Learn Malay Language Idioms

With Malay English Translation

Gapil mulut Men who have contentious wives under their roofs should find it easy to learn this Malay language idiom. Gapil is meddlesome. A meddlesome mouth is grumpy and interrupts your part of the dialogue.

Gapil tangan Now we have meddlesome hands. Gapil tangan is a nice way of saying it in Malay. English language calls people with this kind of hands, "busybody".

Garam hidup Similar expressions are "banyak makan garam" and "banyak menelan garam hidup". One has to live long enough to eat a lot of salt. So these expressions mean a person who has a lot of experiences about life. Garam hidup, the salt of life therefore simply denotes life's experiences.

Tekanan ialah sebahagian daripada garam hidup yang dialami semua orang.
Pressure is a part of life's experiences that all have to go through.

Garang makan Garang in this context is "to like" and not fierce. So it means one who likes to eat a lot.

Gatal mulut An itchy mouth likes to gossip negatively about other people.

Ada juga peminat yang gatal mulut kutuk artis lain.
There are also fans with itcy mouths criticizing other artists.

Gatal tangan Itchy hands like to do things they shouldn't do.

Gelap buta Very dark.

Malam gelap buta.
Pitch dark night.

Gelap fikiran Unable to think rationally due to extreme anger.

Orang yang gelap fikiran mungkin akan mencederakan sendiri.
A person whose thinking ability is disrupted might hurt himself.

Gelap hati A heart that is not clear about concepts belongs to a very slow learner. The antonym is terang hati.

Gelap mata a. Same as gelap fikiran. Compare these two sentences below and think which one is correct according to Kamus Dewan definition?

Kebanyakan orang gelap mata apabila dijanjikan pulangan pelaburan yang tinggi termasuk pelaburan menerusi internet.
Most people's lost their good judgment when being promised high investment returns including investments via the internet.

Apabila marah, manusia menjadi gelap mata.
When angered, one may lose his reasoning ability.

The second sentence is correct because anger is involved.

Gelap mata b. Giddy.

Gelap pemandangan Same as gelap mata (b)

Gelap wang Gelap is to steal, a wrongful act that one must never learn. A Malay language expression for siphon off.

Mahkamah menjatuhkan hukuman ke atas pengerusi Hyundai kerana kesalahan menggelapkan wang syarikat bernilai lebih RM350 juta yang dimasukkan dalam dana gelap.
The court has passed a sentence on the chairman of Hyundai for being guilty of siphoning company's money of more than RM350 million to black market funds.

Gelegar buluh The rumbling sound of a bamboo "canon" but no bomb inside. Referring to boastful empty talk.

Geli hati Feel like laughing when the heart is tickled.

Para penonton geli hati melihat gelagat badut yang selalu kecoh itu.
The audience are tickled to see the clown's uproarious acts.

Gelora hati Restlessness of the heart. Let's learn from Malay language song:

aku tak mengerti
dan tidakku mampu lagi
menahan gelora hati ini
inginku kembali ke jalan yang dulu
aku rindu padamu

-Tangga Tangga Ke Pintu Bahagia, Alleycats

I don't understand
and I can no longer
put up with this restless heart
I want to return to the old ways
I miss you

-Steps to the door of happiness, Alleycats.

Gelora semangat Restless morale is spirited.

Syair Ismail Marzuki mampu membangkitkan gelora semangat juang.
Ismail Marzuki's poetry can boost the morale to fight.

Gencatan senjata Ceasefire.

Pada tanggal 25 Disember 1914, terjadi gencatan senjata informal Perang Dunia 1 kerana Jerman dan Inggeris ingin merayakan Natal... dan setelah beberapa hari peperangan berlanjut.
On 25 December 1914 there was an informal ceasefire during World War 1 because the Germans and English would like to celebrate Christmas...a few days later, the fighting resumed.--Wikipedia

Gendang paha To drum on one's thighs as a sign of rejoicing over the misfortune of other people.

Genggam bara "Genggam bara api, biar sampai jadi abu" is more familiar to Malaysians. To grip on to glowing coal until it turns to ashes means to hold on to a difficult task until completion. However, genggam bara alone simply means to hold. To learn malay language is not easy to figure out the logic in this context. Really, who wants to hold a red hot glowing coal just for the sake of holding it?

Genggam rahsia To keep a secret.

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