# a-i freca ridichea // A freca ridichea cuiva



## buketturk

Hi,

Can anyone explain me the meaning of "a-i" in this expression? I think I understood the meaning of expression but i didn't get "a-i"...

Thank you...


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## farscape

"a-i" is a contraction from "a + îi" (preposition + personal pronoun).
A freca ridichea cuiva -> to get/be on somebody's case.


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## buketturk

Thank you! So what is the simple form of that? "A freca ridichea cuiva" or "a-i freca ridichea" ?

BTW I'm searching for this expression: *a-i freca ridichea* _(cuiva) expr._ *1.* a bate tare (_pe cineva_). *2.* a critica (_pe cineva_), a certa aspru (_pe cineva_).


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## farscape

buketturk said:


> Thank you! So what is the simple form of that? "A freca ridichea cuiva" or "a-i freca ridichea" ?
> 
> BTW I'm searching for this expression: *a-i freca ridichea* _(cuiva) expr._ *1.* a bate tare (_pe cineva_). *2.* a critica (_pe cineva_), a certa aspru (_pe cineva_).


The form to use  depends a lot on the specifics and context:
Gigel îi freacă ridichea lui Ionel (harshly criticising, mostly for the wrong reasons)
A-i freca ridichea cuiva cere talent -> to get/be on somebody's case requires skill


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## buketturk

farscape said:


> Gigel îi freacă ridichea lui Ionel (harshly criticising, mostly for the wrong reasons)


I'm talking about that, so. Are they same expressions?


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## farscape

buketturk said:


> I'm talking about that, so. Are they same expressions?


Yes: Gigel is harshly criticising Ionel. It's used for verbal abuse, never heard it used to mean physical abuse.


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## buketturk

Okay.  But how can we put it in a form like "to..." in Romanian?


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## farscape

buketturk said:


> Okay.  But how can we put it in a form like "to..." in Romanian?


A freca ridichea cuiva... thought we've been here before (to get on somebody's case/criticise harshly and perhaps w/o good reason).


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## buketturk

farscape said:


> thought we've been here before


Yes... But this: "a-i freca ridichea" ?


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## Zareza

a (-i) freca ridichea cuiva - (a *îi* freca ridichea *cuiva/lui/ei*) = a bate (pe cineva); a-*i* face (*cuiva*) greutăți, a critica

a (le) freca ridichea - (a *le* freca ridichea *lor*) - several interlocutors

Both expressions mentioned in the thread are valid.


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## buketturk

Well, thank you both. Actually I'll write a footnote to a book like this:

* a freca ridichea: An expression romanian that means "to harshly criticising someone".

Is it OK like this you think?


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## Zareza

The correct expression must have one of the two: *îi* or *cuiva*.

*a freca ridichea cuiva* or *a-i freca ridichea *(in the second, the word *cuiva *(*someone*) is implied becase of *îi* (aprox. him/her))

The best would be *a-i freca ridichea cuiva * (Romanian expression)

I've found some English equivalents:

*to tear somebody off a strip* / *to tear a strip off somebody* / *to tear strips off somebody* (British English, informal)
- to speak angrily to somebody who has done something wrong, criticize severely
- to scold, upbraid, or rebuke someone very severely, as for an error or wrongdoing

*to ream somebody out*  (American English, informal)
- to criticize somebody strongly because they have done something wrong

This expression* to be on somebody’s case *(informal) implies repetitiveness or insistence  
- to criticize somebody *all the time

a-i freca ridichea cuiva * could only happen once (moderator's note: that is... debatable)


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## buketturk

So *a-i freca ridichea *(*cuiva*) means (literally) "rubbing (someone'*s*) radish" or "rub (*someone*) a radish" ? Cause at first, I'll give the literally meaning (like word to word), then I'll explain its utilisation.


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## Zareza

*to rub someone's radish *(radish= his/her *back* (topside)) - the first meaning is *to hit someone* (cf. dex.ro)
(not *a* radish)


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## buketturk

Thank you.


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## farscape

Zareza said:


> *a-i freca ridichea cuiva * could only happen once


Not sure where you got that from, Zareza. This is what we have in the dictionary (one of the entries):

"...(Familiar) *A freca* (cuiva) *ridichea* = *a)* a bate zdravăn (pe cineva). _Făt-Frumos privea și creștea carnea pe el de mulțumire, cînd vedea că freacă ridichea becisnicului de zăcaș, după cum i se cuvenea._ISPIRESCU, L. 108; *b)* a-i face (cuiva) greutăți, mizerii. _Vorbeau tare, să audă conservatorii: azi le frecăm ridichea numărul unu! Am adunat documente._ PAS, L. I 281. – (...)"


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## Zareza

Am comparat:
*to be on somebody’s case *care implică *all the time*  (to criticize somebody *all the time)*
și
*a-i freca ridichea cuiva * care nu sugerează frecvența acțiunii, repetitivitate *în timp* (doar în spațiu).
Se poate întâmpla și doar o singură dată această acțiune. (This action can only happen once.)


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## farscape

A freca - to rub - is a repetitive action 🙂


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## Zareza

Categoric.
Am editat.


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## Zareza

*A freca* este o acțiune repetitivă în sine.

Dar: Am frecat cu oțet covorul o oră, l-am lăsat să se usuce și apoi l-am frecat din nou, înseamnă că am frecat covorul de două ori.

*Rubbing *is a repetitive action in itself.

But: I rubbed the carpet with vinegar for an hour, I let it dry and then I rubbed it again, it means I rubbed the carpet twice.


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