Itt kutte da vair hona (ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਹੋਣਾ) is a Punjabi saying meaning to be bitter, sworn enemies, like the brick and the dog of the picture behind it. It is used for a deep, lasting feud, not a passing quarrel.
How it's used
- 1ਦੋਵੇਂ ਭਰਾ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਪਾ ਬੈਠੇ ਹਨThe two brothers have become sworn enemies over the land. a family feud over inherited land
- 2ਉਹ ਸਕੂਲ ਵੇਲੇ ਦੇ ਦੋਸਤ ਸਨ, ਹੁਣ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਹੈThey were school time friends; now they are bitter enemies. a friendship turned into a lasting feud
- 3ਚੋਣਾਂ ਆਉਂਦੀਆਂ ਹੀ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਧਿਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਪੈ ਗਿਆAs soon as the elections came, the two sides turned into sworn enemies. rival camps in politics
Show 1 more example
- 4ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਕਿਸੇ ਦਾ ਭਲਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰਦਾSworn enmity does nobody any good. the warning elders add to the saying
ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਹੋਣਾ ਦਾ ਅਰਥ ਹੈ: ਦੋ ਬੰਦਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਬਹੁਤ ਡੂੰਘੀ ਦੁਸ਼ਮਣੀ ਹੋਣਾ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਇੱਟ ਅਤੇ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਕੋਈ ਮੇਲ ਨਹੀਂ, ਉਵੇਂ ਹੀ ਇਹ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਇੱਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖਣਾ ਵੀ ਪਸੰਦ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰਦੇ ਇਹ ਮੁਹਾਵਰਾ ਆਮ ਝਗੜੇ ਲਈ ਨਹੀਂ ਵਰਤਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ, ਇਹ ਉਸ ਵੈਰ ਲਈ ਹੈ ਜੋ ਲੰਮੇ ਸਮੇਂ ਤੱਕ ਮਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹਿ ਜਾਵੇ ਪਿੰਡਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਜਾਂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਹੋਈ ਲੜਾਈ ਜਦੋਂ ਸਾਲਾਂ ਤੱਕ ਨਾ ਮੁੱਕੇ, ਤਾਂ ਲੋਕ ਇਸੇ ਮੁਹਾਵਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਉਸ ਗੱਲ ਨੂੰ ਦੱਸਦੇ ਹਨ
What does itt kutte da vair hona mean in Punjabi?
Itt kutte da vair hona (ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਹੋਣਾ) is a Punjabi saying that means to be bitter, sworn enemies: two people whose dislike runs so deep that they cannot stand the sight of each other. Word for word it speaks of the enmity between a brick and a dog, and Punjabi speakers reach for it when an ordinary quarrel has hardened into a lasting feud.
Why a brick and a dog?
The picture behind the saying comes from the village street. A brick is the thing snatched up and thrown to chase a stray dog away, so in the folk imagination the brick and the dog stand at opposite ends of the lane, each a threat to the other. The saying borrows that picture for people: just as the thrown brick and the dog can never be friends, two people caught in itt kutte da vair are beyond easy patching up.
When do people say itt kutte da vair hona?
People use it for feuds that outlast the argument that started them: brothers divided over inherited land, neighbours who stop speaking after a boundary dispute, or rival camps in village and party politics who oppose each other on principle. Elders often say it with a shake of the head, because the phrase carries a warning as well as a description: a vair this deep usually harms both sides, and everyone around them, long after the first cause is forgotten.
Is itt kutte da vair the same as ordinary dislike?
No. Punjabi has gentler words for a falling out or a cold mood, and those pass. Vair is enmity, a settled wish to see the other side lose, and itt kutte da vair is its strongest everyday form. That is why the saying is sometimes said half jokingly about two people who argue over everything, and sometimes said seriously about a feud the whole village knows by name.
Sources (2)
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