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The Plain English Meanings of
Turkish Idioms
'K'

We know you've seen reference books written for
English speakers about English and American Idioms.
And you may have seen books for Turkish speakers on the same subject.
You may even have seen books for
Turkish speakers about Turkish Idioms -- all in Turkish.
But have you ever seen
a reference for English speakers about Turkish Idioms?
Well, when we couldn't find one after looking for seven years,
we decided to do-it-ourselves.
Observe our sampling just for Turkish idioms that begin
with the letter

K.

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Site visitors may navigate to other Turkish Idioms pages using the
House-Favorite Idioms Page Index.

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Turkish Idioms beginning with the letter K

The Turkish

The Literal English Meaning The 'Plain' English Meaning Comments and Examples
Ka 
kabak başına/başında patlamak for a squash to explode to/on the headto bear the brunt of sth; to catch the blame for sthBu olaylarda onların suçu vardı. Ama kabak yine benim başımda patladı... In these matters, they are the guilty parties. But I'm getting the blame again...
See illustration below.

Who catches the blame?
Not the Goverment nor the Bureaucrats, but the Citizenry...
(in front of the Improprieties Research Commission)

Illustration by Ergin Asyalı
with thanks to Gözcü Gazetesi, 23 June 2003
kabak tadı vermek to give the flavor of squash (the vegetable)
  • to become boring or uninteresting
  • for sth to lose its appeal
  • Ahmet'in askerlik hikayeleri, artık bana kabak tadı verdi.102 Ahmet's war stories have finally started to bore me.
  • Yeter artık, kabak tadı verdin!105 That's enough of that, you've become boring!
  • kabul etmek to do/make acceptance
  • to accept (as); consent (to); agree (to); to acquiesce (in)
  • to receive (sb)
  • 1299 yılı Osmanlı'nın bağımsızlık, dolayısıyla da kuruluş yılı kabul edilmişti. 1299 has been accepted as the year of independence, and consequently, the founding year of the Ottoman [Empire]. Hürriyet Gazetesi, 7 September 2003
    Kaçırmayın!
    Don't help (sb/sth) escape!Don't miss it![Used when talking or advertising about a TV show, a movie, etc.]Also see
    Sakın kaçırmayın!
    kafa tutmak

    to hold headto challenge, defy (sb/sth)Bir sıkımlık canı var, herkese kafa tutuyor.

    He's such a weakling, [but even so] he challenges everyone.

    kahramanlar kahramanı the hero of heroesthe very most heroic;
    a super-hero
    See Category 1 and 6, Turkish doublets.
    kaldı ki

    he/she/it remains thatmoreoverKaldı ki açık denizler yıllanmış gemicilere bile boyun eğdirir. Moreover, the open seas even humiliate experienced sailors.


    Also see...
    kaldı ki at the 'Conjunction Celebration'.
    [-ı/-i] kaleme almak to take to the pencilto write out, draw up, put down on paperSee example sentence at:
    foyası meydana çıkmak.
    kaleminden kan damlamak
    to drip blood from the pencil
  • to write effectively and movingly
  • to write things that bring tears to one's eyes
  • Kaleminden kan damlayan köşe yazarlarını sevmiyorum.102 I don't like newspaper columnists who [try to] bring tears to the eyes.
    kalıplaşmış

    stereotyped(a) cliché Öyleyse ikilemeleri oluşturan sözcükler, ancak belirli bir sıraya göre kalıplaşmış olarak kullanılabilirler. In that case, words that form 'doublets' may be called clichés -- but only if they are in a specific order.
    Mehmet Hengirmen, Turkish Grammar

    kalleşlik etmek to do/make treacheryto leave sb in the lurch, to stab sb in the back; to play a dirty trick on sb...her fırsatta Türkiye'ye kalleşlik yapmayı, arkadan vurmayı alışkanlık haline getiren Almanya'nın AB temsilcisini... ...the German Representative to the EU who habitually hits Turkey from behind and stabs Turkey in the back... Gözcü Gazetesi, 4 July 2003
    kambersiz/kanbersiz düğün olmaz (olur mu?)
    Note: In this idiom, except at the beginning of a sentence, there is no need to capitalize Kamber/Kanber (a man's name) -- because it has become part of the vernacular.
    The wedding isn't possible without Kamber/Kanber.Of course, he/she cannot be left out or passed over.
    • Yine sen buradasın, kambersiz düğün olmaz.99 Here you are again. Nothing goes on without you.
    • Person A: Nesrin'i partiye çağırdın mı?
      Person B: Elbette, o benim en yakın arkadaşım. Kambersiz düğün olur mu?
      102
      Person A: Did you invite Nesrin to the party?
      Person B: Of course... She's my closest friend. Do you think I'd throw a party without her?

    Coming soon...
    The Rest of the Idiom Story
    kanına girmekto enter to blood
    • to have blood on one's hands
    • to deflower a young woman
    • to damage, destroy
    Boş yere o kadar Müslüman'ın kanına girdi. He spilled a lot of Muslim blood in vain. The Illustrated Story of Barbarossa, by Orhan and Erhan Dündar (1996)
    kaparo yatırmak to put earnest money to bedto make a down-paymentFiyatı henüz kesinleşmeyen ama 470 bin Euro olması beklenen otomobil için Türkiye'den bir müşterinin kaparosunu yatırdığı ve muhtemelen yılbaşında otolmobili alacağı öğrenildi. It's been learned that a customer from Turkey has paid the down-payment and will probably take possesion at New Year's time of [a new Mercedes model] automobile (that is expected to cost 470 thousand Euros but which doesn't yet have a definite final price-tag). Hürriyet Gazetesi, 10 September 2003
    kara gün dostu

    black day frienda foul-weather friend (a friend you can count on, even in 'foul-weather')Ben ak gün dostu değilim. Kara gün dostuyum. I'm not a fair-weather friend. I'm a friend in foul-weather [too].

    Karadenizde gemilerin mi battı?

    Have your ships sunk in the Black Sea?
    • Are you depressed?
    • Are you upset about something?
    May be used as shown...
    Karaman'ın koyunu, sonra çıkar oyunu.
    Note: Any person's name may be substituted for 'Karaman' above...

    It's a sheep from Karaman, the trick will come out later.
    • There's something doubtful about this [person]. You'd better watch out.
      • Said about a person who may say one thing but do another.
      • Said about someone who may try to pull the wool over your eyes.
    Dikkat et... Lorenzo'nun koyunu, sonra çıkar oyunu.
    Be careful... Lorenzo seems nice enough on the surface, but you can't be sure of his motives.


    Click following for:
    The Rest of the Idiom Story!
    karar vermek to give a decision
  • to decide
  • to arrive at a decision
  • Yeni iş arayışına giriştiklerinde, zevk için girdikleri ve harikalar yarattıkları mutfaklarda mutluluğu bulunca, aşçılığı meslek edinmeye karar verdiler. When they began searching for new work, and when they found pleasant entrance (possibilities) and happiness in producing wonders in the kitchen, they decided to take up the profession of chef. Gözcü Gazetesi, 6 May 2003
    (See photo-article at left.)
    karda gezip (yürüyüp) izini belli etmemek

    to walk on snow and not leave an obvious footprint/trace
    • to do something 'inappropriate' with an expertise and in such a way that no one will know about it
    • to do something secretly without anyone knowing intuitively
    • to cover your tracks when you do something inappropriate
  • Çok kurnaz, karda gezip (yürüyüp) izini belli etmiyor. She's very cunning, she walks on snow and doesn't leave a trace.

  • Aşık olan karda gezer, izini belli etmez. The lover walks in snow without leaving obvious traces. (A true lover is always discreet.) Turkish Proverb87
  • karga tulumba etmek/götürmek

    to do/carry
    crow pump
    • for several people to grab and then lift another person into the air
    • for several people to carry someone by force
    Newspaper Headline: Ahlaksız soyguncu adliyeye karga tulumba götürüldü! A churlish highway-robber was carried by force to the courthouse. Gözcü Gazetesi, 9 December 2001

    karın deşen JackJack who stabs in the belly'Jack the Ripper' 
    karman çorman

    Note: Neither of these words alone have any meaning.

    ... ...in utter confusion, in complete disarray, very messy 
    Karun kadar mal sahibi olmak

    to be as rich as Karun (a man mentioned in the Koran who may be Croesus)to as rich as CroesusBu adam Karun kadar mal sahibi olduğu halde son derece cimriydi. This man who was as rich as Karun/Croesus, was extremely stingy. Ömer Seyfettin, Diyet, pg 12

    [-i/-ı] kasıp kavurmak to take in and roast
    1. to tyrannize, oppress, terrorize, dominate
    2. to ruin, destroy

    The show must go on...

    Left click for image enlargement.
  • Amerikalı Rap şarkıcı Lil Kim'in askısı kayınca şarkısını ortada kalan göğüslerini kapatmadan söyledi. Şimdi 'açık göğüs' akımının sahneleri kasıp kavurması bekleniyor. When American Rapper Lil Kim's strap slipped, she rapped [the rest of] her number without covering her breasts that were in plain view. Now, the 'open breast' trend is expected to dominate stage performances.
    Gözcü Gazetesi, 21 June 2003
    (See photo-article at left.)
  • Bütün Türkiye'yi kasıp kavuran hava sıcaklıkları İstanbul'da yerini yağmur ve serin havaya bıraktı. The hot weather (that has oppressed all of Turkey) has been replaced in Istanbul by rain and cool (temperatures). Gözcü Gazetesi, 5 September 2003
  • kaş yapayım derken göz çıkarmak
    Also seen as:
    kaş yaparken göz çıkarmak
    .
    to pluck out an eye while saying, "I'll do the eyebrow." to make matters worse while trying to be helpfulBilmediğin işe karışma! Radyoyu tamir edeceğim diye tamamen bozma! Kaş yapayım derken, göz çıkarma. 102 Don't get involved in a job you know nothing about. Don't break the radio completely saying you'll repair it. You'll make matters worse trying to be helpful.
    kaşla göz arasında

    between eye and eyebrow
    • in a flash
    • in a split second
    • in the blinking of an eye
    • in a very short time
    Kaşla göz arasında soyulmuşlar. They were robbed in the blinking of an eye.

    kavgaya tutuşmak for argument to catch fireto begin quarreling with each otherIMF'nin bir dediğini iki etmeyen AKP hükümeti, çiftçiden doktora kadar hiç kimseyle uzlaşamıyor. Sorunlara çözüm bulacağına toplumun her kesimiyle kavgaya tutuştu. The AKP government (which has fulfilled every wish of the IMF), can't reach an understanding with anyone [of the social groups in Turkey] -- from farmers to doctors. They've begun quarreling with every sector of the society that could help resolve problems. Gözcü Gazetesi, 15 July 2003
    kayıtsız şartsız without enrollment without conditionunconditionally, with no reservations whatsoever, with no strings attachedAncak bu istem politikası yüzünden, İngiltere dışında ülkeler tarafından kayıtsız şartsız kabul görmedi. But this demand was not accepted (did not see acceptance) unconditionally by countries other than the UK (England) because of politics. Globus Magazine, 'Special Edition', April 2003
    kazaya rıza

    consent to accidentsubmission to one's fateKazaya rızadan başka çare yoktu. There was nothing he could do but submit to his fate. Ömer Seyfettin, Diyet, pg 11

    kazık atmak; kazık atmamak

    • to throw stake
    • to not throw stake
    • to cheat, swindle, to sell something at an exorbitant price
    • not to do those things (above)
    Antalya Tayla Oteli'nin ayakkabı boyacısı "Turiste atılan kazık ülkeye atılmış sayılır" diyor. The shoeshine man at the Tayla Hotel in Antalya says, "You rip off the country when you rip off the tourists. Story by Tuğrul Saritas (DHA), Gözcü Gazetesi, 6 May 2002

    Kazın ayağı öyle değil. The goose's foot is not like that.
  • It not like that at all.
  • The truth of the matter is quite a different thing.
  • Sen öyle sanıyorsun ama kazın ayağı öyle değil.105 That's what you think, but the truth of the matter is quite a different thing.
    Ke 
    keçileri kaçırmak to help the goats escape
  • to go crazy
  • to go into a mad frenzy
  • Oturduğum eski evin her yanında akrep, yılan ve fareler vardı. Biraz daha o evde kalsaydım, keçileri kaçıracaktım.102 In the old house that I lived in, there were scorpions, snakes, and mice everywhere. If I'd stayed in that house a little longer, I was going to go crazy.
    kel başa şimşir tarak (yakışmamak) a boxwood comb (inappropriate) to a bald headIn these circumstances, this expensive thing is completely out of place (inappropriate).Kızım sana da hayret ediyorum, ayağına giyecek ayakkabın yok, gidip ipek çorap alıyorsun. Kel başa şimşir tarak yakışır mı hiç?99 You astonish me, daughter... You don't even have shoes to wear and you go and buy yourself silk stockings. In your circumstances, isn't that kind of expenditure completely inappropriate?
    Coming soon...
    The Rest of the Idiom Story
  • kelleyi koltuğa almak
  • kellesini koltuğuna almak
  • to take the head to the armpit
  • to take on a job, even if it involves a risk to your life
  • to take one's life into one's hands
  • Biz kelleyi koltuğa alıp bu ihtilali öyle yaptık. We took our lives in our hands and carried out this revoltion, like so.102
    kendi halinde

    as self
    • quiet and inoffensive, innocuous (person)
    • simple-minded
    Kendi halinde biridir; başına vur, lokmasını agzından al.

    He's [quite] simple-minded, anyone can take advantage of him.

    kendimi bildim bileli from even I knew myselffor as long as I've known myself  
    kendini toplamak/toparlamak
    to gather yourself together
  • to put your life and affairs in order (again)
  • to prepare yourself carefully for a serious task
  • Cengiz, kalp ameliyatından iki ay sonra kendini topladı. Because of his [upcoming] heart operation in two months, Cengiz got his critical affairs in order [in case he died during the operation].102
  • Artık bu saçma işleri bırak, kendini toplayıp çalışmaya başla. Drop these silly activities now... Prepare yourself (for a serious task) and [then] start working [on it].102
  • kendini tutmak to hold oneselfto maintain one's self controlSee example sentence at:
    yerle bir etmek.
    kene gibi yapışmak
    to stick like a tick (the blood-sucking insect)(for an annoying person) not to give (one) a minute's peaceÖff! Bu Ayşe de bana kene gibi yapıştı. Ben nereye gitsem o da peşimden geliyor. Oof! This girl Ayşe doesn't give me a minute's peace (...sticks to me like a tick). She follows behind me where ever I go.102
    kesenin ağzını açmak to open the mouth of the bath gloveto begin to spend money more freelyTuristik oteller kesenin ağzını açtı; Touristic hotels begin to spend money more freely (for staff, advertising, etc. -- as vacation bookings sky-rocket). Headline of an article in Gözcü Gazetesi, 17 May 2003
     
    kılını (bile) kıpırdatmamak (oynatmamak) not to move (even) a hairnot to show any interest (in sb/sth), to appear completely unmoved (by sb/sth), not to bat an eyelash5 ay içerisinde kullanılması lazım! Deprem konusunda kılını kıpırdatmayan hükümet, Japonların gönderdiği krediye henüz el sürmedi. 5 ay daha el sürülmediği takdirde kredisi yerine hava alacağız. It [the Japanese credit] must be used within the next 5 months! The [Turkish] government (which has shown no interest in the earthquake subject) still hasn't touched the credit that was sent by the Japanese. In 5 more months, instead of credit we'll end up getting nothing (...get 'thin air') -- in 'appreciation' for not having touched it. The headline and caption of an article in Gözcü Gazetesi, 22 July 2003
    kırıta kırıta yürümek
    (Note: all the following idioms have a similar meaning... kurum satarak yürümek, kasılarak yürümek, caka satarak azametle yürümek, hoplayıp zıplamak. )
    to walk coquettishly, flirtatiouslysame meaning...Genç kız, güzelliğini beğendiği için, arkadaşının önünde kırıta kırıta yürümeye başladı. The young girl, to get approval of her beauty, started strutting around flirtatiously in front of her friend.
    kırılan cevizler bini geçtithe broken walnuts are past a thousandyour faults are past endurance 
    kırk bir kere maşallah Also seen as:
    kırk bir buçuk maşallah
  • forty-one times, maşallah
  • forty-one and a half, maşallah
  • Both versions of this idiom have the following possible meanings:
  • May no harm befall him/her/it!
  • Great! Let's hope that (good) news continues!
  • Super! I hope he/she/it keeps progressing in that (good) way!
    Reserve the use of this idiom for special, out of the ordinary occasions or situations.
  • Koca: Dün borsa çok iyi çıktı!
    Karı: Kırk bir kere maşallah!
    Husband: The stock market went up a lot yesterday!
    Wife: That's fantastic! Let's hope it keeps on rising!
    kırk dereden su getirmek
    Also see:
    bin dereden su getirmek.
    to bring water from forty brooksto make all sorts of excusesKırk dereden su getirdi, işin içinden sıyrıldı.103 He made all sorts of excuses and managed to escape from a difficult situation.
    kıyamet kopmak for doomsday to break off
  • for all hell to break loose
  • for the end of the world to come
  • İsveç usulü Big Brother evinin her yerinde kamera var. İzleyiciler yarışmacıları banyo yaparken bile izliyor. Bu görüntüler bizde yayınlansa kıyamet kopar. In the Swedish-style 'Big Brother' ('reality' TV program) there are cameras everywhere in the house. Viewers even watch while the contestants bathe. If these images were broadcast to us [in Turkey], all hell would break loose. Gözcü Gazetesi, 4 July 2003
    (See photo-article at left.)
    Ko 
    kol gezmekto wander the arm
    • (for a guard) to patrol the area
    • (for a thief) to prowl around and check out the area
    Bunlar şehir subaşının adamları; dizdarlardı. Kol geziyorlardı. These men were from the police superintendent; they were constables. They were patrolling the area. Ömer Seyfettin, Diyet
    kol kanat olmak/germekarm wingto take someone under protective care, under one's 'wing'Sağ olun, kötü günde kol kanat oldunuz bana. Thanks, you took me under your wing during my bad times.
    Kolay gelsin... Let it come easily...
    • Take it easy, m'friend...
    • Let [what you're working on] come easily [for you].
      This is a very common, friendly and polite expression. [Said, for example, to any person who is working (or about to start working) as you approach to talk to him/her, or as you pass within hearing distance of him/her -- for any kind of work project (mental or physical), in any walk of life (from President to pauper).]
    This phrase is used on its own -- and, if you listen carefully, you'll hear it used very often in Turkey.
    kolları sıvamak
    Also see
    paçaları sıvamak.
    to plaster the arms
  • to get ready to do something
  • to roll up one's sleeves
  • Nişanlısı Ben Affleck ile 14 Eylül'de dünyaevine girmeye hazırlanan Jennifer Lopez, düğünün ayrıntılarını basına sızdıran 'Köstebeği' bulmak için kolları sıvadı. Jennifer Lopez (who has been preparing to marry her fiancé Ben Affleck on 14 September) has [now] rolled up her sleeves in order to find 'the mole' who leaked her wedding details to the news media. Gözcü Gazetesi, 8 September 2003
    komik duruma düşmekto fall to a comic conditionto be laughed at, ridiculedKöyün en zeki adamları iddiayı kaybedip komik duruma düştüler. The smartest guys in the village have lost the bet and been ridiculed.
    [-ın/-in] koynuna girmek to enter the bosomto go to bed with sb (and have consensual sexual relations)
    Claims and
    counter claims...


    Left click for enlarged photo article.
    Kızı sınıfta kalmasın diye öğretmenin koynuna girdi! [A mother in Konya claims that] the [male] teacher went to bed with her daughter after promising that he would pass her to the next grade (...saying that her daughter wouldn't remain in that school class/form/grade). Article headline appearing in Gözcü Gazetesi, 8 October 2004 (See photo-article at left.)
    kozunu paylaşmak to share a chanceto (forcibly) settle accounts with (sb)
  • Onunla kozunu paylaşmak istiyordu.99 She was wanting to settle accounts with him...
  • Gün gelecek, kozumuzu palaşacağız!105 The day will come, and we'll settle our accounts (then)!
  • Kozumuzu paylaşacağımız günü iple çekiyorum, görsün bakalım.100 I'm anxiously awaiting our settlement day, just you wait and see.
  •  
    kör kadı
    blind [Muslim] judgeone who speaks out directly to people's faces, who tells the truth without consideration for anyone's feelings, who doesn't moderate his/her wordsOnun burnunu kırmak için kör kadı olmak gerekir. Oldum amma bu kadar doğrunun olmaz ki tadı. Selamün aleyküm behey kör kadı! M.A. Ersoy99 In order to really put him in his place, someone had to speak out without caring about the consequences (someone had to be a a blind Muslim judge). I did [the job], but it wasn't pleasant [to have to deliver] that much truth. [Let me introduce myself,] say hello to a blind Muslim judge!
    kör kütükblind tree-trunk[blind, stinking] drunkKör kütük yaşlı sarhoş adamla çocuklar alay ettiler. The kids teased the old drunk man.
    kör şeytan/talih
    blind devil/luckbad luckKör talih. Yine yüz çevirdi bize. It's [our] bad luck. He's broken off relations with us again.
    See illustrative example at
    Al benden de o kadar.
    kör topalblind lame
    • after a fashion
    • in a half-assed way
    İşlerimiz fena değil; kör topal yürütüyoruz. Our business is not bad; we're carrying on in a half-assed way.
    Körün istediği bir göz, Allah verdi iki göz.
    Note: This colloquialism serves as both an idiom and a proverb.
    It was one eye that the blind person wanted, but God gave him/her two eyes.
  • I've been (he/she has been) blessed with more than was expected.
  • This is much more than I/he/she could have hoped for.
  • Used as is.
    See illustrative political cartoon below from Gözcü Gazetesi, 22 August 2003.
    .
    köşe bucak corner corner(in) every nook and crannyÇok sevdiğim kalemimi köşe bucak aradımsa da bulamadım. Even if I searched in every nook and cranny for my favorite pen, I [still] couldn't find it.
    Ku 
    kulak asmamak (kulak ardı etmek)not to hang ear (to do ear behind)
    • to turn a deaf ear
    • to ignore
     
    kulis yapmak to do backstageto lobby, work behind the scenesSee example sentence at
    arapsaçına dönmek.
    kurban olmak to become a sacrifice
  • to be a victim (of)
  • to sacrifice oneself for, give one's life for
    But...what about
    your back-up copy?!


    Left click for photo-article enlargement.
  • Yeni albümünde yer vereceği şarkıları, bilgisayara kaydeden Mahsun Kırmızıgül, virüs kurbanı oldu. Şimdi herşeyi silbaştan yapacak. Albümü piyasaya dört ay daha geç çıkacak. [Turkish singer/actor/heart-throb] Mahsun Kırmızıgül (who says he saved the songs that were to be included on his new album, to his computer) was a victim of a [computer] virus. Now he has to redo everything from scratch. The album's publication will be delayed 4 months. Gözcü Gazetesi, 25 August 2003 (See photo-article at left.)
    kuru kalabalık
    dry crowd1. crowd of idle onlookers; window shoppers who have no intention of buying
    2. useless and worn-out things, junk
    Enflasyon düştü düşmesine de, yılbaşı alışverişine çıkan vatadaşın cebinde ne yazık ki para yok. Büyük alışveriş merkezlerindeki yoğunluk ise kuru kalabalıktan başka birşey değil. It seems that inflation is falling, but unfortunately there isn't any money in the pockets of citizens who go out New Year's shopping. As for the crowds ([human] density) in the big shopping centers, they're nothing more than idle window shoppers. Gözcü Gazetesi, 30 December 2003
    kusura bakmamak to not look at faults
  • [Is often used as a stylish way of saying] I'm sorry -- as shown at right.]
  • to pardon a impoliteness, to overlook something unpleasant, to not take offense, to 'let it pass'
    • Kursura bakma. I'm sorry. (Please overlook what I've said or done.) [Please don't look at my faults.]
    • Bırak hanım o çocuktur kusura bakmam ben.99 Stop lady, he's just a child. I don't take offense (at what he's doing).
    kuyruk acısı (olmak)tail pain(to have) desire for revenge; (to feel) rancor
  • Kuyruk acısı var; ondan böyle davranıyor.105 He's feeling rancorous; that's why he's acting like that.
  • Köylü yılana, sende kuyruk acısı, bende evlat acısı varken biz dost olamayız demiş.103 The villager said to the snake, "As long as you still feel rancor (for your lost tail), and I still suffer grief for my (dead) child, we can not be friends." From a famous Turkish folk-tale.
    Coming soon...
    The Rest of the Idiom Story
  •  
    külahları değişmek/değiştirmek to change conical hatsto have a falling out
    with sb; to quarrel with each other
    Uslu durmazsan külahları değişiriz sonra.100 If you don't sit still, we're going to have a quarrel.
    Coming soon...
    The Rest of the Idiom Story
    külhan beyi or külhanbeyi Mister Boiler-in-a-Turkish-batha tough guy; hoodlumEskiden külhan beyleri de bir teşkilata bağlı imiş, fakat şimdi külhanbeyleri de bitti, teşkilatları da. At one time [individual] hoodlums were affiliated in [loose] organizations, but now that the hoodlums are gone, so are the organizations.99
    Click for, The Rest of the Idiom Story!
    küpünü doldurmak to fill the earthenware jarto "feather one's own nest"Siz de oğlunuzu, kızınızı evlendirin küpünüzü doldurun kardeşim...Saksıyı çalıştırın biraz. You too can feather your own nests when you marry-off your sons and daughters, m'friends...You just have to use your noggins a little. Gözcü Gazetesi, 13 August 2003
    (See political cartoon below.)

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    Halil Uysal, Ali Püsküllüoğlu, and Ali Uslu

    for their Turkish Idioms source material -- on which some of this page is based.

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