My English blog

To see a list of idioms used with fruits and vegetables visit the continue section

Pot to piss in

پولدار بودن

You want to have children! We can't afford them, we don't have a pot to piss in.

Two strings to one's bow

دو تیر در ترکش داشتن- دو یا چند هنره بودن

If you have " more than one string to your bow", you have more than one skill or qualification so that if your first one fails, you can make use of the other one. The bow is sth that you shoot arrows from; the metaphore simply means that you have a spare bowstring, so even if the first one breaks, you have one in reserve and can still shoot your bow.i

The salesman had two strings to his bow- if a phone call didn't get results, he would appear in person.i

Tie the knot

ازدواج كردن

I understand you want a baby, but don't you think you should tie the knot first. In fact maybe you should get a girlfriend first

In the red

پول نداشتن

Putting kids through college is sure to put you in the red

Keep your pants on

صبور باش

Appears to suggest that one should calm down because romance is not imminent.

 will be off the telephone in a minute, so keep your pants on

In the black

درآمد داشتن

Standard practice for accounting is to record positive numbers in black ink and negative numbers in red ink. Operating "in the black" is to record positive numbers, that is to say earnings.

Live below your means and you will always be running in the black

with flying colors

تمامي موفقيت ها

Cut from the same cloth

مثل سيبي كه از وسط دو نيم شده باشد

If you're making a suit, the jacket and trousers should be cut from the same piece of cloth to ensure a perfect match, since there may be differences in color, weave etc. between batches of fabric. Only if the whole suite is cut from the same piece of cloth can we be sure of the match.

You and your father are cut from the same cloth; fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son

High on the hog

به طور نامعقول

The best meat is on the upper portion of the pig. Rich people have always been afforded this luxury while the servants, slaves and poor have always had to eat pig's feet, chitterlings, cracklings, etc. - low on the hog.

If you choose to live high on the hog, you will be low in the wallet.

Cold turkey

ناگهان چيزي را ترك كردن

The expression originates from the goose bumps and palor which accompany withdrawal from narcotics or tobacco. One's skin resembles that of a plucked, cold turkey....

You will not lose weight until you give up chocolate, and I suggest you go cold turkey

Clear as a bell

واضح / قابل فهم

Chew the fat

گپ زدن

.Sit down, have a beer, and let's chew the fat

Break a leg

موفق باشي

Back handed compliment

دو پهلو حرف زدن

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

نبودن آدما عزيزترشون ميكنه

Keep your nose to the grindstone (to keep working hard). i

سخت كار كردن

In colonial America without electricity, the Pilgrims’ main staple food was corn. To get the greatest use from the corn it was ground to a powder known today as cornmeal. The corn kernels were poured in to a stone “bowl” in which the giant wheel (the millstone) rested. The wheel was turned from above by the power of a windmill. In order to get the corn in to the bowl, the “miller” had to pour it in from the back side which made his nose get quite close to the turning millstone.

Mayflower, the only resources they had to use were those from the ships on which they came. To make windmills for power they used strips of the sails from the ships – in those days called sheets. The first windmills were constructed with three “blades” to catch the wind, but it was found that in a strong wind that the blades would turn in a rickety fashion. Reconstruction of the 4-blade windmill soon replaced the rickety ones. Thus, when a person walked in a “rickety”fashion being drunk, he (or she) was labeled as “three sheets to the wind”.

Three sheets to the wind (to be drunk) Again, when the Pilgrims arrived on the

مست كردن

لنگ انداختن

In its original form, to throw up the sponge, this appears in "The Slang Dictionary" (1860). The reference is to the sponges used to cleanse combatants' faces at prize fights. One contestant's manager throwing in the sponge would signal that as that side had had enough the sponge was no longer required. In recent years, towels have been substituted for sponges at fights, and consequently in the expression too

To throw in the towel / sponge

Boil this one down to 'be prepared'. At the time in history when a blacksmith was as important as a computer consultant is today, the blacksmith had to be ready to shoe any horse. Iron horseshoes took a long time to heat up to red-hot, pliable metal. Once pulled from the fire, they cooled quickly and could not be hammered. Keeping several horseshoes (or irons) in the fire meant that the blacksmith could work on them consecutively without losing time

Keep Your Irons in the Fire

وقت سر خاراندن نداشتن

Mind Your Ps and Qs

مراقب حرف زدنت باش

Even early century breweries had a "tab" system. Though not computerized, the barkeep had a chalkboard behind the bar. Back then, beer and brews were sold in pints and quarts. So, the bartender had a column for Pints and a column for Quarts. When a customer consumed too much, the barkeep may have been known to say, "Mind your Ps and Qs" or be careful how much you drink

In 1852 pennies were made of a copper-nickel alloy that changed color through the passing of hands. Furthermore, the front was stamped with an Indian in headdress. We all know that the slang term for Indians was redskins. Between the slang and the worn color of the penny, they became known as red cents

One Red Cent

پشيز / پول بي ارزش

Back in the Bible days kings ruled. Belshazzar was a king in the time of Daniel. And just like today, some leaders were crooked back then. In the book of Daniel in the Old Testament it is written that Belshazzar had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. Later at a party a finger appeared and wrote a message to the king on the wall. It indicated that his days were numbered; Belshazzar was killed later that night. So, the writing on the wall indicates inevitable circumstances are about to occur

The Writing is on the Wall

نشانه اي از وقوع يك اتفاق بد

This figurative book is presumably a book of rules or laws. Originally, and still in its normal usage, this expression meant to impose the maximum penalty. For criminals this is likely to mean life imprisonment. Nowadays, the expression may be used more generally, often where the punishment or reprimand is far less extreme

To throw the book at someone

به اشد مجازات محكوم كردن

به پاي كسي نرسيدن

Before electric lights there were candles. Someone performing a task requiring two hands after dark would also need a person to hold the candle while they worked. Of course, the person holding the candle would be in a position of service to the person doing the work. To not be worthy of even holding the candle for someone was considered to be of very low estate in these days. So to say, “She can’t hold a candle to him/her” means that the person “accused” is pretty much worthless

Can’t hold a candle to

Dressed to the Nine

بهترين لباس را پوشيدن

Common lore has it that a tailor making a high quality suit uses more fabric. The best suits are made from nine yards of fabric. This may seem like a lot but a proper suit does indeed take nine yards of fabric. This is because a good suit has all the fabric cut in the same direction with the warp, or long strands of thread, parallel with the vertical line of the suit. This causes a great amount of waste in suit making, but if you want to go "dressed to the nines", you must pay for such waste.

(also maybe where 'the whole nine yards' comes from...either this or from the fact that a full load of cement in a cement mixer is nine yards)

colours may have different meanings for different individuals;however, when combined with different words, the meaning changes as well

be in the red: means to be in debt or owe money

to see red: means to become very angry

paint the town red: to go out and enjoy  a lively, boisterous time in bars, night-club, etc

red tape: کاغذ بازی

 the red carpet: strip of red carpet laid out for the reception of an important visitor

eg: We must give our guest the red carpet treatment: it means to receive him very warmly

red letter day: day of happiness

to get the green light: to get permition to do sth

green with envy: to be very gelous

green belt: arttificial jungles around the city

کمربندی

دروغ مصلحتی: white lie

in black and white : good and bad; right and wrong

to get / have black eye: dark bruised skin around a person's eye, resulting from a blow

be in the black: have money in one's bank account

give a black look: angry look

black market : illegal buying بازار سیاه

black list: list of people who are considered dangerousor who are to be punished

black out: cover by smoke

black sheep: person regarded as a disgrace or a failure by other members of his family or group

out of the blue: unexpectedly; without warning

blue films: bad films

to be in blue: to be very sad

A truly rare occurrence is to witness a full moon twice in one month - however, it does happen. The Farmer's Almanac dates back as far as 1792. A few years later in 1820, Maine became a state. (Not to say that farmers did not keep almanacs before statehood was recognized). Maine farmers would record the full moon in red print for each month. When a second full moon occurred in the same month, the ink was changed to blue. Blue moons have never occurred in the month of February

Once in a Blue Moon

گاه گاهي، به ندرت

كاملا مسلح بودن

Back in the days when America and it’s close neighbors were being discovered by sea faring men, life was different. Weapons in those days were less than efficient, including the single shot black powder guns used by pirates in Jamaica in the 1600s. Knowing that the gun had just one shot, the pirates would also carry a knife in their teeth to use once the gun was used up. This created the phrase “armed to the teeth”

Armed to the teeth

In medieval markets pigs were commonly sold and traded. In an effort to keep the piglets secure, they were sold in tightly tied bags which the new owner was not to open until he or she was in a safe place at home. Often times, shady traders would put a cat instead of a piglet in the bag. Thus, the buyer wouldn't know the secret until at home. Letting the cat out of the bag also let the secret out

 Let the Cat Out of the Bag  

راز را برملا كردن

Horse of a different color

 موضوع مختلف

To bury the hatchet

كينه و دشمني را كنار گذاشتن

In the old times, people would fight with their hatchets in tribes. When it came to peacing they would form two lines facing each other and buried all the hatchets they had, so they peaced!!! i