are in _tanhaa'ii_),....more than a person who is just quite and likes to listen attentively, but wouldn't feel uncomfortable going to social gatherings?...


That was just a jumlah e muta3arrazah, I didn't suggest the word, I suggested us to look at the ones you did. _kam sukhan_ or _khaamoosh taba3_ seem fine options.


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## Alfaaz

> That was just a jumlah e muta3arrazah, I didn't suggest the word,


Oh, OK. I was just asking as I wasn't familiar with its usage/shades of meaning it could carry...


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## marrish

Alfaaz SaHib/ah, I like using the slash as you do, which word would you put forth? Out of pure interest, I tell you.


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## Faylasoof

BelligerentPacifist said:


> ..._kam sukhan_ or _khaamoosh taba3_ seem fine options.


 In our _tahZiib_ these have a positive connotation. I think from QP SaaHib's post it appears he is looking for the opposite sense.


QURESHPOR said:


> You must have come across people who hardly  say anything in a gathering of people. They listen quite attentively  themselves making the usual facial impressions as the situation demands.  _*But you don't really get to know them because they are so secretive,  perhaps unnecessarily.*_ _*I am not sure if "Secret Squirrel" is the right  term in English *_and I am not really suggesting this kind of person  belongs to any intelligence organisation, like the character in the  "Secret Squirrel" cartoons.


 Perhaps you mean more like: _*taciturn *(_habitually silent, uncommunicative_)* , laconic *(_marked by the use of few words; terse_), *sullen*_ _or_ _*poker-faced*_ _(lacking any interpretable expression)_!  None of these are really positive qualities. 

We use a really nice Sanskrit-derived word for the kind of person you are describing: _*ghunnaa*_ - and we use it mostly with the meanings shown in bold below.

H گهنا घुना _ghunā_, or *घुन्ना ghunnā* [S. घृण+कः], adj.  (f. -_ī_), Malicious, spiteful, revengeful, rancorous;—sullen;—_*designedly or perversely silent, designing;*_—_*secret, cautious*_.


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## UrduMedium

Faylasoof said:


> In our _tahZiib_ these have a positive connotation. I think from QP SaaHib's post it appears he is looking for the opposite sense.
> Perhaps you mean more like: _*taciturn *(_habitually silent, uncommunicative_)* , laconic *(_marked by the use of few words; terse_), *sullen*_ _or_ _*poker-faced*_ _(lacking any interpretable expression)_!  None of these are really positive qualities.
> 
> We use a really nice Sanskrit-derived word for the kind of person you are describing: _*ghunnaa*_ - and we use it mostly with the meanings shown in bold below.
> 
> H گهنا घुना _ghunā_, or *घुन्ना ghunnā* [S. घृण+कः], adj.  (f. -_ī_), Malicious, spiteful, revengeful, rancorous;—sullen;—_*designedly or perversely silent, designing;*_—_*secret, cautious*_.



Excellent choice. I recall ghunnaa as a word commonly used in just the sense described above.


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## bakshink

H گهنا घुना _ghunā_, or *घुन्ना ghunnā* [S. घृण+कः], adj.  (f. -_ī_), Malicious, spiteful, revengeful, rancorous;—sullen;—_*designedly or perversely silent, designing;*_—_*secret, cautious*_....

Ghunna is also used in Punjabi


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## Faylasoof

bakshink said:


> H گهنا घुना _ghunā_, or *घुन्ना ghunnā* [S. घृण+कः], adj. (f. -_ī_), Malicious, spiteful, revengeful, rancorous;—sullen;—_*designedly or perversely silent, designing;*_—_*secret, cautious*_....
> 
> Ghunna is also used in Punjabi


 Great to hear form you again bakshink SaaHib! I assume you mean it is not only used but also with the same meaning in Punjabi as we have in Urdu!


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## bakshink

Yes Fat..it means the same...who plans his moves secretly, who doesn't show his emotions. )


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## Qureshpor

bakshink said:


> Yes Fat..it means the same...who plans his moves secretly, who doesn't show his emotions. )



Would you say that k_hunnaa in Punjabi is the same as "mesaa"?


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## marrish

Another word which just popped up and has not been mentioned is _chuppaa_.


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## bakshink

QURESHPOR said:


> Would you say that k_hunnaa in Punjabi is the same as "mesaa"?



Yes Qureshpor I haven't heard mesaa but miisnaa too is a word that stands for cunning and scheming person. However I think since these words don't exist in the dictionary there should be discussion on these so that we can get some more inputs from people.


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## Alfaaz

> However I think since these words don't exist in the dictionary


miisnaa is given in this, but not others; the origin is given as maqami....
 چالاک، عیار، فریبی؛ جو بظاہر معصوم مگر بباطن مکار ہو۔
meanings: chalaak, a'yyaar, farebi, jo bazaahir ma'asoom babaatin makaar ho


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## greatbear

I've always used "ghunnaa" only for secretive persons, the kind whose intentions and thoughts are hard to fathom.


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## Sheikh_14

Is miisnaa a native Urdu word or one derived from Punjabi? Btw bakshink saaHib don't Punjabi speakers verbalise ghunnaa as khunnaa? I am pretty sure they use a k instead of a g though it may vary by dialect. Maarish saaHib would you care to elaborate on chupaa its new to me and may very well be new to many others?


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## marrish

Sheikh_14 said:


> Maarish saaHib would you care to elaborate on chupaa its new to me and may very well be new to many others?


I wrote _chuppaa_, not _chupaa_.


marrish said:


> _chuppaa_.


For some reason it is not there in Platts but is defined here:
چپا 4 - اردو_لغت


chuppaa -> chuppii karne waalaa shaxs.


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