Sakshi Education
Idioms అంటే జాతీయాలని చెప్పవచ్చు. Englishలో పదాల్ని ఒక క్రమంలో పెడితే ఒక అర్థం వస్తుంది. దాన్నే idiom అంటాము. Idiomsకి చాలా వరకు origin (పుట్టుక) ఉంటుంది. కానీ చాలామంది తాము idiomsని వాడుతున్నామని తెలియకుండానే వాటిని వాడుతారు. చాలా సార్లు ఎలా వాడుకలోకి వచ్చాయో తెలియకుండానే వాడుతారు. Idioms భాషలో అంతర్లీన భాగం. Idioms అంటే సామెతలు కాదు. ఒక idiom గ్రామర్ ప్రకారం ఉండొచ్చూ, ఉండకపోవచ్చు.
దాదాపు అన్ని పోటీ పరీక్షల్లోనూ idiomsకు సంబంధించిన ప్రశ్నలు అడుగుతారు. కాబట్టి, ఈ శీర్షికలో వాటి గురించి కూడా తెలుసుకుందాం.
Examples:
దాదాపు అన్ని పోటీ పరీక్షల్లోనూ idiomsకు సంబంధించిన ప్రశ్నలు అడుగుతారు. కాబట్టి, ఈ శీర్షికలో వాటి గురించి కూడా తెలుసుకుందాం.
Examples:
- In the air: uncertain.
Names to be included in the Cabinet are in the air. - On all fours: He moved on all fours అంటే మోకాళ్లు, చేతుల మీద పాకాడనీ అర్థం.
- The apple of one's eye: something very precious to one (చాలా ఇష్టమైన)
Eg. Normally grand children will be the apple of the eye for grand parents. - Bag and baggage: with all portable belongings (తట్టా బుట్టతో) There is a similar idiom. But it originated from farming: Lock, stock, and barrel. Barrel for wine. Stock = hay (ఎండు గడ్డి), Lock = (తాళం కప్ప) He moved lock, stock and barrel.
- Beat about the bush: avoid to say directly (తిప్పి తిప్పి చెప్పడం)
Eg. Why do you beat about the bush. Say that directly. - Bed of roses: a comfortable living. (సుఖమైన జీవితం)
Eg. A high position is not bed of roses. - Birds of passage: A person who is consistently moving without a settled home. (వలస పక్షులు)
Eg. Software professionals are a kind of birds of passage. (అంటే క్రమం తప్పకుండా ఊళ్లు మారుతుంటారు) - a bolt from the blue: a sudden blow from the sky. [అకస్మాత్తుగా తగిలిన దెబ్బ blue denote sky]
Eg. The sudden switching of 8 MLAs of her party was a bolt from the blue to the CM of Bengal. - a black sheep: an innocent person who is blamed [బలి పశువుని చేయడం]
Eg. The innocent officer was made a black sheep for the corruption of the politicians. - once in a blue moon: a rare phenomenon [process]. Rarely the moon appears blue. The moon appears blue rarely due to dust particles.
Eg. The MLA visits his Constituency once in a blue moon. - born with a silver spoon: born in riches. [ధనవంతుల కుటుంబంలో పుట్టడం]. In colonial days, rich people used silver cutlery for dining.
Eg. Jawaharlal Nehru was born with a silver spoon. - bottle neck: obstruction. Just as free flow of water or material is obstructed at the neck of bottle, if someone or procedure delays or obstructs a process, we call it/him a bottle neck. [అవరోధకం].
Eg. Since that procedure was proving to be a bottleneck in providing succour [relief] to the farmers, the CM decided to remove it. - stick to one's guns - not changed his view point. [పట్టు వీడకపోవటం ]
Eg. In spite of threats, North Korean President stuck to his guns. D idiomను యుద్ధాల గురించి చెప్పే సందర్భంలో ఉపయోగించేవారు. ప్రాణాపాయంలో ఉన్నప్పటికీ సైనికుడిలా ఆయుధాన్ని విడవకపోవడం అని దీని అర్థం. - a storm in a tea cup - a petty matter blown big. The issue was very simple, like a storm in the cup. [టీ కప్పులో తుఫాను చిన్నదే ఉంటుంది. అలాంటి చిన్న విషయాల్ని పెద్దవిగా చెప్పడం]
- turn a Nelson's eye - turning a blind eye towards an issue. The government is turning a Nelson's eye towards the problems of the farmers. [పట్టించుకోకపోవడం ].
The phrase to turn a blind eye has its origin in the life of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was blinded in one eye early in his
Royal Navy career. కానీ అతడు ఆ విషయాన్ని దాచిపెట్టాడు. కనబడని కన్ను వైపు ఏమి జరుగుందో అతనికి తెలిసేది కాదు. ఉద్దేశ పూర్వకంగా ఆ విషయాల్ని నిర్లక్ష్యం చేస్తున్నాడని అనుకునేవారు. కాలక్రమేణా ఎవరైనా నిర్లక్ష్యం చేస్తే, దాన్ని "turning a Nelson's eye"గా పేర్కొనడంతో ఇది వాడుకలోకి వచ్చింది. - pay through the nose - to pay an exorbitant price ఎక్కువ ధర చెల్లించడం [అయిష్టంగా]
ఇది Irelandలో ఎక్కువ పన్నులు విధించిన సంఘటనఆధారంగా వచ్చిన idiom. Danes అనే రాజు Irelandను జయించిన తర్వాత, చాలా అధిక పన్నును విధించాడు. దానికి Nose Tax అనే పేరు వచ్చింది. - lion's share - అధిక వాటా (బలవంతంగా తీసుకొన్నది)
Eg: That MLA used to take Lion's share in the bribes of 'sand money' until his party lost in the elections. - bring to book - file a case against for investigation. Here book means Penal Code book. The government brought him to book in the case of money laundering.
- blow hot and cold - to be moody. Sometimes friendly and sometimes very rude. She is a strange person. She blows hot and cold very often.
- to run amuck - to run wild. The truck ran amuck and destroyed several parked vehicles and crushed the pedestrians. [ఉన్మాదంగా పరిగెత్తడం/ వెళ్లడం]
- red tape - administrative procedure which causes delay. Very often, several good projects do not fructify because of red tape. [Files కు కట్టే తాడు ఎర్ర రంగులో ఉంటుంది]
- to be in the same boat - to be equally placed. We realized that we are in the same boat. [ఒకటే పరిస్థితుల్లో ఉన్నాం]
- to be in doldrums - Low pressure areas around the Equator [భూమధ్యరేఖ] are called doldrums. There will be very little wind in this area. When ships were driven with the help of wind, sailors found it very difficult to move the ship in this area. Slowly the meaning now changed to "to be in difficult situation".
Eg. The firm is in doldrums. People fear that too many freebies [ఉచిత వరాలు] will drive the country into doldrums. - on the rocks - To be in difficult situation of a relationship or enterprise experiencing difficulties and likely to fail. It is also used in alcohol consuming way. (of a drink) Served undiluted and with ice cubes. This idiom also came from navigation of ships. In low tides, ships used to get caught on rocks, unable to move. They had to wait for the high tides to get out of the difficult situation.
Eg. (i) Their marriage is on the rocks.
(ii) The government in Karnataka is on the rocks currently.
(iii) Pakistan's economy is on the rocks! - by hook or crook (ఏదో ఒక పద్ధతిలో)-
This idiom has originated from boxing. Hook and Crook are the terms in boxing. Crook is hitting the opponent with elbow. Hook is hitting the opponent with force. This now means, getting the result by any means [often using force].
E.g. They want to win the election by hook or crook. - a snake in the grass -
a treacherous or deceitful person [మోసగాడు]
Eg. He is not to be trusted; he can prove to be a snake in the grass ultimately. - get cold feet - to become nervous
Eg. Their plan to rob the ATM could not take place as they developed cold feet in the last minute. - give a cold shoulder -
to ignore someone (ఉర్దూలో ‘అంజాన్’ కొట్టాడు అంటారు. పట్టించుకోక పోవడం) Modi gave a cold shoulder to CBN towards the last phase of his CM tenure. - wet blanket -
an undesirable thing/person
[ఎవరికీ అక్కరలేనిది/ వ్యక్తి]
Eg. Nobody is willing to guide him for his Ph.D. as he is a wet blanket.(academically poor.) - Achilles heel - a weak or vulnerable point [బలహీనత] This has its genesis (పుట్టుక) from Greek Mythology in which a mythological person Achilles had the only part of his body, (మడిమె) that was still vulnerable (గాయపడగల) after his mother had dipped him (holding him by the heel) into the River Styx. మన మహాభారతంలో గాంధారి వరం వలన దుర్యోధనుడికి తొడ భాగం తప్ప మిగతా శరీరం వజ్రతుల్యం అయినట్లు. ఈ రహస్యం తెలిసిన Paris అనే యోధుడు తన బాణాన్ని అక్కడికే గురిపెట్టి Achillesను Battle of Troyలో సంహరిస్తాడు.
- Trojan horse - (cause of destruction) The Trojan Horse is a story from the Trojan War about the wooden horse that the Greeks used to enter the independent city of Troy and win the war. After a fruitless 10-year siege [Ð]l¬rtyìl], the Greeks designed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside including Odysseus, who emerged out of it in the night and opened the gates of the city. This is now used as something that leads to the destruction.
Eg. The M.D. realize upon that section head too much; he may prove to be his Trozan Horse ultimately. - head over shoulders - [తల మునకలుగా]
Eg. He fell in love with her head over shoulders. - rip off - (too expensive) చాలా ఖరీదైన
Eg. The sofa is good. But the price is a rip off. - mumbo jumbo - (To call something total nonsense) Words or activities that seem complicated or mysterious but have no real meaning:
Eg. You don't believe in horoscopes or vastu. You feel all that is mumbo jumbo, don't you? - icing on the cake - (something additional that changes good to better) Normally icing (powdered sugar mixed with cream) is put on the top of the cakes for extra taste and look. If anything is given extra than the promised one, it would mean 'icing on the cake'.
Eg. The new employer offered him a good package, and also provided him accommodation. It was like an icing on the cake. - hammer and tongs - If you say that someone was going at something hammer and tongs, you mean that they were doing it with great enthusiasm or energy. అంటే, అన్ని ఉపకరణాల్ని ఉపయోగించి పనిచేయడం
- a needle in a haystack - something that is difficult/impossible to find because it is hidden among many other things. గడ్డి వాములో సూదిని వెతకటమంత కష్టమని అర్థం
- grass roots - at the most basic level of an organization మూలాల నుంచి. Eg. It is time that Congress Party started rebuilding itself from grass root levels.
- out of the woods - out of danger Eg. The government is out of the woods because it is able to produce adequate food from its own resources. కష్టాల నుంచి బయటపడటం.
- to nip something in the bud - to put an end to something before it has the chance to grow out of hand and into a problem. మొగ్గ దశలోనే తుంచి వేయడం అని అర్థ్ధం.
Eg. We should nip his rebellious attitude in the bud itself. - think outside the box = to think creatively with a new and different perspective (సృజనాత్మకంగా, నూతన పంథాలో ఆలోచించడం)
Eg. Unless you think outside the box, you may not be able to solve this puzzle. - to let the cat out of the bag =
to reveal a secret (రహస్యాన్ని బట్టబయలు చేయడం)
Eg. The new MLA let the cat out of the bag and therefore the government's new taxation policy was in the public before the budget presentation. - walking on egg shells = trying not to offend someone or do anything wrong.
Eg. We have to walk on eggshells. The company is downsizing (reducing) the staff. - biting off more than one could chew = trying to do more than one can do (మింగలేనంత నోట్లో పెట్టుకోవడం) మోయలేనంత నెత్తిమీద పెట్టుకోవడం
Eg. Some government projects are just like biting off more than one could chew. - a tough cookie = a very determined person (often difficult to handle (కొరుకుడు పడని వ్యక్తి )
Eg. It may not be possible to convince him. He is a tough cookie. - call it a day = stop working on something
Eg. Since it was drizzling heavily, the umpires decided to call it a day. [stopped the play for the day] - at the drop of a hat = without any second thought or hesitation.
Eg. When we asked him if he would go with us for the movie, he volunteered at the drop of a hat. - costs an arm and leg = very expensive.
Eg. Having a lunch at Taj Falaknuma Palace, costs an arm and leg.(Rs 10,000 + GST + tips per person) - fat chance = incredibly unlikely to occur. That means no chance.
Eg. Pakistan using nuclear weapons is a fat chance. - in stitches = to laugh so hard that you are not able to control yourself; to double over from laughter (పొట్ట చెక్కలయ్యేటట్టు)
Eg. The movie was so hilarious (హాస్యభరితంగా) that everyone was in stitches. - to go dutch - share equally, esp at restaurants 'going dutch' (written with lower-case dutch) అంటే, చేసిన ఖర్చును సమానంగా పంచుకోవడం. ఇది ఒక మంచి అలవాటు.
- at the drop of a hat - without any hesitation; (తక్షణమే) instantly. e.g. He accepted the new position at the drop of a hat.
- back to the drawing board ఒక ప్రయత్నం ఫలించక పోతే, మళ్లీ తొలి నుంచి మొదలు పెట్టడం
Eg. When the experiment failed even a second time, the group of engineers went back to the drawing board to find out what went wrong. - burn the midnight oil - To work late into the night. కరెంటు లేని రోజుల్లో వచ్చిన idiom ఇది.
Eg. He burnt midnight oil to get through the preliminary exam of the UPSC Civils exams. - can't judge a book by its cover - Cannot judge something primarily on appearance.
Eg. We should not judge anyone by his clothes or appearance, just as we can't judge a book by its cover. - a dime a dozen - several easily available ఎక్కడబడితే అక్కడే
Eg. Now-a-days, engineers are available, a dozen a dime in India. - blessing in disguise - a setback which ultimately works out for our good
Eg. He did not get the job in that office; but it worked out as a blessing in disguise, as he got a much better offer. - cut corners - economize
Eg. With increased fuel and food prices, we have to cut corners to live debt free. - best of both worlds - want every advantage
Eg. Some people are very greedy. They want best of both worlds. Eg. "You can get this item for cheap, but you'll have to compromise on quality. You cannot have the best of both worlds.'' Buy this house, you can get best of both worlds - rural greenery and urban amenities - the straw that broke the camel's back - saturation point దీని సామెత ‘It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back", అంటే చూడటానికి చిన్నది అయినా ఊహించని విధంగా పెద్ద ఫలితం. ఇది చిన్న చిన్న పనుల వల్ల జమ కూడిన ఫలితం. (cumulative effect of small actions).
Eg. The worker tolerated his employer's outbursts for several months. Ultimately, a little insulting comment by his employer acted like a straw that broke the camel's back.
‘ తెలుగులో నిండు బండికి చేట బరువు‘ అనే సామెత లాగ. - to go berserk: erupt in furious rage, become crazily violent.
Eg. When the politician knew that he was losing the election, he went berserk and broke the furniture around. విపరీతమైన కోపం తెచ్చుకొంటూ, దాదాపు ఉన్మాదిలాగా - a bull in a china shop: a person who breaks things or who often makes mistakes or causes damage in situations that require careful thinking or behaviour. [The phrase comes from literally imagining a bull in a shop that sells crockery, also known as china. The expression is said to have originated in 1800's in America in Frederick Marryat's novel called "Jacob Faithful".]
- stir a hornet's nest: to cause a lot of trouble కందిరీగల తుట్టను కదిలించినట్లు
Eg. Thinking of removing reservations in India, would be stirring a hornet's nest. - golden handshake: a big sum of money given to an employee at the time of leaving or retiring
Eg. The company wanted to reduce its expenditure on staff. So, they decided to give a golden handshake to senior employees. - break the ice: to initiate a social conversation or interaction, eg. After travelling for more than 4 hours, the passengers sitting in the same row broke the ice and chatted for a long time.
Published date : 21 Jun 2019 05:36PM
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