Turkish Idiom Stories -- 'House' Favorites

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Karaman'ın koyunu, sonra çıkar oyunu. (Lit. It's a sheep from Karaman, the trick will come out later...) -- Idiomatic meaning: There's something doubtful about this [person]. You'd better watch out....

The story...This idiom comes from the time of the early Ottoman Empire -- when forces of the Karaman principality were still competing aggressively with the Ottomans for Turkish hegemony in Anatolia. In those days, the Karaman forces, with their headquarters in Konya, ruled a powerful 'beylik' that encompassed Niğde, Kayseri, Içel, Nevşehir, Ankara, Isparta, and Antalya -- not to mention all the territory around Konya itself.

As concerns the idiom, two stories vie for being the original source.

The first story has to do with two clever defenders of the Karaman Headquarters Fort in Konya -- during a Mongol army siege. It seems that, one dark night, the two Karaman soldiers secretly exited the fort and made there way to the rear of the Mongol lines -- where they 'conscripted' a flock of sheep from a local farmer. After attaching lighted-candles to the animal's heads, they drove the flock towards the fort through the sleepy Mongol encampment -- shouting 'Allah, Allah' and causing a general uproar. The confused Mongol troops, thinking that Karaman reinforcements had arrived, panicked and fled the battle scene in disarray.

The second story concerns Karamanoğlu Mehmet, one of the most active and troublesome of the young Karaman rebels against the Ottomans. When Mehmet's bold raids got 'out of hand', the perplexed Ottomans set out to end them permanently -- and after numerous attempts and near misses, an Ottoman general finally captured Mehmet. Mehmet's family appealed for leniency because of the lad's youth, but the general refused to release him until Mehmet promised to give up his rebellious ways, once and for all. Mehmet quickly agreed to make the promise all right, but in so doing, he had a trick in mind. At the 'promising ceremony', Mehmet gave the Ottoman general a symbolic gift -- a specially-bred ram from the famous Karaman sheep herds. As he presented the gift Mehmet said, "I promise not to rebel against the Ottoman state as long as this ram lives." Then, as soon as he was released, Mehmet secretly arranged for the ram's demise, and upon hearing the news, he immediately resumed his rebellious ways. And whichever story you choose to believe, another Turkish idiom was borne...

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külhan beyi or külhanbeyi (Lit. Mister Boiler-in-the-Turkish-bath...) -- Idiomatic meaning: A tough-guy; a hoodlum...

The story...In one of Istanbul's past lives, several of its Turkish baths were notorious for unlawful activities. They included the Azaplar Hamam in Unkapanı, the Hacıkadın Hamam in Samatya, the Rüstempaşa Hamam in Tahtakale, the Sultan Hamam in Bahçekapı, and, especially, the hamams of Tophane, Karaköy, and Galata -- as well as the big hamam in Kasımpaşı. No 'decent folk' who knew of these hamams dared go near them. Because, at a minimum, unsuspecting customers were robbed of their money, stripped of their goods, etc. -- and if they complained to the management, they were tossed into the street, a lot worse for wear. Nighttime was especially dangerous for clientele, as young toughs would lay in wait for customers in the small hamam changing rooms -- and many a bloody scene was played out. These hamam hoodlums, who formed there own loose 'affiliations', came to be known as Messrs. Boiler-in-the-Turkish-bath -- and the first of them, it's said, originated in the baths at Gedikpaşa. And though the Turkish baths of Istanbul have long been cleared of wrong-doers, the term külhan beyi lives on -- used to describe any kind of a tough-guy, rowdy, or hoodlum.₁₀₁

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sarı cizmeli Mehmet Ağa (Lit. yellow-booted Mehmet Aga...) -- Idiomatic meaning: an unknown person; just anybody; a nobody;
a Joe Bloggs; a Joe Blow; a Joe Doaks...

The story...Eşref Paşa, the wealthy Izmirite (whose name now identifies the section of the ancient city where he once lived), was expecting an old friend from Aydin for a visit. To fetch the man from the train station, the Paşa sent his manservant with a lush carriage -- but not before giving the servant a description of his friend:

"He's quite tall, middle-aged, he's got a swashbuckler's mustache...He'll be wearing yellow boots -- and his name is Mehmet Aga."

When the train arrived and the passengers began to get off, the servant saw that many of them wore yellow boots -- a gentlemanly fashion of the day. And there were plenty of middle-aged ones, tall ones, and mustachioed ones as well. Realizing he'd have a hard time recognizing the Paşa's friend, the servant stood up on the platform loading dock and shouted out:

"Is there anyone from Aydin, named Mehmet Aga -- who is wearing yellow boots?"

A single voice rose out of the suddenly hushed crowd of passengers,

"For what reason are you wanting this man?"

"I'm not sure," answered the flustered servant, "perhaps any yellow-booted Mehmet Aga will do..."

The crowd broke out laughing but they remembered the event and soon the phrase -- to describe 'an anybody' -- had spread to Turkey's four corners. Where it remains in common use today.₁₁₅

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