Have you ever try to match certain English idioms or phrases with your own native language? I always do that. Sometimes it's very obvious but at other time, it's just plain mind boggling. In here, I want to share with you the Malay idioms or phrases and it's English correspondence, or maybe I should say the other way round.
1. Jump out of the frying pan into the fire
This idiom means to go from a bad situation to even worst situation. In Malay, we have a similar idiom; 'Keluar dari mulut buaya masuk ke mulut naga' which can be loosely translated as 'Jump out from a crocodile mouth into the grasp of a dragon jaw'. I think this Malay idiom is self explanatory. Between the two ferocious animals, maybe it's better to be chewed by a crocodile. At least you won't be barbecued by the fire of a dragon. LOL
2. One bad apple spoils the barrel
This idiom means that a bad person whom influences everyone that come into the contact with him or her. Over here we have something similar; 'Kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga'. This Malay saying can be loosely translated as 'Because a small drop of indigo, the whole pot of milk is destroyed'. Indigo is very common over here and it's normally being used to give an extra shine to a dull white material. But you definitely don't want it to spoil the milk.
3. Pass the buck
Pass the buck means to shift the responsibility or blame someone else. In here, we say 'Tak tahu menari, dikatakan lantai jongkang-jongket'. Oh my! This one is a little bit hard to explain. This Malay idiom can be literally translated as 'Don't know how to dance, said the floor was wobbly'. I think it's another self explanatory phrase. Over here, the floor of traditional house/building was built with wood panels. So wobbly floor was common. Therefore, this Malay idiom shows how some people blamed the wobbly floor for their inability to dance (in this case their inefficiency) rather than admitting it's their own doing.
These are some of the interesting English idioms that I was able to match with some Malay idioms. I wonder what are the corresponding idioms in your own native language? Do share.
Comments
Hi Amal,
The two idioms are totally the same with the English idioms. I guess it's not that strange since many Arabic words had been adopted by others.
Hi Bala, how could I missed your comment in here. Awww....so sorry. I'm glad to see you back in EC, even only once in a while. I missed the good ol' days, reading your blogs and comments.
Isn't it nice to see that we have similar sayings? It means we're not far apart. :)
I think the saying about cat needs to be changed; "Cat closes its eyes and thinks the World has turned to Heaven". LOL
I chose two of them:
1.Ball is in your court
This means you have the chance to make the next decision or step
2.Kill two birds with one stone
two do two things at the same time .
We do have similar idiom in our language...., Tamil...
1. Jump out of the Cinder into Flame...
2. This idiom we refer with monkey... When Monkey get fired at its tail, it will jump everywhere and causes fire to the whole forest...Normally my mom scolds me with this idiom, like, dont spoil ur sister also...
3. its similar to ur malay idiom....we say as "Dont know how to dance, said the stage is uneven"..
We have one special idiom on CAT also....LOL
"Cat closes its eyes and thinks the World has gone dark"
Alice, we have something similar too. Over here we say, "Bagai menunggu kucing bertanduk" which can loosely be translated as "As if waiting for a cat to grow horns". It carries the same meaning as when the freezes over/when pigs fly. :D :D :D
Grace, I'm glad :D Idioms do make it 'nicer' to express our feelings, but as you said, it will become awkward when people don't understand what we are trying to express. LOL, I think, we, Malay and Indonesian, have so many idioms because we try not to hurt people's feelings. So our forefathers ended up with so many these 'fun' idioms.
Hi noaslpls I just saw this blog and I had a mind to add in one from my country that goes like this:
Tagalog: Pagputi ng uwak / Pag-itim ng Tagak (literally; when the crow has turned white / when the stork has become black)
English Counterpart: When hell freezes over. / When pigs fly.
Meaning: Something that's very unlikely to happen.
In a sentence it would look like this: "My boss told me I'll get my raise when hell freezes over!" hu hu hu!:0
That has similar meaning,idioms make us easier to express feelings of something in a nice way. But the awkward way when people wDD.. talked to didn't understand :D. Thank you very much for the great explanations and examples.
Now I understand, Grace. I thought we have a similar idiom to that, but I can't find it. But e have something of the same meaning; "Hendak pergi berotan jangan takut onaknya". It's something like "if you want to have the rattan, don't be afraid of its thorns'. It means if you want something, don't be afraid of the obstacles that may come in the way.
I hope it answered your question. :D Do let me know. Thanks
I thought that was what I meant , do you have it in your language, it would be nice. Thank you
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