Keep on Learning Malay Idioms

Ekor belangkas A scythe or machete that looks like tail of a king crab. Learning Malay idiom is challenging sometimes when you have to deal with things from the past, not easily found or seen.

Ekor lipas At the tip of a cockroach's abdomen, abdomen, there is a pair of short antenna-like structure called cerci. The male cockroach has in addition a pair of needle-shaped structures called anal styles below the cerci. I guess this is "ekor lipas" or, tail of a cockroach which is a simpulan bahasa referring to hair on the back of the neck. Don't you think this resembles the hair style which leaves strands of hair hanging down on the back of the nape?

Ekor pulau Extremity of an island.

Kami hanya boleh berlegar-legar di ekor pulau yang terlindung daripada elemen cuaca yang mengganas.
We could only circle around the extremity of the island which is protected from the stormy weather elements.

Emas kahwin or Mas kahwin, dowry.

Jumlah wang yang kecil digelar emas kahwin mematerai akad nikah.
A small sum of money called emas kahwin seals the solemnization contract.

Emas liplap Artificial gold.

Emas muda Gold of light colouring. This is gold of low quality and less than 18 carat.

Emas muda biasanya cepat luntur dan harga jualnya cepat jatuh.
Light-coloured gold tends to discolour fast and its selling price goes down fast.

Emas tua With a deeper shade of gold colour, this refers to gold of high quality. I have a suspicion folks learning Malay in Malaysia seldom come across this idiom since this is often used in relation to fine gold in biblical expressions.

Emas putih Gold that is white due to a mixture of nickel or platinum. White gold is NOT platinum!

Seorang ibu mengeluh bahawa cincin kahwinnya yang disepuh emas putih cepat luntur.
A mother laments that her wedding ring glazed with white gold discolours fast.

Emas tempawan1. Hammered work of quality gold.

To denote a beloved person. Think of how much people fuss about their fat gold chain, pendant etc...

Emas tempawan2. A beautiful woman or a beloved woman.

In another words, if someone calls you "emas tempawan" that means you are the apple of their eyes.

Embun betina Small dewdrops

Embun jantan Large dewdrops

Jam 3:30 pagi rupanya... Tentu embun jantan sedang mulai menyiram bumi. Eh, kenapa panggil embun jantan? Kalau embun betina turun pukul berapa pula?
It's actually 3.30am...The large dewdrops must have started to moisten the earth. Why are large dewdrops considered males? If that's the case, what time do the small female dewdrops descend?

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