The throat is as scary as cops.

Hi. My holiday is finally over and I go back to work tomorrow. It is great! Yes, it is. It has got to be! ;) Before I left for my holiday I saw a poster while I was driving. It said, "You can make a lot of money without working! It works!" It also had a website which address was something like makelotsofmoneywithoutworking.com. It was quite obvious to me how much money they were making because it was scrawled using a black pen on a white piece of cardboard. I didn't bother to visit the website. :) Most of us have to work to make ends meet. It might be easier to get away from working if we can live without eating.


The throat is as scary as cops.
목구멍이 포도청이다.


목구멍이, mokumongyi, throat + suffix
포도청이다, podochungyida, traditional police station


목구멍이 포도청이다.
mokumongyi podochungyida.


포도청 is a name of a organization in the Choseon dynasty which had a similar role to the police these days. No one can completely be honorable when asked to come to a police station. Instead, people act with a shame or become obedient. Similarly, when you are hungry, you will have to do whatever you can to satisfy 목구멍.

A: Did you say you are working two shifts in a row?
B: 목구멍이 포도청인데 해야지.

A: I heard your business is going really well.
B: 목구멍에 풀칠(pulchil, pasting glue)은 하고 있어. I just make ends meet.

Traditionally, we made glue(풀) by boiling rice with lots of water. So it is edible but not very nutritious. Therefore, 목구멍에 풀칠 is used to say that you make the absolute minimum to survive or there is not enough food. But it can also be used to be modest about your earning.

Anyway, I have to work to survive. Happy surviving everyone. :)

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