Neo IAL

SOME MORE COLLOQUIALISM AND IDIOMATIC PHRASES

NOK SOM LOQELOS E IDYOSISMOS

It’s in the bag	L’afar nel sak. (Lo pesh nel rish.)
There’s nothing doing!	Nilo fenda!
No kidding!	No blagu!
I am sick of it!	Me trosufe!
And the lot!	E l’bazar! – E l’enta bazar!
He doesn’t worry. – Don’t worry!	Il no bilar. – No bilu!
Well, that’s the limit! (the last straw)	Ben, eto lo kolmo! (lo last palyo).
It was grand!	Sir splenda! – Sir marva!
It’s the obvious thing to do.	Eto klare lo fenda.
Serves him right for being so greedy!	Ben meritat, sinde tan edema!
It’s all the same to me.	Me tote egala.
It doesn’t mean a thing to me.	Me mindar nix.
It’s all Greek to me!	Eto po mi Sanskrit!
All the same, it is cheek!	Kele, eto tup!
He is two-faced.	Il bifaca. Il falsun.
Double talk.	Dipla parlo.
He’s a lucky chap!	Il cansun! – Il cansa kerlo!
It amounts to the same thing.	Sar sama. – Valar same. – Sar parelya.
That’s not very nice!	Eto no muy gentila!
It’s none of my business.	Eto no ma eco.
That doesn’t concern me.	(Eto) no me koncernar.
Do you follow me? – (Have you got that?)	Cu vu me folgar? – Cu vu kapar?
And what do you infer from that?	E ke dedukar vu da eto?
Is everything going all right?	Cu to ben?
Not a bit of it! (Not a scrap of it!)	Nix! – No kelo!
It’s a nasty business.	Sar un lur eco. – Sar un afaraco.
It was only to be expected.	Sir ya expektenda.
You haven’t a dictionary, by any chance?	Cu kaze u vu un dixonar?
That’s new to me.	Eto me nuva.
Don’t believe a word of it!	No en kredu un vort!
I should be delighted.	Mi sur ixa. (Mi sur carmat.)
I should be surprised.	Mi sur surprenat. – Me surprenur.
I shouldn’t be surprised.	No me surprenur.
And we can do nothing about it.	E nos ye par nix.
What more do you want?	Ke nok dezar vu?
Let us say no more about me!	Nos no en parlu plu!
Don’t ask me any more about it.	Me asku plu nix etpropone.
You look very well.	Vu aspar muy ben. – Vu muy bonaspa.
I am in a great hurry. (tearing hurry)	Mi muy asta (astega).
I don’t care.	Mi no zorgar. – No me vikar.
It is the last word! (“all the rage”)	Sar lastmodya. – Sar lo last tico.
Tell it to the Marines!	Dicu a osunos! – A osunos!
What a row! – What a mess!	Ka bukan! – Ka petodaro!
Mum’s the word!	Motus! No un vort! – No apru bok!
In short…	Breve…
Let’s go!	Nos giu!
Go to it! – Go on!	Giu! – Ye giu!
Of course!	Certe!
Dash!	Bakus! – Saprico!
So much the worse!	Tanpize!
All the better!	Tanmele!
It doesn’t matter!	No vikar!
It doesn’t matter at all!	Vikar nix!
Pardon, what did you say?	Ko, pli? – Pardon, ke dicir vu?
He’s a real pal!	Il un carma kerlo!
Just you dare!	Ozu nur!
I’ll make it my business to find out!	Sor ma eco skopri!
I don’t care a rap!	Mi surfishar!
That is a dig at me.	Eto igel kontre mi.
Much ado about nothing.	Mul rum po nix.
There’s something in the wind (a snake in the grass).	Ye sepro sub l’ebro. – Ye somet erye.
I could go there with my eyes shut.	Mi pur ye gi kloz-oke.
I am all ears.	Mi plen-uda.
I’m beginning to lose my temper.	Mi irsensar.
He can’t bear me.	Il no par me fyuti.
I answered him like a flash.	Mi rispir a il tanilke.
That’s the least of my worries.	Sar ma minsta zorgo.
Don’t you dare do it again!	No ozu reensi!
I don’t give a hoot!	Mi surfishar!
He’s just kidding!	Il nur umbar! – Il plezantar!
He won’t set the Thames on fire.	Il no inventir pulvo.
He is putting on an act!	Il komedar.
Let him go to the devil!	Il giu al dyablo!
He leads the life of a lord.	Il tranadar as Prins.
He is a spendthrift.	Il ar man forat.
His eyes are bigger than his belly.	La okos granira qam la panco.
I’m telling you once and for all.	Mi ve dicar unyes po sem.
He promised me the moon.	Il me promonir. – Il me promir lo lun.
Your ears must have burned.	Va orelos certe prurir.
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.	Il nasir vestat. – Il nasir cap on cef.
He is dressed to kill to-day.	Il oje manekenat.
It’s all up with him!	Il liqidat! – Em la endo!
Take a chance!	Eselu canso!
That’s just like him!	Eto vere il!
I am used to it.	Mi ja abituat.
You have no say in the matter.	Vu ar no vot nel mat.
I mustn’t grumble!	Mi no par lamenti!
Take it or leave it!	Prenenda o latenda! – Pren~ o latenda!
I told him where he got off!	Mi lu dicir ma veros!
Did he put you wise to it? (Did he clue you up?)	Cu il ve informonir?
He is proud as a peacock.	Il fyera as paon.
He is as mean as Midas.	Il un Arpagon. – Il iska as Arpagon.
He is as rich as Croesus.	Il un Kresus. – Il rika as Kresus.
He is as poor as a churchmouse.	Il pova as Job.
He is as strong as an ox!	Il forta as tauro!
She is as gay as a lark.	El gada as lerko.
He is as dull as ditch water.	Il trista as yemnox.
She chatters like a magpie.	El bavardar as pigo.
He is as quiet as a mouse.	Il keda as stagnaqo.
He is as nimble as a monkey.	Il lesta as sim.
He is as deaf as a post.	Il surda as olso.
He is as thin as a rake.	Il minsa as fil.
He is as fat as a barrel.	Il grasa as bot.
Long as a month of Sundays.	Longa as un id sen fud.
He is as honest as the day is long.	Il onesta (sincera) as bon pan.
He is sleeping like a top.	Il dormanda as gliro.
It is as old as the hills.	Sar olda as Noe.
They are as like as two peas.	Zi semblucar as pizelos.
It is as clear as daylight.	Sar klara as ida lum. – Sar klara as id.
He is as happy as a sandboy.	Il ixa as Roy.
It will go swimmingly.	Gor as rotetos.
He is as regular as clockwork.	Il regla as oril.
It’s no laughing matter.	Ye nix ridenda.
There’s nothing to worry about.	Ye nilo zorgenda.
There’s no harm in trying.	Tralo no danga. – No danga trali.
You have overstepped the mark.	Vu depasir lo mezur.
He let the cat out of the bag.	Il vodecir. (Il lir skapi l’sekro.)
I’m not up to much to-day.	Mi oje no nel uza.
On the level: Honour bright.	In ben e onor.
They are in a bad way.	Zi malvege.
And to think I trusted him!	Pensu ke mi le konfidir!
Don’t blame anyone but yourself.	Blamu nilosun qam vuself.
He was pulling your leg, old man.	Il ve rishinir, ma oldun.
She didn’t turn up.	El falsir apuntado.
They left me in the lurch.	Zi me lir panke.
We split the difference.	Nos dimir lo def.
He is a first class bore.	Il un fama bartoner.
We are after the same thing.	Nos kirar lo sam lep. (Nos kirar samo.)
He has plenty of nerve. – What a nerve he has!	Il no timar frigo. – U il kan energo! (kan frigsang!)
What’s biting you?	Cu somo ve pungar?
I am not in his good books.	Mi no in la bon listos.
He was caught red-handed.	Il sir fengat ol fakto.
She gave me the cold shoulder.	El me montrir frigo.
He killed two birds with one stone.	Il fir du kolpos unmove.
He has the gift of the gab.	Il ar parlo-dot.
That sets my teeth on edge.	Eto grinsifar ma dentos.
I have pins and needles in my legs.	Ma pedos pungolar.
You will be sorry for it.	Vu en or ringo.
He said it with his tongue in his cheek; take it with a pinch of salt.	Il dicir it nur plezante; no v’en formalu.
He practises what he preaches.	Il agar as il preskar.
Yesterday he was making whoopee.	Yer il bombansir.
To-day he has a hangover.	Oje il ar spirtalgo. (bevalgo)
He is very wide-awake.	Il muy velyala.
It’s his spitting image.	Sar la dupla imago.
That makes my hair stand on end.	Eto ergar ma kaplos.
He gave him a beating-up.	Il le tabakonir.
He completely lost his temper.	Il tote perdir frigsango.
He is a good chap.	Il un bon tip (un bon kerlo).
He is an ace (He turned up trumps).	Il un aso.
He is a trifle close-fisted.	Il isketa.
Why beat about the bush so much?	Kur tan cirkonloqi? (Kur tan umtorni?)
He puts the cart before the horse.	Il tar lo plug antel bov.
I don’t do things by halves.	Mi no agar dime. – Mi ye gar rexe.
He soon goes off the deep end.	Il vit surbolar. – Il irsonocar. – Il bolar as lakto.
You are making a mountain out of a mole-hill.	Vu far un mont da un talpayo. – Vu far un mont da nix.
It’s six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.	Sar as ner cap e cap nera.
I would swear to it.	Mi pur juri it. – Mi tur ma man fokye.
He blows his own trumpet too much.	Il trombegar.
She is a first-class cook.	El un blukordon. (f blukordin)
Don’t meddle with it!	No ye friku!
You will laugh on the other side of your face.	Vu jalridor.
I was worried yesterday.	Yer mi sir zorga.
When pigs have wings.	Van bovos or alos.
He is always making difficulties where there is none.	Il krear dufos vo nix. – Il kirar peshos erye.
I am dying to see it.	Mi bramar (mi brular) vidi it.
You have missed the bus.	Vu mankir lo bus.
He has put his foot in it.	Il gafonir. – Il tir sa ped nel mirmuyo. – Il pedinir.
It’s an open secret.	Sar sekro tosia.
That gets on my nerves.	Eto urtar ma nervos.
I might do it at a pinch.	Mi pur fi it es nesa.
He is very up-to-date.	Il muy idala
He is worth his weight in gold.	Il valar sa auropezo.
You must be mistaken.	Vu certe erorar.
When you say that, you have said it all.	Dicinde eto, vu dicir to.
This has nothing to do with this business.	Eto ar nil ril kon et eco.
He made eyes at her.	Il ley okadelir.
He is up to his tricks again.	Em il refar sa trukos.
He wasn’t born yesterday.	Il no nasir yer.
It’s too good to be true.	Tro bela po si vera.
He will laugh in your face.	Il ridor on va faco. – (vaface)
He astonished me.	Il me astonir. – Il me stupir.
He doesn’t do a stroke of work.	Il far nix. – Il no far un fil.
He sulked for an hour.	Il broncir dun un or.
You have scored a bull’s-eye there.	Vu trir inte mil.
He can take it!	Il spar inkasi!
He struck oil.	Il trir lo filon.
I gave him a good telling-off.	Mi le grondonir plenkonte.
I had nothing to do with it.	Mi ir ye nix; eto sir nile ma fakto.
He pokes his nose everywhere.	Il tar sa nazo toye.
Everything went wrong.	To volvir male.
He is a real wet-blanket.	Il un vera dijoyer.
He was within an ace of succeeding.	Lu mankir un fil po riusi.
That is splitting hairs.	Esto as dimi kaplos.
He has bats in the belfry.	Il ar moskos nel plafon.
He has a crush on her.	Il ley libolar.
He has a black eye.	Il ar un batok.
He has the fidgets.	Il ar movit.
He hasn’t much common sense.	Il no ar mul rajonel.
He has the blues.	Il nervidar. – Il skurvidema.
Let us go and have a snack.	Nos giu mensuli. – Nos giu po un snak.
Let us go for a drink.	Nos giu po un drink.
If it suits you.	Es ve plar. Es ve ridelar. Es ve konvenar.
He has the wind up.	Il fifa. – Il frusar.
It is selling like hot cakes.	Eto vendat as panelos.
The sooner the better.	Suneste meleste.
A little bird told me so.	Ma letel me dicir it. – Un ezet me dicir it.
He is as changeable as the wind.	Il volvar kelvente. – Il un volvirel.
It’s a long road that has no turning.	Sen tornotos rut sem longa.
Mad as a March hare.	Fola as marsa lep.