Friends,

I would like some assistance understanding the use of the phrase "เข็ดเขี้ยว". Lexitron has: " เข็ดเขี้ยว [V] be afraid to do something again"; Domnern-Sathienpong has "to be afraid to face (someone) again; to have learned (one's) lesson."

The Lexitron example is:

อุบัติเหตุทางรถยนต์ทำให้เธอเข็ดเขี้ยวไม่ยอมเดินทางโดยรถยนต์ไปอีกนาน

which I had taken to mean, ""The car accident made her so afraid that she was unwilling to travel by car again for a long time."

I just came across this sentence from this week's Matichon Weekly discussing the O.J. Simpson murder trial:

คดีดังกล่าวคงจะเป็นคดีแรกและคดีสุดท้ายที่จะมีการกระทำเช่นที่เกิดขึ้นสหรัฐอเมริกาคงจะเข็ดเขี้ยวแล้วอย่างแน่นอน

I am wondering if this sentence should be rendered:

1. "The [conduct of] this case should be the first and last time that somethinglike this occurs; the United States should certainly be afraid of letting something likethis happen again." or

2. ". . . . ; the United States should certainly have learned its lesson by now."

Which is correct? Is there a third alternative? Am I understanding the use of "เข็ดเขี้ยว" correctly?

Thanks.

David: I'm not familiar with the phrase เขดเขี้ยว but เขด on its own means to be "cured" in the sense of "I got drunk on Tequila just once and that cured me for life " ผมกิน tequilaจนเมาครั้งเกียวแล้วเขดจนตาย

So to me the sense of having learned ones lesson has to be included in the translation of the Matichon article.

Just an idea. How about:

เข็ดเขี้ยวไม่ยอมเดินทางโดยรถยนต์ - apprehensive of travelling by car

คดีดังกล่าวคงจะเป็นคดีแรกและคดีสุดท้ายที่จะมีการกระทำเช่นที่เกิดขึ้นสหรัฐอเมริกาคงจะเข็ดเขี้ยวแล้วอย่างแน่นอน

The case mentioned should be the first and last in which this conduct occured. The United States should be more apprehensive of letting it happen again.

It's a little liberal.

How about;

"The aforementioned case should be the first and last time that something like this comes to trial. The United States should most definitely be apprensive (of fighting another case)."

Hello David,

My memory of the case is primarily of the amaturish way it was prosecuted by council; the defence was much better presented and my impression was that a guilty man 'walked free', I wonder if that was the gist of the article of which this extract seems to be a summation. If so then it says that the case would not be allowed to happen again although 'allow' is nowhere to be seen. I would support your first try. Specifically I understand คงจะเป็น as 'likely to be' มีการกระทำเช่นที่ as 'happen in a manner such as to'.

So:

"This case is probably the first and the last time that a case which has certainly frightened America will happen."

The difficulty I have is that'frigten America' sounds odd, I have added my own context that of the 'American justice system' is that what the article says David?

Thanks, TGeezer, for those thoughts. Here is the introductory paragraph which begins the discussion of the case in the article. One of the subjects of the article is how pubic and open legal proceedings in Thailand should be:

____________________________________________________

คดีของ O. J. Simpson นักบาสเก็ตบอลตัวกลั่นซึ่งถูกฟ้องว่าฆ่าผู้อื่นได้ปิดฉากลงเมื่อสิบปีเศษมาแล้ว

The case of O.J. Simpson, the preeminent basketball [sic] playerof his time and who was accused of murder, was closed over ten years ago.

คดีนี้เป็นที่ฮือฮามากในแวดวงการนักกฎหมาย เพราะเป็นคดีที่ได้มีการถ่ายทอดทั้งการพิจารณาคดีและการพิพากษาคดีทางโทรทัศน์ไปทั่วโลก

This was a much storied case among lawyers because both the legal proceedings and the judicial decision were broadcast on television throughout the world.

ทำให้นักกฎหมายในประเทศต่างๆ ออกจะแปลกใจอย่างมากที่สหรัฐอเมริกาซึ่งเป็นดินแดนที่ให้ความเคารพสิทธิส่วนบุคคลเป็นอย่างมาก

[The proceeding] caused much consternation among legal scholars all over the world because the United States, which greatly respects civil and personal rights, . . .

แต่แล้วจู่ๆ ก็เกิดผิดสำแดงขึ้นมาเพราะแต่ก่อนนี้ไม่เคยมีการกระทำดังกล่าวเลย

. . . could unexpectedly create such a revolting spectacle. These antics had never beforeoccurred.

_____________________________________________

The translation above is mine; as with other lengthy Thai sentences, my comprehension clouds easily and my ability to remember the beginning by the time I reach the end fades. Despite the obvious faux pas of referring to O.J. as a basketball player, I am having some difficulty with the conjunctions and adverbs between the clauses. If any of you can improve on the rendering above, I would certainly appreciate the help.

As to your specific points, I agree with you and believe that "การกระทำเช่นที่เกิดขึ้น" refers to the manner in which the trial was conducted, rather than the fact of the trial itself. In addition, if I understand you correctly, "fear" or "apprehension" is less reflective of the original than the notion that a spectacle and travesty of justice of this sort should never happen again.

I thank all of you for your comments and welcome more. What do y'all think?