July 17, 2006

Khat o neshoon

Sometimes when people get upset, they say "een khat... een neshoon!" Why "khat", why "neshoon"?
"Khat" is a line and refers to the oldest method of keeping account. When people went to a store and bought merchandize "nesyeh" or, to put it in modern terms, "on account", it would be registyered on a wooden stick. The store keeper would take a knife out and carve one line per whatever the standard of money was that they agreed on and the customer carried that stick back and forth. This was called "Khat" and it marked a fact, a promise of payment. "Neshoon" means a symbol. "Beh in neshoon keh folani goft..." So the term is used as a mark, something to remember by. Therefore, "In khat o in neshoon" is the equivalent of "Mark my words."

Winner: Zohreh Ghahremani. Sad Afarin!

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