Invent an Idiom

[LinguistCat]

No conlang for the Tarn yet but their translation would likely be phrased "To swim with a(n ocean) current."

To not understand something as well as one thought one did.

[Ulan]

tzoi/chuj
dsoq wata dolmasi
"Ears stuffed of Cotton"

next:
To laugh untill milk comes out of your nose

[Soap]

pumblup taerep "to laugh until you wet yourself" or pumblup vovwap "to laugh until you feel pain" for a more polite form. Laughing is considered an emotion in Poswob culture so the word 'pumblup' really is more like 'to feel laughingness (pumblu)'.



next: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" ... that's more a proverb than an idiom, I think it could be translated into one though.

[masako]

next: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" ... that's more a proverb than an idiom, I think it could be translated into one though.

Yep.

[Ulan]

"quze mamuq gnosusu kopa, tzadseplu"

If you are in gnossus, dance

Gnossus is known for its parades and festivals


next: on the tip of the tongue

[WanderlustKoko]

on the tip of the tongue

Kuma: Ūlū na kālu /movement in isolation/ [lit. Unable to release the words from one's head to one's mouth/Head cut off from the mouth]

Next: Anonymous

[Risla]

SE: xamatárem-, lit. "faceless"

Next word: sharp

[Soap]

The Pabappa cover-all word for sharp things is derived from a phrase meaning "to push with one's beak", said of birds such as woodpeckers. That is as close to an idiom as I can think of but really it isn't. But this thread seems to be struggling lately so I'll do it. The word is spelled papim, from papi- "push, bump, brush against" and -m "beak" (a fossilized morpheme, not used by itself anymore). The parent language form was baka nūm, and only had the literal meaning of pushing something with a beak. bakanūm > bakanwum > bakabwum > bakabum > bakeum > bakium > bakim > bašim > bafim > pafim > papim.

next: to "Yeltsin"; named after Boris Yeltsin's 'invasion' of Serb-held Kosovo in 1999, apparently an attempt to pretend to be invading in order to be considered part of the winning side of the war and thus be granted a section of Kosovo to oversee in the subsequent treaty. Can be interpreted literally or very broadly, e.g.


"look at Ava trying to Yeltsin her way into getting a car by imitating her older sister"

[Jadyndar]

to "Yeltsin"

Thread necromancy time!

I'm going to try condensing the meaning of this one to "to pretend to do good in order to obtain a reward". So...

éggáukhthí wúm úshújáirgjǿ (únánẽi óhríkj) - "to give alms to a (disguised) prostitute"

Next idiom: troll (in the Internet sense, noun)

[----]

In the rainforests where the Lapan live, there is an insect called a zéso which is similar to a mosquito. They often use this word to refer to irritating or antagonistic people, because the insects are inedible and tend to fly around and buzz loudly; so they're completely useless to the Lapan people. In the event that the Lapan happened to come in contact with modern technology they would definitely use this word to refer to 'trolls' on the internet.

Next: furious, fuming with rage

[maıráí]

NoNameLang:

cháká só (jíí'í) nuturosho teii - to hold a torch (too) close to oneself.

The too part implies that the person has no reason to be so angry.


next: someone who works quickly and/or someone who works quickly (and sloppily) to get off early

[Torco]

boomb?

[Jerian]

NoNameLang:

cháká só (jíí'í) nuturosho teii - to hold a torch (too) close to oneself.

The too part implies that the person has no reason to be so angry.


next: someone who works quickly and/or someone who works quickly (and sloppily) to get off early

In Zarian, my first and favourite conlang:

sô selra tilok ánsiy.

literally translates to: he acts like a fish
(fish being slippery, always trying to escape your grip)

next: someone who frequently lies, and others often believe his lies

[Herr Dunkel]

next: someone who frequently lies, and others often believe his lies

Ktarh: "Serenæseakarh-asa ktai" = "Like a well-hidden Akarh"

Since the Kti are very much xenophobic and racist and prone to labeling shit left and right, the Akih are stereotypically liars, pickpockets, purse-diggers, bag-naggers, looters and in general, from our (human) point of view, a rag-tag bunch that is morally far better and nicer than the Ktarh military, whose officers are trained in carrying out genocide, scorch-the-earth tactics, making improvised dirty bombs (when no water-based poisons in the vicinity) and ruthless fighting methods (human shields and the we-have-reserves line of thought), and is equipped with everything ranging from corpse processors, strip-mining equipment and special weaponised chimera virii.

next: to do something horrible that you don't see boomeranging back to hurt you but most certainly will

[Christopher Schröder]

next: to do something horrible that you don't see boomeranging back to hurt you but most certainly will

Doun lich thoch Teu ainauyen sinde.
Literally "To act as though God were one-eyed."

Next: to overeat oneself

[Thry]

Next: to overeat oneself

S'en mangyar fast el plat.
"To eat up until the plate."

Next: to be so hungry that you'll overeat yourself.

[Jipí]

That reminds me, German parents may be heard to order their kids to "eat your plate up". This may also be understood as a request to literally eat the plate itself, though. IIRC there was a toothpaste commercial some years ago that played on this polysemy, so the kid in the ad really ate his plate, which he could, because the toothpaste made his teeth strong enough blah blah etc.

[Thry]

That reminds me, German parents may be heard to order their kids to "eat your plate up". This may also be understood as a request to literally eat the plate itself, though.

That's a common linguistic feature[?] (recurso literario, can't translate into English sorry) in which you replace the content for the container. "Drink your glass" is similar.

In my conlang, though, I forgot to mention, "fast" is both until and even, like Spanish hasta and Portuguese até, so the idiom works by exaggerating that you're eating up to and even the plate.

[Jipí]

Well, it's a metonymy: the container stands collectively for its contents. And as a trope it's figurative speech, so that the meaning of the expression is metaphorical rather than literal, however, you may choose to understand it literally for comic effect.

[Thry]

Well, it's a metonymy in a way: the container stands collectively for its contents.

Oh yea, thanks for the name.
The other word I was looking for is "figure of speech".

[Herr Dunkel]

Well, it's a metonymy: the container stands collectively for its contents. And as a trope it's figurative speech, so that the meaning of the expression is metaphorical rather than literal, however, you may choose to understand it literally for comic effect.

I doubt people would melt down glass and drink it just to spite their parents.

[Thry]

Well, it's a metonymy: the container stands collectively for its contents. And as a trope it's figurative speech, so that the meaning of the expression is metaphorical rather than literal, however, you may choose to understand it literally for comic effect.

I doubt people would melt down glass and drink it just to spite their parents.

Molten glass sure is healthier than most of the shit we drink in refreshments.

[Jerian]

ANYWAYS I'd like to get back on track.

Next: to be so hungry that you'll overeat yourself.

Terva uk meundá tilok uk Gesinth'id terva uk mogár'tár

Translates to: Want food like a Jesinthian wants mogarthium (Mogarthium being a radioactive substance used for fuel, mostly used in Jesinth). Essentially, Jesinthians like their mogarthium.


Next: realize you're wrong, but continue arguing anyways

[clawgrip]

Next: realize you're wrong, but continue arguing anyways

Himmaswa:
met yuk heat - speaking with one's mouth removed

Next: to be gullible

[Jipí]

realize you're wrong, but continue arguing anyways

1. Ya sipicāng burangas penung pang.
   LOCT drive-3SM.A animal-P stable-T beyond
   'He drives an animal/animals past the stable.'
2. Ang sica lajāy sobayās peynamya yana.
   AT stab-3SM student-T teacher-P belly-LOC 3SM.GEN
   'The student stabs a/the teacher into his belly.'

Next: The awkward feeling when you realize you've gotten up early all in vain.