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The Plain English Meanings of
Idioms beginning with 'A'
Idioms beginning with 'B'
Idioms beginning with 'G'
'House favorite' idioms...
Fearful that we might never finish
a complete on-line book of The A to Z(ed) Meanings of Turkish Idioms in our lifetime (yikes, that's a lot of HTML code, folks!) we decided to cheat... and skip to the back of the pack. But we'll continue to add samplings from our print-edition-in-progress for each of the letter groups, as time permits...
Remember not to overlook the clickable links for
voice recordings ![[Sounds]](spkicon.gif){kind=small} and for the sidebar entries entitled, The Rest of the Idiom Story which cover interesting 'origins' of the idioms found in the following table ... |
| [Za] [Ze] [ZI] [Zi] [Zo] [Zu] [Zü] | ||||
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The Turkish |
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| zam gelmek
| (for a) price increase to occur | Same meaning. Note: Due to the high rate of Turkish inflation, price increases (in Turkish Lira) are a common occurrence on whole categories of products such as: drugs, oil and gasoline, and imported products of all kinds - any thing 'pegged' to the US Dollar. | Ekme
There's been and increase in the price of bread! |
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| zaman bIrakmak | to leave time | to set time aside (for something) | Konusmaya zaman bIraksaydIn seni suçlamadI If you'd given me time to speak, you'd have seen that I didn't accuse you. |
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| zaman kazanmak (Speaker from
| to earn time | to save time, to gain time | KIsa yoldan giderek zaman kazanabiliriz. (Speaker from
We can save time by going the shorter way. |
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| zaman kollamak | to watch out for time | to be on the lookout for a suitable opportunity, to bide one's time. | Zaman kollayIp uygun ortamIn do
You should bide your time and wait for a better opportunity |
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| zaman öldürmek | to 'kill' time | to spend time on inconsequential things | Seni bilmem ama benim zaman öldürecek durumum yok.
I don't know about you, but I'm in no postition to just kill time.
Benimkisi zaman öldürmek, is de This isn't work, I'm killing time. |
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| (birisine) zaman vermek | to give time | to set time aside for someone (for some purpose). | E He'll succeed if you give him time. Sana burayI terketmen için bir dakikalIk zaman veriyorum! I'm giving you one minute to get outta here! |
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| zaman zaman (Speaker from | time time | from time to time, occasionally | Bize gelir zaman zaman, eski günleri anarIz.
(Speaker from He visits us now and then, we remind him of the old days. |
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| zamana uymak
| to fit to time | to conform to the age one lives in, to move with the times, keep in step with the times | Eskiler: Zaman sana uymazsa sen zamana uy, demisler.
The old ones say: If the times don't fit you, fit the times. |
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| zamanI geçmek | to pass time | to be out of date, be outmoded (for something) to expire, become void (due to time passage) (for a fruit of vegetable) to no longer be in season. | Bu ilacI kullanmamalIsIn. ZamanI geçmis.
You mustn't use this medicine. It has expired. |
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| zamanlI zamansIz
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with time without time | (doing something) without considering whether it's suitable | ZamanlI zamansIz bana u
He drops into see me, any old time he feels like it. |
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| zamkinos etmek/
çekmek (This idiom is quite colloquial -- not often seen.) | to do/pull a 'thing-a-ma-jig'/ 'whatcha-ma-call-it' | slang -- to run away, beat it, make tracks | Adam polisi görünce zamkinos etti. When the man saw the police, he ran away. |
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| zamzum etmek (Speaker from
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| same meaning | Zam zum etmeyi bIrak da do (Speaker from
Stop talking nonsense and tell the truth. |
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| zan altInda bulmak/bIrakmak | to find/be left under supposition | to be under suspicion | Televizyonda adImI o hIrsIzIn adIyla birlikte andInIz ve beni zan altInda bIraktInIz. You mentioned my name together with that thief's name and left me under suspicion. Sözlerinizden dolayI zan altIndayIm. I am under suspicion because of what (the things) you said. |
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| zangIr zangIr
| (shaking) with a rattle, rattling (someone's shaking/trembling) violently | same meaning | ZavallI kIz! Kocaman köpe
Poor girl! She saw the huge dog in the garden suddenly and she is trembling with fear now. |
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| zapartaya yemek (Rarely used.) |
| same meaning | ||
| zar atmak | to throw membrane, to throw a die | to gamble | ||
| zar zor | unwillingly, reluctantly with difficulty, forcibly, at the last minute | same | Otobüse zar zor yetistik. We made the bus (departure) with difficulty (at the last minute). |
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| zarar etmek | to do damage |
| Sirket zarar ediyor. The company is losing money. |
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| zarar gelmek | (for) damage to come | (for someone) to suffer at the hands of, to be wronged by, to be treated unjustly | Ayse iyi kIzdIr. Ondan zarar gelmez.
Ayse's a nice girl. She's not out to get anyone.
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| zarar görmek | to see damage | to be damaged/injured/harmed by (something or someone) to suffer loss | Ev depremden zarar gördü. The house was damaged by the earthquake. |
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| zarar vermek | to give damage | to damage, injure, harm | FIrtIna bahçedeki a The storm damaged the trees in the garden. |
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| zarara sokmak | to cause (someone or place of business) to suffer loss/damage | same meaning | O My son had an accident with my car and cost me a 'bundle'. |
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| zararI dokunmak (Speaker from
| to be touched by harm/damage | to harm, be harmful to, have a harmful effect on | Bize yardIm etmek için gelmisti ama, maalesef, çok zararI dokundu. (Speaker from
He had come here to help us but, unfortunately, he harmed us a lot. |
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| ZararI yok. | There is no damage. | It doesn't matter. Never mind. That's OK. Forget it. | Ayse: Ay! Çok özür dilerim. DondurmayI ka Ali: ZararI yok. Baska bir kâ
Ayse: Oh! I am very sorry. I've dropped the ice-cream on your paper. |
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| zararIna satmak | to sell to damage | to sell (something) at a loss | Is de Because of the change in business, they sold all the goods at a loss. |
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| zararlI çIkmak | to go out with damage | to come out a loser | Benimle u
Stop picking on me! Or else you'll be sorry... |
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zart zurt etmek
| to make bluster | to bluster | BIrak bu zart zurt etmeyi, biz senin kim oldu
Leave off with that blustering, don't you think we know who you are? |
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| zarta atmak
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| same meaning | Durmadan orda burda zarta atar durur ama korka
He shows off continuously around these parts, but (in fact) he's a coward. |
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| zartayI çekmek | to pull fart |
| Bela biriydi ama sonunda zartayI çekti. He was an evil one but he finally kicked the bucket. |
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| zat isleri
(also seen as, özlük isleri) | person works | matters pertaining to personnel | ||
| zatI esya | person things | personal effects | ZatI esyanI bekleme odasInda bIrakma. Don't leave you personal effects in the waiting room. |
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| zayIf almak | to take weak | for a student to get a failing grade | SInavdan önce daha sIkI çalIssaydIn zayIf almazdIn.
You wouldn't have gotten such a lousy grade if you had studied harder before the exam. |
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| zayIf düsmek | to fall weak | to lose weight, get thin to get weak | ZavallI çocuk! HastalIktan zayIf düstü. Poor child! He's been left weak by the disease. |
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| zayIf nahif | weak gaunt | frail and thin | KapIyI açInca karsImda zayIf nahif bir çocuk gördüm. When I opened the door, I saw a child, frail and thin, in front of me. |
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zehabIna kapIlmak
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to be snatched to the mistaken belief | to get the mistaken impression (that) | Fadime'nin Ercan'I sevdi
He got the mistaken idea that Fadime loved Ercan. |
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| zehir gibi
| like poison | · very hot (spicy) · very bitter · sharp, biting · very clever · extremely "cool" or "hip" | Üff! Bu biber zehir gibi. Onu nasIl yiyebiliyorsun?!!!
Uggh! This pepper is like poison (too spicy hot). How can you eat it?!!! Masallah, zehir gibi çocuk. Eminim çok basarIlI olacak.
May God preserve him from evil, he is a very clever child. I am sure he will be very successful. (Click here to see where we've addressed the Masallah 'requirement' (for children) before...) |
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| zehir zemberek (also zehir zakkum, zehir zIkkIm) | poison mainspring |
| O aksam geç kalmIstI, babasI öfkelenmis, zehir zemberek sözler söylemisti ona. That evening he came home late, his father was angry and said some very hurtful things to him. |
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| Zehir zIkkIm olsun! | Let it be poison poison [sic]! | May he/she/it/you choke to death on it! | Beni bIrakIp gitti. Onun için yaptI He left me and went away. May he choke to death on the cakes I made for him! |
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zembere | for the mainspring to be emptied | to be seized by a fit of laughter | Beni çamurun içinde görünce zembere When he saw me in the mud, he was seized by a fit of laughter. |
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| zerre kadar | until an atom | the least little bit, the slightest degree | Benim ona zerre kadar güvenim yoktur, babasInI bile aldatIr.
I don't trust her the least little bit, she even cheats her father. |
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| zeval vermek | to give decline | to harm, destroy | Usually seen in sentences like: Allah devlete zeval vermesin. May god not allow the state to be destroyed. |
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| zevale yüz tutmak | for the face to hold to the decline | to begin to decline | imparatorlu It was obvious (clearly seen) that the empire had begun to decline. |
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zevkine bakmak
(also, keyfine bakmak) | to look at pleasure | to enjoy oneself | Bütün o problemleri unut da zevkine bak. Forget your troubles and just be happy! |
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| zevkine gitmek (hosuna gitmek, is used more frequently...) | to go to pleasure | to give someone pleasure | Gömlek hosuma gitti. Onu satIn alaca I like the shirt. I'll buy it. |
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| zevkine varmak | to arrive to pleasure | to discover pleasure (in a piece of music or art or other thing), to start to feel enjoyment (in something) | Bu parçayI dinledikçe daha çok zevkine varIyordu simdi... Now, each time he listens to the piece, he derives more pleasure from it. |
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| zevkini bozmak | to break pleasure | to spoil (someone's) pleasure or fun, to prevent someone from enjoying (something) properly. | Defol git! Zevkimizi bozma. Get out and don't spoil our fun. |
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| zevkini çIkarmak | to extract pleasure | to enjoy (something) to the hilt | SabahlarI erkenden kalkIyor, çevrede dolasmaya çIkIyordu. Do He would get up early in the morning and go out in the environment and wander about. And by himself, he'd get tremendous pleasure from the vigor and the passivity of nature. |
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| zevkini oksamak | to caress pleasure | to give someone pleasure | Bu müzik her zaman zevkimi oksamIstIr.
This music has always given me pleasure. |
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| zevkten dört köse olmak | to have/be four corners from enjoyment | to jump for joy, be overjoyed, be very happy | BabasI, a The little one of the house was overjoyed each time his father got angry with his older brother.
Click here for the |
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zeytinya | to come out [in addition] like olive oil, to emerge (to the water's face) like olive oil | (for a guilty person) to outwit accusers and come out smelling like a rose | Her seferinde aynI sey, suçu kendi isler, kolayca kardesinin üstüne yIkIp zeytinya It's the same thing every time, he's the guilty one, but he dumps it on his brother and comes out smelling like a rose. |
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zIddIna basmak (see 'zIt gitmek') | to press opposite | to do exactly the opposite of what others want you do | Note: "zIddIna basmak" is rarely used. "ZIt gitmek" has the same meaning and is used more frequently. | |
| zIddIna gitmek (see 'zIt gitmek') | to go opposite | (for something) to rile someone, to be too much (for someone) to take | ||
| zInk diye | (stopping) with a sudden, noisy jolt; with a jolt | same meaning | ZInk diye durdu. He stopped with a sudden jolt. |
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zIp diye (also, pat diye) | all of a sudden | same meaning | Adam zIp diye karsIma çIktI.
All of a sudden, the guy appeared in front of me. |
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| zIr zIr | in an incessant, nerve-racking way | same meaning | Bütün gün zIr zIr a Besides crying incessantly all day, you haven't done anything. |
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zIrIl zIrIl a (also, zIr zIr a | to cry incessantly and unpleasantly | to weep a flood of tears | ZIr zIr a
Stop crying like a baby and prepare yourself better for the next exam. |
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| zIrIl zIrIl terlemek | to sweat 'zIrIl zIrIl' | to sweat buckets | Hava o kadar sIcak ki millet zIrIl zIrIl terliyor. The weather is so hot that people are sweating buckets. |
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| zIrnIk (bile) vermemek | to not (even) give arsenic | to not give (even) the smallest valueless thing (to someone) | Siz onun söylediklerine kanmayIn, o ne bana, ne de öteki ye Don't be fooled by what he says, he doesn't give even the slightest little thing to me or his other nephew; he just talks. |
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| ZIrva tevil götürmez. | It doesn't take nonsense, willful mis-understanding/ interpretation. | It's no use trying to make sense out of a statement that is nonsense. | used as is | |
| zIt gitmek | to go opposite | to persist in doing the opposite of what others want you to do | Müdürle sürekli zIt gidersen kovulursun. If you always disagree with the director, you'll be fired. |
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| zIvanadan çIkmak | to go out of a short tube (called a 'zIvana') | (for someone) to blow his stack, get in a towering rage, to go insane | Bu kez de basarIsIz olursam, babam zIvanadan çIkar, bana yapmadI And if I don't succeed this time, my father will blow his top, he'll do everything in the book to me. |
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| zihni açIlmak | (for) mental to be opened | to feel mentally alert | Geçen yIl böyle de He wasn't like that last year, this year he became mentally alert, and he's become one of the best student's in the class. |
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| zihni bulanmak | for mental to become muddy | to get confused, get muddled up | Hep C vitamininin zararsIz oldu I always thought vitamin C was harmless but recent statements of scientists have confused me. |
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| zihnini kurcalamak | to try to pry open the mental (for something) | to keep popping into one's mind; to think hard; try hard to remember or understand something | Zihni kurcalayan sorun, beni bütün gece uykusuz bIraktI.
The problem that kept popping into his head, kept him up all night (left him sleepless).
Bu soru nice geceler zihnimi kurcalayIp durmustu.
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| zil gibi | like a bell | completely drunk, looped, soused | Her gece içip eve zil gibi geliyorsun! You are drinking every night and coming home completely drunk. |
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| zil takIp oynamak | to connect a bell and play | to jump for joy, dance a jig | Haber o kadar güzeldi ki zil takIp oynayacaktIm nerdeyse... The news was so good that I nearly jumped for joy... |
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zilli (a rarely used idiom...) | to break the bell |
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| zilsiz oynamak | to play without a bell | to jump for joy | O kadar neseli ki zilsiz oynuyor. She is so happy that she is jumping for joy. |
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| zilzurna sarhos | blind drunk, plowed, completely drunk | same meaning | Eve her cumartesi gecesi zilzurna sarhos gelirdi. He used to come home plowed every Saturday night. |
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| zokaya gelmek/zokayI yutmak | to swallow bait | to fall for a trick, take the bait | Adam zokayI yuttu. Sonu yakIndIr. The man has fallen for the trick. His end is nigh. ZokayI yutmayacak kadar akIllIyIm. I'm smart enough not to take the bait. |
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| zokayI yutturmak | to make someone swallow bait | to get someone else to fall for a trick, take the bait | Çok u They tried hard but they couldn't make him fall for their scam. |
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| zom olmak | to be exceedingly drunk | same meaning | Ben sen gibi de I am not like you. I don't get that drunk on (just) two glasses of whiskey. |
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| zonk zonk | used to intensify zonklamak (throb with pain) | same | Burnum zonk zonk zonkluyordu. My nose was throbbing with pain. |
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| Zor alIrsIn/gidersin/yaparsIn! | You're going to have some trouble (doing that)! [often said tauntingly] | same meaning | Sen o parayI benden zor alIrsIn.
It'll be difficult for you to get that money from me. |
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| zor bela | trouble calamity | · with great difficulty
· just barely | Evi boyamayI zor bela bitirip hemen tasIndI. He just barely finished painting the house and then moved in immediately. |
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| zor gelmek | to come trouble | (for something) to be difficult for (someone) | Türkçe baslarda size biraz zor gelebilir ama farkIna varInca düsündü At first, you may find Turkish a little difficult but then you realize that it's harder than you thought! |
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| zor kullanmak | to use trouble | to use force | Gerçe Does humanity have to use force in order to speak the truth? |
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zor zar (see 'zar zor') | ||||
| zora gelmemek | to not come to worry | to not be able to stand stress/pressure/difficulty | Tembel herif! Hiç zora gelmezsin. Ancak domuzlar gibi yemeyi bilirsin.
You lazy man! You can't stand difficulty. But you sure know how to eat! |
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| zora kosmak | to run to difficulty | to make things difficult (for someone) | Bizi zora kosmayIn da yardImcI olun.
Be a help and don't make things difficult for us. |
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zoralIma çarpmak (this idiom used infrequently...) | to hit seizure | to confiscate, seize | ||
| Zorun ne? | What is your difficulty/trouble? | What's making you do...? | Zorun ne ki beni öyle sorguya çekiyorsun? What's making you give me the third degree like this? |
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| zorunda bIrakmak | to leave in trouble | to leave someone no choice but to do something | KIzIm beni elli milyon lira ödemek zorunda bIraktI.
I had no choice but to pay my daughter the fifty million lira. |
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| zorunda olmak | to be in trouble | · to have to
· to be obliged to | YarIn erken kalkmak zorundayIm. I have to get up early tomorrow. |
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| zorunlu kosul | obligatory condition | sine qua non, an indispensable condition | ||
| zula etmek | to put/hide in a secret place, to give secretly, in an undercover way | same meaning | Sigara paketini bahçede bir yere zula ettim. Babam asla onu orada bulamaz. I hid the packet of cigarettes somewhere in the garden. My father can never find it there. |
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| zulaya atmak | to throw in a secret place | to put/hide in a secret place | Korkma. ParayI zulaya attIm. ArtIk kimse bulamaz. Don't worry. I put the money in a secret place. No one can find it now (from now on). |
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zü | penniless consolation | an unimportant trifle that a person pretends is important in order to console himself about a major loss or failure | Bakma sen, benim söylediklerim zü Don't look at me, the things I said are no more than a self-deceiving consolation, and I know it... |
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 Example of zügürt tesellisi Thanks to Mümtaz ARIKAN of Gözcu Gazetesi for this excellent illustrative example of the idiom above... Apri 3, 2000 
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| zülfü yâre dokunmak | to touch (the) beloved's tress (of hair) Note: One of our guest language consultants, DS adds... "this idiom is originally Persian or Arabic. 'Zülf-ü yâr' or 'Zülf-i yâr' meaning 'Hair of the loved/lover/fiancé/etc'. And if someone were to try to touch the hair of someone else's lover (i.e. make a sexual advance), then they'd be in big trouble! | to offend the powers that be, step on a bigwig's toes | Zülfü yâre dokunmak isteyen, sonucuna katlanmasInI da bilmelidir. Anyone who wants to step on a bigwig's toes, must know how to endure the result. |
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| Zümrüdüanka gibi | like Simurgh (a mythical bird of enormous size) | wonderful (but imaginary) | Söyledi The thing you have mentioned is fantastic, like Simurgh the mythical bird. How can I find it? |
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