เสือหิวเสือโหย

[DavidHouston]

In the almost constant war of words between the current government and the pro-Thaksin faction comes this item in Thai Rath:

กรณี พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ ชินวัตร อดีตนายกรัฐมนตรี โฟนอินไปยังที่ประชุมสัมมนาพรรคเพื่อไทย โดยโจมตีรัฐบาลพรรคประชาธิปัตย์เป็นเสือหิวเสือโหย

Please help me understand the meaning of the phrase, "เสือหิวเสือโหย". Domnern-Sathienpong has "เสือหิว" as "mad, as in sex-mad, money-mad, power-mad". Is the full phrase "เสือหิวเสือโหย" just an alliterative extension of this meaning?

Might this phrase be a synonym of "คลั่งไคล้"

Without any political commentary one might say, "ไก่เห็นตีนงู งูเห็นนมไก่".

Thank you.

[bannork]

In the almost constant war of words between the current government and the pro-Thaksin faction comes this item in Thai Rath:

กรณี พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ ชินวัตร อดีตนายกรัฐมนตรี โฟนอินไปยังที่ประชุมสัมมนาพรรคเพื่อไทย โดยโจมตีรัฐบาลพรรคประชาธิปัตย์เป็นเสือหิวเสือโหย

Please help me understand the meaning of the phrase, "เสือหิวเสือโหย". Domnern-Sathienpong has "เสือหิว" as "mad, as in sex-mad, money-mad, power-mad". Is the full phrase "เสือหิวเสือโหย" just an alliterative extension of this meaning?

Might this phrase be a synonym of "คลั่งไคล้"

Without any political commentary one might say, "ไก่เห็นตีนงู งูเห็นนมไก่".

Thank you.

I think you're right David, the term suggests ravenous which fits in with what you said though I can't see how it connects to attack here, perhaps it suggests a ferocious, no holds barred attack, I may be wrong but doesn't คลั่งไคลั suggest crazy about as in crazy about Korean pop stars, God forbid.

I wonder why you mention the idiom ไก่เห็นตีนงูงูเห็นนมไก่ which implies 2 sides both know the secrets of the other ?

[DavidHouston]

I wonder why you mention the idiom ไก่เห็นตีนงูงูเห็นนมไก่ which implies 2 sides both know the secrets of the other ?

Because, the Thaksin faction is accusing the Democrat faction of unbridled ambition and avarice, an accusation which the latter often hurled at the former. In effect, each side knows the weaknesses of the other. The snake and chicken metaphor seems to be the moral equivalent of the English phrase, "the pot calling the kettle black." What do you think? Thanks.

[yoot]

เสือหิว is the same as 'The Hungry Tiger' is a fictional character from The Oz books by L. Frank Baum. He is always hungry, no matter how much he eats. It's compared to those politicians in the Democrat Party. They haven't been in the cabinet for at least 8 years, so that they are kind of starving of money. And once they are in power, they start to eat(corruption) as if they are very หิวโหย. As it happens in the case of providing rotten canned fish in the south. So, they are เสือหิวเสือโหย by this mean. It's just the fact that Thai people know very well.

เมื่อไรที่พรรคใดไม่ได้เป็นรัฐบาลเป็นระยะเวลานาน พรรคนั้นก็มักจะอดอยาก หิวโหย และพอถึงเวลาก็มักจะกินอย่างมูมมาม อย่างที่ปรากฎให้เห็นอยู่เป็นประจำ

[bannork]

I wonder why you mention the idiom ไก่เห็นตีนงูงูเห็นนมไก่ which implies 2 sides both know the secrets of the other ?

Because, the Thaksin faction is accusing the Democrat faction of unbridled ambition and avarice, an accusation which the latter often hurled at the former. In effect, each side knows the weaknesses of the other. The snake and chicken metaphor seems to be the moral equivalent of the English phrase, "the pot calling the kettle black." What do you think? Thanks.

For the pot calling the kettle black, ie hypocrisy, I like เขาว่าเเต่เขาอิเหนาเป็นเอง

Edited February 5, 2009 by bannork

[mangkorn]

Isn't อิเหนา also a Thai slang term for Indonesia? Or am I thinking of a similar-sounding name?

[bannork]

Isn't อิเหนา also a Thai slang term for Indonesia? Or am I thinking of a similar-sounding name?

The story came from Indonesia and was adapted for Thai audiences by Rama 2, I think. Eenao, (no Thai font here), if I remember rightly, loved a woman who was also admired by another so he said she was not a good woman, though of course he thought the opposite.

[mangkorn]

It is a Thai nickname for Indonesia. I have seen it in newspaper headlines on stories from there. It seems that Thais have nicknames for many countries, mostly in Asia, some in Europe and possibly elsewhere, too. I'm not sure if average people regularly use them, but they do show up in print sometimes.