Bonus: Türkische Idiome Flashcards
Nazar Değmesin
knock on wood/touch wood
Nazar değmesin needs a bit of an explanation. In Turkey and other cultures in its surrounding region, nazar refers to the evil eye. The evil eye is a widely-held belief that the admiring or envious gazes of others can directly result in misfortune or bad luck.
In fact, many people in Turkey decorate their homes with an evil eye bead, while others wear jewellery with the evil eye to protect themselves against bad luck or misfortune.
The closest idiom in English to nazar değmesin is “knock on wood”. By saying it, you’re trying to protect someone after praising them so that misfortune doesn’t befall them.
Ne kadar güzel saçların var, nazar değmesin.
You’ve got such beautiful hair, knock on wood.
Avucunu Yalamak
To be disappointed
Literal translation: To lick your palm
One of the more unusual Turkish idioms, there’s definitely nothing as disappointing as having to lick your own palm!
Sevdiğin botlara indirim gelmiş. Eğer erkenden gidip mağazadan almazsan tükenir ve sen de avucunu yalarsın.
There’s a discount on the boots you liked. If you don’t go and buy them from the store soon, they’ll be bought up and you’ll be disappointed.
Alın Yazısı
Destiny, fate
Literal translation: It’s written on your forehead
While there are other words for “destiny” or “fate” in Turkish like kader or kısmet, you’ll frequently hear alın yazısı as well.
Seninle tanışmak alın yazısı olmalı.
Meeting you must be fate.
Saçını Süpürge Etmek
To exert oneself/To bend over backwards/To put in a lot of effort
Literal translation: To sweep one’s hair.
If someone is hard at work and going out of their way to put in an effort, then their hair might eventually look as if it’s been swept by a broom. You can use this idiom to describe when someone is bending over backwards to serve someone.
Annem ve babam yıllarca bize bakmak için saçlarını süpürge etmişlerdi.
My mum and dad bent over backwards to provide for us for many years.
Kılı Kırk Yarmak
To be meticulous/To be detail-oriented.
Literal translation: To split a hair into forty.
Someone who splits a hair into forty strands is sure to be very detail-oriented! Use this idiom to describe someone who is very meticulous.
Patronum yanımdayken hiç rahat edemiyorum çünkü yaptığım her işi kılı kırk yarıyor.
I can never relax around my boss because he is meticulous about everything I do.
İlk Göz Ağrım
My first child.
Literal translation:
The first pain of my eyes.
It’s no mystery that raising children can be challenging. Turkish has the perfect idiom that captures this sentiment to refer to a first-born child.
Sen benim ilk göz ağrımsın, seni çok seviyorum.
You’re my first-born child, I love you very much.
Ateş Almaya Gelmek
To drop by briefly to ask a favour.
Literal translation: To come and ask for a fire/light.
This idiom also needs a bit of explanation. In the past when there were no matches or lighters, people would go over to their neighbours’ homes with a shovel to ask for a bit of burning coal or wood to light up their own homes.
To make sure that the fire doesn’t go out, they would have to rush back home after picking up the burning coal or wood. That’s why this idiom is for when people come over quickly without staying for a favour.
Nereye gidiyorsun? Sanki ateş almaya geldin.
Where are you going? It’s as if you’re only dropping by for something.
Havadan Sudan Konuşmak
To make small talk/To speak about
Literal translation: To speak about the weather and water.
unimportant topics.
If you’re chatting about unimportant topics or having a simple conversation without getting into anything serious, then you can say that you’re talking about air and water.
Komşumla giriş kapısında karşılaştığımda havadan sudan konuştuk.
I made small talk with my neighbour when I ran into her at the building entrance.
Zurnanın Zırt Dediği Yer
The most critical point.
Literal translation: Where the shrill pipe sounds “zirt”.
A zurna is a wind instrument commonly used in Turkey with a very shrill sound. People in Turkey often describe the zurna as making a “zirt” sound. Use this idiom to describe the most important or critical point of a work in progress.
İşimizde zurnanın zırt dediği yere geldik.
We’ve come to the most critical point of our work.
Pabucu Dama Atılmak
To fall out of favour.
Literal translation: To have one’s shoes be thrown to the rooftop.
Back in the Ottoman Empire, there was a committee that was responsible for doing quality control on products like shoes. If you bought a pair of shoes and were unhappy with its quality, then you could contact the committee.
If the committee deemed that the shoes you bought were of lower quality, then you would be refunded, and the shoes would be thrown on the roof of the shoemaker for all of the public to see.
So if you saw a lot of shoes on the roof, that meant that the producer was falling out of favour with its customers.
Even though shoes aren’t being thrown on roofs anymore by a committee, the idiom is still used to express that someone is no longer the favourite.
O lokantanın yemeklerinin kalitesi düştüğü için artık hiç kimse gitmiyor oraya, pabucu dama atıldı.
Because the quality of the food at that restaurant has dropped, nobody goes there anymore. It’s fallen out of favour.
Sakla Samanı Gelir Zamanı
If you keep something, you’ll eventually find a use for it.
Literal translation: Keep the hay, it’s time will come.
This rhyming idiom is definitely one to remember for those who have a hard time letting go of things in case they might be useful in the future. The closest idiom in English is “keep a thing seven years and you’ll always find a use for it.”
O defteri mutlaka sakla; sonuçta sakla samanı gelir zamanı.
Make sure to keep that notebook; after all, if you keep it, you’ll eventually find a use for it.
Dağdan Gelip Bağdakini Kovmak
To take undue credit for something
Literal translation: To come from the mountain and drive out the vineyard
A useful Turkish idiom for when someone tries to take undue credit for the work that you did!
Emeğimize sahip çıkmalı ve onların dağdan gelip bağdakini kovmalarına müsaade etmemeliyiz.
We need to take ownership of our efforts and not let them take the credit.
Kabak Tadı Vermek
To bore/To become boring.
Literal translation: To give off the taste of zucchinis.
Do you think zucchinis taste bland? For many people in Turkey, it’s considered a boring taste, giving inspiration to this idiom to express that something is boring.
Senin bu şikayetlerin artık kabak tadı veriyor.
Your complaints are starting to get boring.
Tuzu Kuru
Being well-off
Literal translation: His/her salt is dry.
Do you have a best friend that seems to always have the best of luck? If so, you could say that your best friend’s salt is dry!
Senin tuzun kuru olduğu için bizim dertlerimizi anlamazsın.
You wouldn’t understand our problems because you’re well-off.
Bedava Sirke Baldan Tatlıdır
The best things in life are free.
Literal translation: Free vinegar is sweeter than honey.
Can you imagine vinegar being sweet? If it’s free, then perhaps! You can use this Turkish idiom to express that things that are free are better than the things that come with a price tag.
Bedava sirke baldan tatlıdır diye çocuklar yüksek bir dağa çıkıp elma toplamaya gitmiş.
The kids went picking apples at a high mountain saying that the best things in life are free.
