χουνέρι (khuneri)
Another borrowing. Persian in origin but coming to Greece via Turkey. Having checked various dictionaries and online sources, I’ve found that there is little agreement on the precise definition of the word. This gives me the confidence to add my own translation.
My old Crighton does not have the word. Nor does my Pring’s The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Greek (though dated, it is still the best small bilingual dictionary available). The Oxford Greek-English dictionary translates it as fiasco, flop, wash-out, dead failure. My Μικρό Νεοελληνικό Λεξικό Πατάκη defines it as πάθημα (setback, misfortune, suffering) and ζημιά (damage). www.slang.gr describes χουνέρι as “Το πάθημα, η απάτη, η ταλαιπωρία στην οποία μας υποβάλλει κάποιος” = “The pain, deceit and hassle that someone puts us through.” www.el.wiktionary.org offers two definitions: ενέργεια που αποσκοπεί στην εξαπάτηση = “an action with the intention of deceiving” and πάθημα που οφείλεται σε εξαπάτηση = “a mishap or setback due to deception”. The Italian loan word word “κάζο” is offered as a synonym, something my little Πατάκη dictionary agrees with. My own reliable informant described it as a malicious trick. Anyway, let’s look at the context in which I encountered the word: https://www.voria.gr/article/to-pathima-tis-thessalonikis-ke-i-genia-tou-kafe-ke-tou-pascha-sto-chorio
I have referred to this article in another post on the crowded promenade in Thessaloniki. The article links the alarming non-compliance of the crowds with the equally alarming rise in Covid cases in the area. It then links the aforementioned with the government’s last-minute decision not to allow businesses to open in Thessaloniki, Kozani and Patras.
Όλοι όσοι παίρνουν τις πολιτικές αποφάσεις για την αγορά, ιδιαίτερα αυτή την περίοδο, έχουν στο νου τους το λιανεμπόριο της Αθήνας. Κακά τα ψέματα. Το χουνέρι της Θεσσαλονίκης δύσκολα θα τολμούσε κανείς να το κάνει στην πρωτεύουσα. Στην προκειμένη περίπτωση η μειωμένης βαρύτητας εκπροσώπηση της Θεσσαλονίκης στην σημερινή κυβέρνηση αποδεικνύεται μεγάλο κενό.
Those who take political decisions about the market, especially during this period, are focused on the retail sector in Athens. That is the blunt truth. As for what happened in Thessaloniki, nobody would have dared pull such a stunt in the capital. This particular incident underscores that Thessaloniki is seriously under-represented in the government of the day.
To conclude: κάνω χουνέρι can mean to damage, to trick, or to pull a stunt. The government’s last-minute decision covered a lot of that ground. Thessaloniki’s traders felt deceived, the non-opening of their businesses was a damaging setback, and the government’s volte face had all the hallmarks of a stunt.