Learning Turkish Language Idioms -- Letter F | Translations in plain English | Sound files

Turkish Idioms beginning with the letter F
The Turkish	The Literal English Meaning	The 'Plain' English Meaning	Comments and Examples
Fa
faka basmak	to look at a trap	to be deceived, duped or trapped	Burhan bey, pek çok düşünen, hiç faka basmayan, akıllı cesurlardandı. Burhan bey, who was a thinker and not easily duped, was wisely brave. The Illustrated Story of Barbarossa, Book 2 Plate 14 by Orhan and Erhan Dündar (1996)
falan	See filan, filan falan...
fare cirit atmak/oynamak	for a mouse to throw/play 'cirit'	(for a place) to be deserted	Öyle sessiz bir ev ki hiç kimseler yok. Her yerde fareler cirit oynuyor. Nobody is at home in a house that quiet. The place is deserted. [It's such a quiet house that no one exists (there). The mice are playing 'cirit' everywhere.]
fare deliğe sığmamış, bir de kuyruğuna kabak bağlamış	to not fit into a mouse hole, to also fasten a pumpkin to the tail	for someone to take on new responsibilities when she/he can't handle the ones she/he already has for someone to not be welcome him/herself, and for him/her then to also bring someone along with him/her	Arkadaşlarını da getirmiş, fare deliğe sığmamış, bir de kuyruğuna kabak bağlamış, demeli oldu. [Can you believe] He also brought his friends with him? In the first place, he wasn't welcome himself, and for him then to bring others along too, well, it was really too much!
Farkındayım. Farkında değilim.	I am in discrimination. I am not in discrimination.	I realize (that), I understand intuitively, "I know that!" I don't realize. I don't understand intuitively, "I don't know that!"	Note: This idiomatic construction may be conjugated like a verb. For example... Farkında değildin -- yıldönümümüz dündü. You didn't realize that yesterday was our anniversary. Well, you can't fault me in that department. Go on and tell'em Mabel... Which year are you interested in, Marvin? I just happen to be packin' my MHL list. What's MHL stand for, Mabes? Marvin's Harmless Lies. huh?
fasulye gibi kendini nimetten saymak	to count oneself a blessing like a bean	to think highly of oneself, to think oneself to be important, to put on airs	See following for a remarkable example of back to back to back idiomatic expression, to multiply your translation woes... Cim karnında bir nokta olduğu halde fasulye gibi kendini nimetten sayıyor. Although he is an insignificant nobody, he has a very high opinion of himself. (Although he is the dot on the belly of the 'cim', he counts himself a blessing like a bean.)
Fe
feleğin çemberinden geçmiş	(someone who) passed through fate's circle	refers to someone who has had ups and downs in life, someone who has been 'through the mill', someone with a great deal of experience	Onun bilgisine güvenirim, feleğin çemberinden geçti. Yanılmaz. I trust his knowledge; he's very experienced. He doesn't make mistakes.
feleğin sillesini yemek	to eat fate's slap	to suffer the blows of misfortune, to struggle through difficulty, to experience (a) bad event(s), to meet with life-long adversity	Kadıncağız, tüm ailesini trafik kazasında kaybetmiş. Feleğin sillesini yemiş, onu bir de sen üzme. The poor old woman lost her entire family in a road accident. She has suffered [enough] misfortune, [so] don't you too distress her.
felekten bir gün (gece) çalmak	to steal a day (night) from the firmament	to have a very enjoyable day (or evening)	Arkadaşlarıyla felekten bir gün çalmak istedi. He wanted to have an enjoyable day with his friends.
fellik fellik aramak [sometimes seen as fellek fellek aramak]	to look running all over, running hither and thither	to search high and low (for)	Sally hanım, kaybolan çocuğunu her yerde fellik fellik arıyordu. Ms. Sally was searching everywhere high and low for her lost child.
fenalık geçirmek	to have badness pass	to feel sick, feel faint	See example sentence at: haddini bilmemek.
Fı
fıkır fıkır	... ... [These words only have meaning in this idiom. See Turkish doublets, Category 3]	with a bubbling sound lively and flirtatious	Hayranlarını çok özlediğini belirten Megastar, 'Artık hasret bitti. Herkesi fıkır fıkır oynatacağım. Kimse yerinde duramayacak' dedi. The Megastar (who revealed that he'd missed his fans a lot) said, 'The longing is over. I'll make everybody dance in a lively and flirtatious way. No one will be able to stay in their seats.' Quoting pop-idol Tarkan in Gözcü Gazetesi, 30 June 2003
fındık kabuğunu doldurmaz	to not fill a hazelnut shell	(a subject or event that is) trifling, unimportant, nonsensical	Mary Ann hanım, kocasıyla fındık kabuğunu doldurmayacak bir sebepten dolayı kavga etti. Ms. Mary Ann quarreled with her husband because of an unimportant reason.
fırıldak çevirmek	to turn a whirligig	to do something in a tricky way, to 'pull a fast one', to be up to no good	Ne fırıldak çevirdiyse çevirdi, orasını bilmiyorum. Fakat sonuçta kadının elinden bütün malını almayı başardı. He may have pulled every trick in the book, I don't know about that. But the result was that he managed to take control of all the woman's possessions.
fırsat kollamak	to watch for an opportunity, to be on the alert for an opportunity	same meaning...	Babasına konuyu açabilmek için bir haftadır fırsat kolladı. She waited a week for the opportunity to open the subject with her father.
Fi
filan or filan falan	given people; given things	...facilitates the meaning of 'and similar things' or 'and similar people' or 'and related things' or 'and so on' or 'and such like' or 'etcetera'.	See Turkish M-doublets.
fitil fitil burnundan gelmek Also see, burnundan fitil fitil gelmek...	for wicks (or fuzes) to come from the nose	for an unexpected event to occur that spoils one's pleasure after one has gotten (or experienced) something one has desired (or enjoyed); to suffer so much after gaining something good that one regrets ever having gained it	Bodrum dönüşü arabamız kaza yapınca, yaptığımız tatil fitil fitil burnumuzdan geldi. When we had a car accident on our return from Bodrum, it spoiled the vacation we had had. Yedik, içtik, eğlendik ama kavga yüzünden burnumuzdan fitil fitil geldi. We ate, drank, and had a good time, but then because of an argument everything was spoiled.
fitne sokmak	to insert discord	to turn one person or group against another	Bizim Hayreddin Paşa ile aramız iyi idi. Sen gelip aramıza fitne soktun. Our relationship with Admiral Hayreddin was just fine. Then you came along and turned us against each other. The Illustrated Story of Barbarossa, Book 3 Plate 27 by Orhan and Erhan Dündar (1996)
Fo
fol yok yumurta yok Also see, ortada fol yok yumurta yok/yokken	there is no nest egg, there is no egg	there is no apparent reason for it; for no apparent reason whatsoever; there is no proof of its existence	"...bir bakıyorsun, durup dururken, ortada fol yok yumurta yok, çıkıp gidiyor." (Atilla İlhan) [Will you] look at that! Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he takes off and leaves.
foyası/foyaları meydana çıkmak Note: This idiom's root is yet another idiom: meydana çıkmak.	for the foil to be revealed	for sb's hitherto unknown bad qualities to be revealed for sb's bad qualities to become apparent because of an event(s) (for sb) to be found out (for sb) to be shown up	Kaya'nın uykuları kaçtı. Ünlü yıldız Hülya Avşar, yayınevlerinin 100 milyar liralık teklifini yabana atmayıp, hayatını kaleme alırsa, eşi Kaya Çilingiroğlu'nun bütün foyaları meydana çıkacak. Kaya is worried. [Because] if famous star Hülya Avşar doesn't ignore the book publisher's 100-billion Turkish Lira offer, and if she puts her life story on paper, all of husband Kaya Çilingiroğlu's bad qualities will be revealed. The headline and caption of an article in Gözcü Gazetesi, 22 July 2003 Bu son olaylar, müdürün foyasını meydana çıkardı. Artık kimse ona güvenmiyor. These latest events have revealed the manager's bad qualities. No one will trust her anymore.
fos çıkmak	for false to go out (of)	(for sth) not to end up as one had hoped (for sth) to be long and drawn out Turkish pensioners still queue to receive their monthly stipend Gözcü Gazetesi, May 2003 Right click or use 'Print Preview' to view image enlargement...	AKP'nin emekliye seçim öncesi verdiği "Sizi banka önlerindeki kuyruklardan kurtaracağız" sözü fos çıktı. The promise given before the election by the 'AK Party' to retired persons that, "We will spare you from the long lines in front of banks," didn't turn out as had been hoped. Ed. Note [May 2003]: Retired persons in Turkey have had to wait in amazingly long waiting-lines at banks, since time immemorial -- to collect their monthy retirement benefits. Tayyip Erdoğan's 'AK Party' promised to end the bank queues for retirees, if it won the 2002 national election. But, nothing has changed -- six months after the convincing AKP election victory. (See left.)
frikik vermek Note: this idiom is mildly off-color.	to give a 'free kick'	See the frikik entry on the off-color page. But, please beware the off-color warning. Left click for article enlargement.	Bugüne kadar maç sırasında frikik vermemek icin şort ya da eşofman giyen sanatçının bu kez mini etekle korta çıkması ise şaşkınlık yarattı. The (multi-talented) performer (Hulya Avşar, arguably Turkey's most famous celebrity) who until today has worn shorts or a jogging suit to avoid giving 'free kicks' during her tennis matches, caused a stir by coming to the court in a mini skirt this time. Hürriyet Gazetesi, 28 May 2003 (See photo-article at left.)

The Plain English Meanings ofTurkish Idioms'F'

The Plain English Meanings of
Turkish Idioms
'F'