eppie

When it comes to flower/plants/trees-related idioms, here are two of my most favorite: Bed of roses - refers to a highly favorable or agreeable situation. and The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. - means that no matter what you have in life, what others have will always seem better.

For me, almost all old English books written a long time ago is very hard to read. :grin: Not proud of it but when I tried reading "The Prince and the Pauper" by Mark Twain to help my daughter out in her school project - it made me checked the dictionary a lot of times. :confused:

Where's the frog and why include the snake instead? :grin: Anyway here's my Filipino/Tagalog version: Aso (dog) : Aw-aw Tandang (cock): Tiktilaok Palaka (frog) : Kokak Kambing (goat): Meee Pusa (cat) : Ngiyaw Baka (cow): Muuu

Agree! It's fun though. :grin: Anyway can someone tell me if "Knockin' on heaven's door" count as an death-related idiom too? By the way, here's another one that I just learned from the internet. Beat a dead horse - to force an issue to something that is already closed or irrelevant. Like keep on talking about something that you can no longer change.

My first time to learn about "Whistling Dixie" and "Pay the Piper" - very interesting. Here's another couple of music idioms I just found online: :grin: 1. Toot your own horn - when you brag about your own achievements then you are tooting your own horn. 2. Can't unring a bell - when you have to face the consequences of something because it can't be undone anymore.

I think when you "take a raincheck" you postpone something temporarily or decline an offer now but suggesting that you will take the offer next time or at a later time (like politely declining an offer). Anyway, I can only think of only one weather idiom that has not been mentioned yet. >> In a Fog - refers to a person who is confused, dazed or unaware.

Google translator will just messed everything up. :grin: Better take this so-called "travelers dictionary" with you. I have a Mandarin Chinese Dictionary for Travelers (Publisher: Barrons) that I find very helpful. It's basically a phrase book and dictionary where you can find almost all of the frequent questions/phrases that you need when traveling. Maybe you can find one in your local bookstore.

I've learned from somewhere that when it comes to writing, it doesn't matter if you speak Mandarin or Cantonese as both speakers will understand the written Chinese character. But my question is - does this apply to both simplified and traditional characters? or just the traditional ones? Well anyway, in my opinion, if you're still learning how to write Chinese characters then better stick to the traditional ones because as Daimashin puts it - it's more complete, clean and elegant. :love:

Here's a couple of musical idioms that I recall just now... >> Takes two to tango (somewhat music-related ) - when something goes wrong and both parties are responsible for it. Ex. It's not just my fault, you know it takes two to tango. >> Elevator music - a very popular song that's easy on the ears - mostly played in places where you have to wait like doctor's/dentist's office and yes - in elevators. :grin:

I have lots of songs in another language (aside from English and Filipino songs) on my MP3 player. Mostly Japanese songs from anime series like Naruto. I learned about these songs from my son and I find the rhythm/melody very nice to hear too.

In Manila, we usually count in Tagalog or English. Spanish numbers, I think were commonly used in some provinces. I remember my lolo (grandfather) who used to say "mil nueve sientos ochenta y cinco" instead of just saying 1985. I miss my lolo terribly. :emo:

If you're a tourist who loves to haggle or bargain deals, this phrase might help >> Pwede po tumawad? It's like asking the salesperson for a discount. Actually most Filipinos find it cute when foreigners are making an extra effort to speak Tagalog so it's most likely that you'll get a discount when you bargain in Tagalog. :grin:

I just remembered the word "tiktik". It's also a fictional creature that eats unborn babies. I'm sure that "Tiktik" has no English counterpart as it was featured in the U.S. TV series Grimm and they also refer to it as "tiktik". :grin:

Here's another one... Utak Lamok - A stupid person. "Lamok" is mosquito in English and "Utak" means brain, so literally it means mosquito brain. Butas ang bulsa - Referring to a person with no money. "Butas" is a hole in English while "bulsa" means pocket. So literally it means a pocket with a hole. So maybe it's the reason why that person has no money. I've encountered a lot of Tagalog idiomatic expressions before especially when talking to the elders (i.e. grandparents) in our family but somehow I can only recall a few. :grin:

Actually there are a few Filipino words that are not spelled the same way you hear them like "ng" (read as nang) and "mga" (read as manga - not the same as in mango fruit). By the way, "ng" is equivalent to the English "of". "Mga" on the other hand, indicates that a noun is plural. Ex. Girl = Babae while Girls = Mga babae. But I agree with you when you say that it's harder to speak Filipino than to spell it. :grin:

Oh I love this topic. :love: Here's mine: >> Play second fiddle - When you play second fiddle it's like taking a supporting role to the main character. >> Like a broken record - Refers to a person who repeatedly saying the same thing over and over again (like a broken record :grin:). and, >> Clean as a whistle - Usually refers to a person without any criminal record.

Actually the term "blowout" in the regular English language has really something to do with buying food to celebrate a special occasion like a birthday or promotion. But here in the Philippines, we use it to urge someone to buy food sometimes (or most times :grin:) regardless whether there's a special occasion or not. I think if he's an American and not Korean, he can more or less guess what it was.

I thought the topic is about idioms that sound funny like "when pig's fly". Anyway, thanks for sharing the videos guys. I agree that it's interestingly funny. :grin:

Nice sharing guys! When I think of color idioms, the first thing that comes to mind is "red letter day" which refers to a very special day. Like in calendars where special holidays usually come in red ink. Another one is "red tape" - usually refers to a long process (because of too many signatories needed, unnecessary formalities, etc.) involved when transacting with a government office. Ex. Because of red tape, It took me two long weeks before I was able to get my business permit. :grin:

Yes, I believe so like when referring to a very difficult puzzle or problem. Thanks Anyway, here's some more that I've thought of lately.. As cool as a cucumber - refers to someone who is not worried at all. Banana republic - refers to a small country (usually a third world country) that's largely dependent on a single crop/industry and at the same time having a very corrupt government. Breadwinner - refers to the member of the family that earns the most. Couch potato - refers to an extremely lazy person usually just stays in a couch watching TV while snacking on junk food. Forbidden fruit - refers to something that is both enjoyable and immoral at the same time.

Actually this is one of the few idioms that I frequently use. Now I'm wondering why I didn't remember it during my original posts. :confused: "Sleep with the fishes" - this is the first time I've learned about it. :grin: Anyway, here's another batch of death-related idioms: 1. Kill time - refers to doing something to amuse oneself while waiting to pass the time. 2. Dead meat - often use to threaten someone that they're going to be in trouble. Ex. You're dead meat if you betray me. 3. Play dice with death - when you do something that is extremely dangerous that can even get you killed. 4. Dead wrong - use to describe a person when he/she is absolutely and undeniably wrong.

Okay this topic was inspired by the "Murder" topic because when I saw that topic all I can think of were death-related idioms. I'll start with the following: Dead man walking - referring to a person who's in serious trouble and about to be punished. A matter of life and death - when we are referring to a situation that's extremely important. Never say die - It's like saying never lose hope. Sick to death - when you had enough of something and just can't take it anymore. Brush with death - refers to a situation where you almost died. Feel free to add yours.

This is the first one that came to mind when I saw this topic and I think it's also the most popular one. Anyway, here's mine.. I don't know if all will count though all of them has something to do with killing. :karate: Murder will out - means that a bad deed will always be discovered. Kill with kindness - to become excessively kind to someone. Knock em dead - it's like wishing someone good luck like when someone is about to go on stage. You'll say this to remind them to give their best performance.

Let's see... All hands on deck - when you want a full cooperation/attendance/participation of everyone. You're in good hands - when you want to assure someone that they're safe. To lend a hand - to help someone.

Here's some of my favorite war/weapons idioms: :karate: Battle of the bulge - Attempt to keep good figure. Battle of the sexes - Disagreement or conflict between the male and the female sex. Bring a knife to a gunfight - Going to someplace unprepared or badly prepared. Don't shoot the messenger - When you don't want to get blamed for delivering a bad news. A rank and file - Refers to an ordinary employee of a company. I guess that's all I have for now. :grin: