BOAS] HANDBOOK 0¥ INDIAN LANGUAGES COOS 415 



§ 118. Idiomatic Expressions 



An exhaustive discussion of the Coos idiomatic expressions is lim- 

 ited apriori by the scope of the present work. Consequently only 

 the most salient features of this phase of the language will be pointed 

 out in this chapter. 



Perhaps the most striking examples of idiomatic phraseology are 

 found in the manner of expressing verbal concepts, like it grows, it 

 FILLS UP, IT RUNS, etc. Thcse ideas are expressed in Coos by means 

 of a phrase which consists of the verbal stem to go or to run and of 

 the abstract derivative of the particular verbal concept preceded by 

 the sign of possession il (see § 97). 



halwi he grew up 64.12 la u ha^'we Tie tchcl'mil the spruce- 



tree grew up (literally, goes its 

 growth [of] the spruce-tree) 

 20.16 

 la u ha^we le'ux ha' wis lUcL their 

 (dual) ready land began to grow 

 (literally, goes its growth [of] 

 their [dual] ready land) S.IO, 11 



x'i'luns deep asri'L la u x'Uuwi'ye Iex ya'has the 



maggots went halfway deep 

 (literally, halfway went its 

 depth [of] the maggots) 40.12 



paa- to fill la u paa'wEs Ie xaP-p the water is 



filling up (literally, goes its full 

 [mark of] the water) 44.17 



x'in- to run nle'hl la u x'na'at with it he ran 



(literally, with it went his swift- 

 ness) 42.8 

 la u x'na'at Ke cx'lml the bear 

 ran (literally, went his quick- 

 ness [of] the bear) 



mil- to swim djl u Tui'le [it] swam [towards her] 



(literally, came its swimming 

 [motion of]) 86.3 



hairiL- to float la u hamLaLoIioas Idl tsafyux^ hlta 



that small piece of land kept 

 floating (literalh^, went its [con- 

 ception of] floating [of] that 

 small place) 46.10 



§ 118 



