Indonesian Idiom, Phrase, and Saying Dictionary

IdiomMeaningLanguage
ada apa(idiomatic)expression of concern, asking for an explanation;What's going on?What's up?Ada apadi luar?―What's going onoutside?id
kambing hitam(idiomatic)scapegoatid
ada udang di balik batu(figurative,idiomatic)there is aconcealedulterior motive, especially in a person's words or in a seeminglygenerousofferordealDalam konteks kebijakan yang dijalankan oleh Partai Komunis...id
air tenang menghanyutkan(idiomatic)quiet people with many knowledge;still water runs deepid
berseketidurantosleeptogether(the meaning is used literally)Synonym:seketiduran; tosleep with(literal)to share abedorbedroomwithSynonym:seketiduran(idiomatic,euphemistic)to havesexual intercoursewithSynonym:bersetubuhid
besar pasak daripada tiang(idiomatic)spending more than he/she/it earnsid
biarin(literal)synonym ofbiar(“leave it; don't touch/change it”); (idiomatic)Colloquial form ofbiarkan sajaorbiar;let it be/go, let him/her/them,never mind,whatever,so what,no matter, don’t worry about...id
bodo amat(idiomatic,slang)careless,indifferent,apatheticid
bomat(idiomatic,slang)careless,indifferent,apatheticid
cinta satu malam(idiomatic)one-night standid
durian runtuh(idiomatic)an unexpectedfortuneoroccurenceid
gali lubang, tutup lubang(idiomatic)to go intodebttopay offanother debtid
jadi orang(idiomatic)to beadult; (idiomatic)to besuccessfulid
kaleng-kaleng(literal)pluralofkaleng; (idiomatic)not areal dealid
kebutuhan khusus(idiomatic)special needs; needs for special care, services or accommodations fordisabilitiesSynonym:keperluan khususid
koboi cacing(idiomatic)A person who actstoughandbrave, but is actuallyweakandafraidof thingsSynonym:koboi cengengid
koboi cengeng(idiomatic)A person who actstoughandbrave, but is actuallyweakandafraidof thingsSynonym:koboi cacingid
kurang kerjaan(idiomatic,informal)got nothing better to do; got too much time on your hands2019, Anggia Cossito,Butuh Pendamping, Gee Publishing, page343:Elina meletakkan cilok...id
makan(Singlish,Manglish)Toeat.2023,Alfian Sa'at, “Dreamplay”, inCollected Plays Two, Singapore: Ethos Books,→ISBN:Mdm Zaiton:Youmakanalready? Eat what?id
makan angin(intransitive,idiomatic)to go for a walk to get some fresh air; (intransitive,idiomatic)to be quiet, sit around, and so on just to...id
masa bodo(idiomatic,slang)alternative spelling ofmasa bodohid
masa bodoh(idiomatic)careless,indifferent,apatheticid
masuk tiga, keluar empat(idiomatic)to have one'sspendingmore than one'sincomeSynonym:besar pasak daripada tiangid
mendapat pisang terkubakto gain aprofitorbenefiteffortlessly, without putting in any hard work; to get agodsend/windfallSynonyms:kejatuhan bulan,kejatuhan rezeki,mendapat harta Karun,mendapat kijang teruit,mendapat durian rontokan,mendapat...id
sampai titik darah penghabisan(idiomatic)to thelimit, to the last drop of bloodDia berjuangsampai titik darah penghabisan.He foughtto the last drop of blood.id
si jago merah(idiomatic)fireSi jago merahmelahap meja hijau itu.Fire devoured that court.(literally, “The splendid red (one)devoured that green table.”)id
menurut ngana(colloquial,idiomatic,originallyInternetslang)asarcastic,rhetoricalresponse to an obvious statement:you think?;you don't say?[from 2009?]Synonyms:lu kira,menurut lo,menurut situ2013, Stephany Josephine,The freaky Teppy: Cerita hidup penuh tawa...id
musuh dalam selimut(idiomatic)an internalspyorenemywho betray their people, amoleid
nasi sudah menjadi bubur(idiomatic)what's done is done;the die is castid
obat nyamuk(literally)fly spray,insecticide; (literally)insect repellent: a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces which discourages insects (and arthropods in general)...id
panjang tangan(idiomatic)one whostealsid
penggelapan(literally)darkening; (idiomatic,law)embezzlementid
pucuk dicinta, ulam pun tiba(idiomatic)finally getting something that has been wished forid
pujaan hati(idiomatic)one's darling;sweetheartSynonyms:buah hati,kekasihid
republik pisang(politics,idiomatic,derogatory)banana republic: a smallcountry, especially one inCentral Americaor theWest Indies, that is dependent on a singleexportcommodity(traditionally bananas) and that has...id
ringan tangan(of a person,idiomatic)helping; (of a person,idiomatic)punches out or hits other people easilyid
sama sekali(idiomatic)at allAku belum mulaisama sekali.―I haven't startedat all.; (idiomatic)entirelyUangku sudah habissama sekali.―My money has been spententirely.id
sambil menyelam minum air(idiomatic)to do two things in one single action;at one blast; inone fell swoopid
sudah jatuh, tertimpa tangga(idiomatic)getting multiplemisfortunes, one after another (same time or in sequential)id
tahu diri(idiomatic)toknow one's place; (literal)to understand the situation of oneself, or toknow oneselfin generalid
tajam ke bawah, tumpul ke atasdouble standards,discriminatory,riggedagainst thedisadvantagedHukumtajam ke bawah, tumpul ke atas.One law for the rich, another for the poor.id
tidurtosleeptorestin a state ofreducedconsciousness(idiomatic,euphemistic)to havesexual intercourse; (figuratively,usually of an non-animate object)tolie down(totake onahorizontalposition)Synonyms:berbaring,terbaring; (figuratively,usually of a non-animate object)to beunactive(to be...id
timah panas(idiomatic,colloquial)bullets;ammunitionid
tong kosong nyaring bunyinya(idiomatic)stupid people usually talk big;empty vessels make the most soundSynonym:air beriak tanda tak dalamid
tutup buku(idiomatic)cessationofrecordingafinancein a trading bookid
tutup-tutupi(transitive,idiomatic)tocover up(toconcealordisguise)id