The word "duvar" is a loanword, and if you go to Google translate and check it at Turkish-English translation, you'll find out that the meaning of the word is "zid" (wall). So, the literal translation would resemble the expression "to drive someone (in this case "the tzar") up the wall" and yet, Serbian phrase for this expression (drive someone up the wall) is "dovesti nekog do ludila" (or literally "make someone crazy"). You can check the pronunciation of these two idioms here, at our audio forum (and I hope you'll surprise your Serbian family or friends by pronouncing the phrases correctly and using them appropriately).
Talking about the usage, I was really surprised that in my group of eight teenage students only one had heard of "doterati cara do duvara". She explained that her teacher of Serbian insists on students learning and using proverbs and idioms, but she also hasn't heard of the phrase being used outside of the classroom! Does this mean that we tend to use idioms less frequently, or is it the case just with this idiom ? Maybe the world has changed for the better and retko iko ikada (rarely does anyone) "dotera cara do duvara" :)
What do you think ?
When even the emperor reaches the wall
Doterati cara do duvara describes a situation pushed to its breaking point: accumulated tension can no longer remain unresolved. The picturesque literal scene—driving even an emperor against a wall—helps the idiom stay in memory, but its conversational meaning is closer to bringing matters to a head.
Duvar is an older Turkish loanword meaning zid. The phrase therefore preserves a word that many speakers rarely use on its own. Do not confuse it with dovesti nekoga do ludila, which focuses on irritating a person rather than forcing a situation towards a decisive crisis.
Three expressions, three kinds of pressure
| Latinica | Ћирилица | English |
|---|---|---|
| Dugi pregovori su konačno doterali cara do duvara. | Дуги преговори су коначно дотерали цара до дувара. | The long negotiations finally brought matters to a head. |
| Njegovo stalno kašnjenje dovodi me do ludila. | Његово стално кашњење доводи ме до лудила. | His constant lateness drives me up the wall. |
| Ne čekaj da problem postane nerešiv. | Не чекај да проблем постане нерешив. | Do not wait until the problem becomes impossible to solve. |
| Posle poslednje svađe morali su da donesu odluku. | После последње свађе морали су да донесу одлуку. | After the final argument, they had to make a decision. |
| Stara reč duvar i danas živi u ovom izrazu. | Стара реч дувар и данас живи у овом изразу. | The old word duvar still lives in this expression. |
Test the idiom before using it dramatically
Invent two short situations. In the first, several unresolved events culminate in a decision; use doterati cara do duvara. In the second, an annoying habit irritates one person; use dovesti do ludila. If the phrases can be swapped without changing the story, sharpen the contrast.
- What does duvar mean today?
- Which idiom means to bring matters to a head?
- Complete: Njegova buka me dovodi do ______.
- Write the target idiom in Cyrillic.
- Explain why car is not a literal ruler here.
The wall, the crisis and the correct phrase
- zid / wall
- doterati cara do duvara
- ludila
- дотерати цара до дувара
- It belongs to the fixed image of the idiom; the expression describes a crisis.
Save this idiom for a genuine culmination; its imperial image loses force if every small annoyance reaches the wall.
Marina Petrović