English Idioms (Intermediate)

To force yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant.

"I hate going to the dentist, but I just have to bite the bullet."

"Aku benci pergi ke dokter gigi, tapi aku harus hadapi saja."

To stop working on something.

"We've been painting the house for 8 hours. Let's call it a day."

"Kita sudah mengecat rumah selama 8 jam. Ayo berhenti untuk hari ini."

To lose control of things.

"The party got out of hand, and the police had to be called."

"Pesta itu menjadi tidak terkendali, dan polisi harus dipanggil."

Don't give up.

"I know the exams are hard right now, but hang in there!"

"Aku tahu ujiannya berat sekarang, tapi tetap semangat!"

To do or say something exactly right.

"You hit the nail on the head when you said this team lacks communication."

"Kamu tepat sekali saat bilang tim ini kurang komunikasi."

A good thing that seemed bad at first.

"Losing my job turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I found a better one."

"Kehilangan pekerjaan itu ternyata membawa berkah karena aku menemukan yang lebih baik."

To tell something briefly.

"To make a long story short, my flight was canceled and I slept at the airport."

"Singkat cerita, penerbanganku dibatalkan dan aku tidur di bandara."

To miss an opportunity.

"If you don't buy the tickets this week, you'll miss the boat."

"Kalau kamu tidak beli tiketnya minggu ini, kamu akan kehilangan kesempatan."

To joke with someone by making them believe something untrue.

"I haven't really won the lottery, I was just pulling your leg."

"Aku tidak benar-benar menang lotre, aku hanya bercanda."

Not feeling well.

"I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, I think I'll stay home."

"Aku merasa sedikit tidak enak badan hari ini, sepertinya aku akan di rumah saja."

To understand something complicated.

"It's hard to wrap my head around these new math formulas."

"Susah bagiku untuk memahami rumus matematika baru ini."

That's true, I agree.

"It's really hot today! You can say that again."

"Cuacanya panas sekali hari ini! Betul sekali."

Barely or just barely making it.

"I passed the test by the skin of my teeth."

"Aku lulus ujian dengan nilai yang nyaris tidak cukup."

To be alert and quick to understand and react.

"He is always on the ball during our morning meetings."

"Dia selalu cepat tanggap dalam rapat pagi kita."

To do something quickly and cheaply to save time or money.

"The builders cut corners when making this house, and now the roof leaks."

"Para pembangun mengambil jalan pintas saat membangun rumah ini, dan sekarang atapnya bocor."

To hope that things will happen in the way that you want them to.

"I'm crossing my fingers that I get the promotion."

"Aku berharap semoga aku mendapat promosi itu."

To try something new.

"I've never cooked Thai food, but I'll give it a whirl."

"Aku belum pernah memasak makanan Thailand, tapi aku akan mencobanya."

To fail completely and suddenly.

"The company went down in flames after the scandal broke."

"Perusahaan itu hancur total setelah skandalnya terungkap."

To search everywhere or try everything to find something.

"We will leave no stone unturned in our search for the missing boy."

"Kami akan mencoba segala cara dalam pencarian anak yang hilang itu."

Consider the consequences before acting.

"Don't invest all your money without researching first; look before you leap."

"Jangan investasikan semua uangmu tanpa riset dulu; pikirkan matang-matang sebelum bertindak."

To decide how to deal with a situation as it develops.

"We don't know the exact schedule yet, so let's just play it by ear."

"Kami belum tahu jadwal pastinya, jadi kita lihat situasinya saja nanti."

Said when a person appears just after being mentioned.

"Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you, Sarah."

"Wah, pas sekali! Kita baru saja membicarakanmu, Sarah."

To start performing better.

"If you want to make the basketball team, you need to step up your game."

"Kalau kamu ingin masuk tim basket, kamu harus tampil lebih serius."

A way of asking someone what they are thinking about.

"You look so quiet today. A penny for your thoughts?"

"Kamu terlihat sangat diam hari ini. Apa yang sedang kamu pikirkan?"

People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say.

"He says he loves me, but actions speak louder than words."

"Dia bilang mencintaiku, tapi perbuatan lebih berbicara daripada kata-kata."

To make a bad situation worse.

"Arguing with the angry customer only added fuel to the fire."

"Berdebat dengan pelanggan yang marah hanya memperburuk situasi."

Comparing two things that cannot be compared.

"You can't compare a bicycle to an airplane. It's like comparing apples and oranges."

"Kamu tidak bisa membandingkan sepeda dengan pesawat. Itu seperti membandingkan dua hal yang sangat berbeda."

To be very expensive.

"I'd love to buy a house in that neighborhood, but it costs an arm and a leg."

"Aku ingin membeli rumah di lingkungan itu, tapi harganya sangat mahal."

An obvious problem that people do not want to talk about.

"Everyone knew the company was going bankrupt, but it was the elephant in the room."

"Semua orang tahu perusahaannya mau bangkrut, tapi tidak ada yang mau membicarakannya."

To be in good health.

"My grandfather is 80, but he is as fit as a fiddle."

"Kakekku sudah 80 tahun, tapi kondisinya sangat sehat."

To start doing something properly and effectively.

"You need to get your act together if you want to pass this course."

"Kamu harus lebih serius kalau mau lulus mata kuliah ini."

To start over because the previous plan failed.

"Our marketing campaign didn't work, so it's back to the drawing board."

"Kampanye pemasaran kita tidak berhasil, jadi kita harus mulai dari awal lagi."

While deeply involved in an emotional situation or argument.

"I didn't mean to yell at you; I just said it in the heat of the moment."

"Aku tidak bermaksud berteriak padamu; aku hanya terbawa suasana saat itu."

To accomplish two things with a single action.

"I killed two birds with one stone by doing my homework while doing the laundry."

"Aku menyelesaikan dua hal sekaligus dengan mengerjakan PR sambil mencuci pakaian."

To let something happen regardless of the consequences.

"I told him the harsh truth and will just let the chips fall where they may."

"Aku sudah bilang kebenarannya dan terima saja apapun yang terjadi."

A decision that is extremely easy to make.

"Accepting the fully-funded scholarship was a no-brainer."

"Menerima beasiswa penuh itu sama sekali bukan keputusan yang sulit."

Unable to make a decision or take a side.

"I am still on the fence about whether to buy the blue car or the red one."

"Aku masih bimbang apakah harus membeli mobil biru atau merah."

An image can tell a story better than words can.

"The photograph of the ruined city showed the true tragedy. A picture is worth a thousand words."

"Foto kota yang hancur itu menunjukkan tragedi yang sebenarnya. Sebuah gambar bisa menceritakan segalanya."

A task that can be accomplished very easily.

"Learning to use the new software was a piece of cake."

"Belajar menggunakan perangkat lunak baru itu sangat mudah."

To ruin someone's happy moment or plans.

"I hate to rain on your parade, but we won't be able to go to the beach tomorrow."

"Aku tidak mau merusak rencanamu, tapi kita tidak bisa pergi ke pantai besok."

To reveal a secret.

"We're throwing a surprise party for Mom; don't spill the beans!"

"Kita mau buat pesta kejutan untuk Ibu; jangan bocorkan rahasianya!"

To not completely believe something that you are told.

"You should take his advice with a grain of salt because he tends to exaggerate."

"Kamu sebaiknya tidak terlalu percaya sarannya karena dia cenderung berlebihan."

It is your turn to make a decision or take action.

"I offered a compromise, so now the ball is in your court."

"Aku sudah menawarkan kompromi, jadi sekarang terserah kamu untuk memutuskan."

A situation where you can enjoy the advantages of two different things.

"Working from home offers the best of both worlds: earning money and spending time with family."

"Bekerja dari rumah menawarkan dua keuntungan sekaligus: menghasilkan uang dan punya waktu bersama keluarga."

To think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional ones.

"To solve this complex problem, we need to think outside the box."

"Untuk memecahkan masalah yang rumit ini, kita perlu berpikir kreatif di luar kebiasaan."

To support someone in both good and bad times.

"My parents have stayed together through thick and thin for 40 years."

"Orang tuaku tetap bersama dalam keadaan apapun selama 40 tahun."

To take a major risk after trying to avoid it.

"He decided to throw caution to the wind and ask his boss for a 30% raise."

"Dia memutuskan mengambil risiko dengan meminta kenaikan gaji 30% kepada bosnya."

Secretly and illegally (usually referring to money).

"He gets paid under the table so he doesn't have to pay taxes."

"Dia dibayar secara tidak resmi agar tidak perlu membayar pajak."

Problems that happened in the past and are no longer important.

"Yes, we argued yesterday, but today it is water under the bridge."

"Ya, kita bertengkar kemarin, tapi hari ini sudah tidak penting lagi."

A hopeless search for something that is impossible to find.

"Looking for my lost earring on the huge beach was a wild goose chase."

"Mencari anting yang hilang di pantai yang luas itu adalah pencarian yang sia-sia."