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The Plain English Meanings of Turkish Idioms 'C' Related Pages: The Turkish Idioms A-Z, Index Turkish Acronyms/Abbreviations The Idiomatic M-Doublets Idioms Origin Stories, Index Idioms Illustrated by Cartoons #1 We know you've seen reference books written for English speakers about English and American Idioms. And you may have seen books for Turkish speakers on the same subject. You may even have seen books for Turkish speakers about Turkish Idioms -- all in Turkish. But have you ever seen a reference for English speakers about Turkish Idioms? Well, when we couldn't find one after looking for seven years, we decided to do-it-ourselves. Observe our sampling just for Turkish idioms that begin with the letter C. Site visitors may navigate to other Turkish Idioms pages using the House-Favorite Idioms Page Index. Turkish Idioms beginning with the letter C Ca   cadı kazanı a witch's cauldron a den of intrigue/mischief Büro tam bir cadı kazanı. Herkes birbirinin kuyusunu kazıyor. The office is a real den of intrigue. Everyone is laying traps for one another. caka satmak (also caka yapmak) to sell showing off to show off, swagger Binmiş Mersedes arabaya orda burda millete caka satıyor. [The guy is] riding around in a Mercedes, showing off here and there to everybody. camı çerçeveyi indirmek to take down (bring down) the glass and the frame to go berserk Eve içkili gelmişti. Karısının kendisini terkettiğini görünce sinirden camı çerçeveyi indirdi. He had come home drunk. When he saw that his wife had left him, he lost his cool and went berserk. cami/minare yıkılmış ama mihrap/mihrabı yerinde the mosque/minaret has been toppled but the mihrap (mihrab) is still in place. Note: the mihrap (mihrab) is the niche in the mosque wall that indicates the direction of Mecca. she may have aged but she's still good-looking Bravo, mom! Left click for photo-article enlargement. Kızı Yosun'u evlendirdikten sonra soluğu Bodrum'da alan Ender Mermerci'yi görenler, 'Ender hanım yıllara meydan okuyor. Minare yıkılmış ama mihrap yerinde sözü kendisine uyuyor. Those who saw Ender Mermerci taking a breather in Bodrum (after her daughter Yosun's marriage) said, "Lady Ender challenges the years. It's fitting to say that she may have aged but she's still looking good." Gözcü Gazetesi, 21 August 2003 (See photo-article at left.) Yaşlı, ama dinç kalmış; cami yıkılmış ama mihrabı yerinde. She's older but vigorous and active. And she's still good-looking in spite of her age. can atmak to throw soul/life to desire very passionately, to want a lot Büyük annem o kadar ilginç hikayeler anlatırdı ki, onu dinlemeye can atardık. My grandmother used to tell us such interesting stories that we used to want to listen to her a lot. can çekişmek to life bicker to be at death's door, to be dying in agony, to be about to die Uzun süredir yağmur yağmayan Kızılırmak Deltası'nda doğal hayat can çekişiyor. Natural life in the Kızıl Irmak River (Red River) Delta (where it hasn't rained for a long time) is at death's door. Gözcü Gazetesi, 24 August 2003 Burçun tepesinde, beyazlı siyahlı bir bayrak, can çekişen bir kartal gibi kıvranıyordu. At the top of the tower a black and white flag writhed like an eagle dying in agony. Kaza yerine vardığımızda köpegimiz can çekişiyordu. Kısa süre sonra öldü. When we arrived at the scene of the accident, our dog was about to die. It died after a short time. can damarı can damarına basmak vein of life to press the vein of life the vital point or part, the most sensitive spot, the life's blood to press a sensitive spot Porsuk çayı, bu toprakların can damarı gibidir. Badger Creek is like the life's blood of the land around here. [...these lands.] Can damarına bastın, kızdırdın, köpürttün adamı. You pressed his sensitive spot, which caused the man to become angry and explode. can dostu friend of soul closest friend, true friend O benim can dostumdu. Gidişi beni çok mutsuz etti. She was my closest friend. Her going made me very unhappy. can düşmanı enemy of soul mortal enemy, the most-hated enemy Benim can düşmanım babamın katilidir. My mortal enemy is my father's murderer. Baban o senin! Can düşmanın değil ya! He is your father! Not your mortal enemy! can gelmek for life to come to get refreshed, to get stronger and active Uzun bir yürüyüşten sonra yorgun düştüm. Çam agaçlarının altında biraz dinlenince bacaklarıma can geldi. After a long walk, I got very tired. When I had a rest under the pine trees, the strength returned to my legs. can kulağı ile dinlemek to listen with the ear of soul to listen very carefully, to be all ears Öğretmenini can kulağıyla dinlemezsen derslerini iyi öğrenemezsin. If you don't listen to your teacher very carefully, you can't learn your lessons well. can pazarı [a] soul market; [a] life bazaar a matter of life and death; a life and death situation; a dangerous time or situation in which everyone tries to save his/her own life Can pazarı o günde.99 It was a matter of life and death that day. N.Cumalı Büyük bir gürültüyle yer sarsılıp, herkes sokağa fırlayınca, bir anda ortalık can pazarına dönüştü.102 With a loud noise the earth began to shake, and when everyone ran out into the street, it was a life and death situation [...the place turned into a 'can pazarı]. Denizde can pazarı... Life and death situation at sea... Newspaper Headline, Gözcü Gazetesi, 10 May 2003 can yoldaşı soul [traveling] companion close, heartfelt friend or companion Heidi dağlarda yalnız yaşayan dedesine bütün kış can yoldaşı olmuştu. Heidi had been a wonderful companion all winter for her grandfather who lived in the mountains. cana can katmak to add soul to the soul to increase one's pleasure and health, to give a lot of joy and health Her sabah bir bardak portakal suyu ve bir kaşık bal cana can katar. A glass of orange juice and a spoonful of honey every morning gives one joy and health. cana yakın close to soul friendly Kardeşim çok cana yakın bir insandır. Eminim onu tanıyınca seveceksin. My sister is a very friendly person. I am sure you will like her when you meet. canavar kesilmek for a monster to be cut to become merciless and fierce Başbakan seçilmeden önce demokrat bir kadın gibi görünüyordu ama seçildikten sonra canavar kesildi. She seemed to be a democratic woman before being elected Prime Minister but she became merciless after she was elected. candan from soul heartily, sincerely, truly Bu devirde candan seven az bulunur. In this age, you don't find many who love heartily. What about me, Mabel? I love heartily, don't I? You're not of this age, Marvin. I'm rather like a fine wine, eh? umm, sort of... canı burnuna gelmek [for] one's soul to come up to one's nose to be overwhelmed by trouble Hem evde hem de fabrikada çalışmaktan canım burnuma geldi. Dayanamıyorum artık. I am overwhelmed by working both at home and at the factory. I can't stand it any more. Canı cehenneme! his/her soul to hell Damn him/her! To hell with him/her! I don't want him/her! I don't care! Gitmek istiyorsa gitsin! Canı cehenneme! If he wants to go, let him go. To hell with him! canı çekmek one's soul to attract to desire, to long for something Karısı hamileydi ve canı hep dondurma çekiyordu. His wife was pregnant and she always desired ice-cream. canı çıkmak one's soul to go out (of one's body) to get exhausted because of hard work to die Bütün gün ders çalışmaktan canım çıktı. Biraz dinlenmek istiyorum. I am exhausted because of studying the lesson all day. I want to have a little rest. Canın çıksın inşallah! i I hope you die! canı istemek one's soul to desire to desire, to feel like something Gecenin ortasında, canım biraz ılık süt içmek istedi, bundan dolayı mutfağa gittim. In the middle of the night, I felt like drinking some warm milk, so I went to the kitchen. canı pahasına at the cost of life at the risk of one's life Ailenin güvenliğini canın pahasına korumalısın. You must protect the safety of your family at the risk of your life. canı sıkmak to squeeze the soul to be annoyed, be vexed (by), to make uneasy Twin Pique Left click for image enlargement and legibility. Oyuncu Meltem Ören ile şarkıcı Demet Akalın'ın Bodrum tatilleri sırasında aynı bikiniyle objektiflere yakalanması, iki güzelin de bir hayli canını sıkmış. When actress Meltem Ören and singer Demet Akalın were photographed wearing the same bikini while vacationing in Bodrum, the two beauties were highly annoyed. Gözcü Gazetesi, 5 Aug 2005 (See photo-article at left.) Onun eve gecikmesi canımı sıktı. It annoyed me that she came home late. İşyerindeki birkaç tembel adam canımı sıkıyor. A few lazy men at the work place annoy me. canı sıkılmak for one's soul to be squeezed to get bored Bütün gün evde oturmaktan canım sıkıldı. Haydi sinemaya gidelim. I'm bored of sitting at home all day. Come on, let's go to the cinema. canı tatlı his/her soul [is] sweet (with the meaning of 'valuable') [someone who is] fond of comfort, afraid of disturbances or hard work O böyle ağır işlere katlanamaz. Canı çok tatlıdır. He can't put up with such hard work. He's too fond of comfort. [His soul is very valuable to him.] canı tez his/her soul [is] quick [someone who is] impatient Canı çok tezdir. Sabaha kadar bekleyemez. She is very impatient. She can't wait until morning. Canım ciğerim! My soul, my liver/lung! My darling! My beloved one! My dear! Haydi canım ciğerim! Güzel bir kahve yap da birlikte içelim. Come on darling! Make some nice coffee and let's drink it together. canımın içi inner part of my soul my darling Nerelerdeydin canımın içi? Seni çok özledim! Where have you been, my darling? I missed you a lot! canına değmek to touch one's soul to please greatly, to make very happy, to 'hit the spot' Hava o kadar sıcak ki! Doğrusu bu bir bardak soğuk su canıma değdi! The weather is so hot! Frankly, this glass of cold water really hits the spot! canına (acımadan) kıymak to give up one's life to commit suicide to kill without pity Zavallı çocuk! Karnesindeki zayıf notlardan dolayı canına kıymış. The poor disturbed boy! He committed suicide because of bad grades on his report card. Zalim adam! O kadar hayvanın canına acımadan nasıl kıydın? You cruel man! How did you kill all those animals without mercy? canına susamak to feel thirst for one's life to look for trouble Git be adam! Canına mı susadın sen? You'd better beat it, man. Are you looking for trouble? canına tak demek (etmek) to say (do/make) [a knocking sound] to the soul to become intolerable Borsacı kadın 4 trilyonla kaçtı. Bir aydır ortada olmayan Global Menkul Değerler Şirketi mensubu Ebru Demirok'un kaçmadan önce arkadaşlarına, 'Parasızlık canıma tak etti' dediği öğrenildi. Headline: Woman stockbroker runs off with four trillion [in Turkish Lira]. It's been learned that Ebru Demirok (an employee of the GMDS company who hasn't been seen for a month) told friends before she ran off, 'My lack of money is becoming intolerable.' Headline and caption of an article in Gözcü Gazetesi, 6 September 2003 canından bezmek/bıkmak/usanmak to be tired of one's life to get tired/sick of living for life to become miserable, unbearable to lose one's joie de vivre Her şey ters gitmiş. Canından bezmişti, hiç bir şeyden tat almıyordu. Everything 'went south' [for her]. She lost interest in life, and didn't enjoy anything. See another sentence example at: göz boyamak. canından bezmek/bıkmak/usanmak to be tired of one's life to get tired/sick of living for life to become miserable, unbearable to lose one's joie de vivre Her şey ters gitmiş. Canından bezmişti, hiç bir şeyden tat almıyordu. Everything 'went south' [for her]. She lost interest in life, and didn't enjoy anything. See another sentence example at: göz boyamak. canını çıkarmak to make one's soul go out (of one's body) to make someone exhausted, to make very tired Antrenör bizi bütün gün koşturarak canımızı çıkardı. The trainer made us exhausted by making us run all day. canını dişine takmak to attach to the soul teeth to make great or desperate efforts, go all out, give it one's all, put one's back into it Kadıoğlu'nun vaadini duyan Araplar, canlarını dişlerine takmış vuruşuyorlardı. (When) Kadıoğlu's Arabs heard that promise, they really put their backs into the battle. The Illustrated Story of Barbarossa -- Bar 3, frame 25. Aslında çok hastayım. Bütün gün canımı dişime takıp çalışıyorum. In fact I'm quite ill. I've been breaking my back all day. [...working all day spending much effort.] canını kurtarmak to save life same meaning... Erken teşhis canını kurtarır. Early diagnosis saves lives. canını vermek to give one's life to sacrifice one's life Çocuklarım için canımı veririm. I'd sacrifice my life for my children. canını yakmak to burn one's soul to hurt, to cause suffering Enjeksiyonlar çocuğun canını yakıyor ama o belli etmemeye çalışıyor. The injections hurt the child but he is trying to conceal it. Canın sağ olsun! May your soul be alive! It doesn't matter! Never mind! Don't worry. Kız: Babacığım! Kazayla yeni kalemimi kırdım. Baba: Canın sağ olsun. Sana yeni bir tane daha alırım. Daughter: Daddy! I've broken my new pen accidentally! Father: Don't worry. I'll buy a new one for you. canla başla çalışmak to work with soul and head to put all of one's efforts into a job, to work heartily, to put one's heart and soul into doing [something] Köy halkı yeni yolun yapımı için canla başla çalıştı. The people of the village put their heart and soul into the building of the new road. cayır cayır [...] [...] The words only have meaning in this doublet -- see Turkish doublets, Category 3. [to burn] furiously, fiercely 150 bin dolarlık yat cayır cayır yandı... A $150,000 yacht burned furiously... Newspaper headline, Gözcü Gazetesi, 10 May 2003 Ce   cefa çekmek/görmek to pull/see cruelty to suffer Çok cefa çektik ama şimdi rahatız Allah'a şükür. We suffered a lot, but we're doing fine now, thank God. cehennem azabı hell[ish] torture/torment same meaning... Köpekceğize cehennem azabı çektirme! Don't make that poor little dog suffer [your] tormenting! Cı   cılk çıkmak to come out rotten eggs, to come out festering wound to turn out to be worthless, spoiled Bizi işe alacağına söz vermişti ama bütün diğer sözleri gibi bu da cılk çıktı. He had promised to employ us but like his other promises this one turned out to be worthless too. cız etmek (usually in yüregi cız etmek) to do "cız" (a sizzling sound) to feel a pang of sorrow in one's heart for someone else Zavallı çocuğu çıplak ayakla caddede görünce yüreğim cız etti. When I saw the poor child with bare feet on the street, I felt a pang in my heart. Ci   cici ayı pretty month the first month of a marriage when a couple is very happy together Cicim ayları geçince onunla evlenerek ne kadar hata ettiğimi anladım. When my first happy month had passed, I realised the big mistake I had made by marrying him. cim karnında bir nokta the dot on the belly of the 'cim'... The 'cim' is the 5th letter of the Arabic alphabet that was used as the 6th letter of the now-defunct Ottoman Turkish alphabet -- which is pronounced as j in English. a person or thing of no importance, an insignificant person or thing, an ignorant person Onun cim karnında bir nokta olduğunu bilmez gibi kalkmıs, tartışmaya girişiyorsun. As if you don't know that he is an ignoramus, you get up and enter into debate [with him]. Click following to see a remarkable example of a triple idomatic expression, in which this idiom is included. cin gibi like a genie very clever and agile Aptal sarışın cin gibi çıktı. A 'dumb blonde' turns out to be very clever and agile. Newspaper headline in reference to sexy model Yeliz Yeşilmen in Gözcü Gazetesi, 3 June 2003. (-da/-de) cirit atmak to throw the jereed (in) to throw the jereed with -da/-de: (for people/animals) to take over and do as they please (in a place) Poignant Protesters Left click for photo-article enlargement. İstanbul Şehit Anaları Dayanışma ve Yardımlaşma Derneği üyeleri, protesto ettiler. "Çocuklarımızın katilleri sokaklarda cirit atıyor," dediler. Istanbul members of the Martyred Mothers Support and Aid Association make a [public] protest. They said, "The killers of our children are taking over the streets and doing as they please." Adapted from an article in Gözcü Gazetesi, 16 September 2003 (See photo-article at left.) 15'lik kızların barlarda cirit attığını belirten Helin Avşar, "Aralarındaki konuşmaları duyunca utançtan yüzüm kızarıyor. Ben onların yaşındayken, bebeklerle oynuyordum" dedi. [Hulya Avşar's younger sister] Helin Avşar (who says that 15-year-old girls are taking over the bars and doing as they please) said, "When I hear the things they say between each other, it makes me blush with shame. When I was their age, I was playing with dolls." Gözcü Gazetesi, 16 May 2004 Also see example sentence at: maganda Co   combalak atmak to throw 'combalak' to do a somersault Kilimin üstünde combalak atmayı çok severlerdi. They loved somersaulting on the kilim [carpet]. Cu   curcunaya çevirmek, curcunaya döndürmek, curcunaya vermek to turn to hullabaloo to turn a place into a very noisy disordered state, to fill [a place] with the clamor of voices Kesin lan şu şamatayı! Burayı curcunaya çevirdiniz! Hey you, cut out the clamor! You've turned this place into a three-ring circus! Cü   cümbür cemaat everyone together as a group, everyone altogether, the whole 'kit and kaboodle' same meaning... Müdürden izin almadan cümbür cemaat odaya doluşmak olmaz. Without permission from the manager, it's not permitted for everyone to wander in the room altogether. cürm-i meşhut halinde in a condition of notorious crime (caught) in the act in flagrante delicto Bir hafta evvel ikisi de birbirlerini aşıklarıyla cürm-i meşhut halinde yakalamışlar ve hemen ayrılmışlardı. A week earlier they had each caught their lovers in the act [of cheating] and they had immediately separated. Ömer Seyfettin, Harem, pg. 133 Related Pages: The Turkish Idioms A-Z, Index Turkish Acronyms/Abbreviations The Idiomatic M-Doublets Idioms Origin Stories, Index Idioms Illustrated by Cartoons #1 Unrelated fun: Frequently asked questions about Turkey and the Turkish language llustrated Nargile Users Guide -- and Encyclopedia Our Honda Generator -- A Member of the Family 'Erotik' Movies -- The Short Unhappy Life of Mine Mutlu Erotik Angel? -- Melek Görgün Sizzling transsexual -- Emel Aydan Erotik 'Second Banana' -- Gülden Gül Deep-inside Dilber Ay White-Hot Real Blonde... the Ceyda Karahan Center Figen Han -- Fire down below... Arzu Okay -- brainy 'erotik' bombshell The Feri Cansel Story -- an erotik 'Beauty and the Beast' Zerrin Egeliler - (most of) everything you always wanted to know The Seyyal Taner Center The Seher Şeniz Center Tarkan's Metamorphosis Album -- Christmas Day Release Turkish Music -- Tarkan Real-Life Weight Loss a la turc (with booklet) Habibullah and the Great Cannon Caper A simple Turkish 'thing'... Turkish Music -- Kayahan Turkish Belly Dancers Turkish Food and Beverage Turkish Terms Of Endearment Turkish Personal Names Politically Incorrect Turkish Humor Why Off-Color Turkish is important too Gossipy Turkish Who's Who Turkish Movies -- Conventional and 'Erotik', Index We wish to extend thanks to Emin Özdemir, Osman Çizmeciler, Ömer Asım Aksoy, H. Fethi Gözler, Ferit Devellioğlu, Nermin and Muammer Yüzbaşıoğlu, Halil Uysal, Ali Püsküllüoğlu, and Ali Uslu for their Turkish Idioms source material -- on which some of this page is based.

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