B1 Slang 1 min read

سرِ کاره

sar-e kare

He's at work (sarcastic)

Meaning

Used sarcastically when someone is being lazy or ineffective, implying they are not working.

Practice Bank

3 exercises
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اون همش داره ______ میکنه و هیچ کاری نمیکنه.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer:
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با این همه چای خوردن و گپ زدن، انگار که اون فقط ______ هستش.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer:
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این پروژه باید تا فردا تموم بشه، ولی تو هنوز داری ______ میکنی؟

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🎉 Score: /3

The phrase 'سرِ کاره' (sare kāre) is a compound of 'سر' (sar, meaning 'head', but in this context indicating 'at' or 'on'), 'ِ' (e, a short vowel connecting the parts, often marking izāfa construction), and 'کار' (kār, meaning 'work', 'job', 'task'). The suffix '-ه' (-e) here functions as the third-person singular present tense of the verb 'to be' (است / ast), making the literal translation 'is at work'. The sarcastic usage stems from the contrast between the literal meaning and the observed reality. Persian culture, like many others, values diligence and hard work. When someone is perceived as idle or unproductive while ostensibly 'at work', this phrase is employed to subtly (or overtly, depending on tone) criticize their lack of effort. It doesn't have a deep, ancient etymological history beyond the straightforward combination of its constituent words. Its 'origin history' is more about the evolution of its pragmatic and social function as a sarcastic remark, rather than a transformation of ancient roots. This type of sarcastic idiom is common in many languages, where a phrase indicating a state of being is used to highlight the opposite state due to context. The '200+ WORDS origin history' as requested in the prompt is not applicable to this modern, straightforward idiomatic construction.

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