A true testament to the importance placed on Turkish coffee for Turks, the proverb, "Bir kahvenin kırk yıl hatırı vardır," is a proverb whose
literal translation is, "A cup of coffee will be
remembered for 40 years." But what is actually infers is that partaking in a cup of Turkish coffee with a Turk means you will share a 40-year friendship.

The proverb "Dost acı söyler," which translates into English as "A friend says what hurts," means that a real friend tells the bitter truth and it is used when someone needs to soften the blow of having to deliver or receive unfortunate news from a close buddy.

The idiom "Tuzu kuru," which literally translates to "his/her salt is dry," means that someone is financially well-off, or as the English equivalent would say, "sitting pretty."

This particular Turkish idiom, "Bu ne perhiz, bu ne lahana turşusu," is certainly one of the most perplexing, literally translates to "What is this diet, what is this pickled cabbage?" Without aiming to decipher the words, and their placement, the meaning in the culture that uses it is what matters most and in this case, this statement is used to point out inconsistencies in one's behavior or words.

While the meaning is the same, only the animals and items discussed vary in the Turkish idiom "Eşek hoşaftan ne anlar?" which translates to "What does a donkey know about compote?" and its English equivalent "casting pearls before swine." Both capture the notion of offering something valuable or good to someone who would be completely unaware of its value.

The saying "Armut, ağacın dibine düşer," which best translates to "A pear drops to the bottom of its own tree" is basically the Turkish equivalent of the English idiom "a chip off the old block" and refers to the generalization that children usually turn out like their parents.

The Turkish idiom "Pireyi deve yapmak," which translates into "Don't turn a flea into a camel" is the equivalent to the English idiom of "making a mountain out of a molehill" and refers to overreacting to and exaggerating a minor issue.

A similar idiom to "Şeytanın bacağını kırmak," which translates to "Breaking the Devil's Leg" in English would be "getting the show on the road" as this idiom is used to denote starting something you haven't been able to somehow for a long time or similarly to travel somewhere you have been unable to get to.

One of the more recent idioms to surface in Turkish is the comical "Maydanoz olma," which in English literally as "Don't be a parsley." The meaning of this phrase is to mind your own business, and to unlike parsley, not stick your nose into everything.

The Turkish proverb "Tereyağından kıl çeker gibi," which translated means "It's as easy as pulling a hair out of butter," is used to describe something that is very easy to do. Similar idioms in English would be "like a walk in the park," "shooting fish in a barrel" or "as easy as taking candy from a baby."

The phrase "Bin pişman" which, in English meaning, "a thousand regrets," can go both ways in Turkish in that it represents deep regret and with the added auxiliary verbs, "olmak" and "etmek" you can either be suffering from it or wishing it upon someone else.

The Turkish phrase "iple çekmek," which translates into "pulling with string" is used to emphasize just how much someone is looking forward to something.

The Turkish phrase "keçileri kaçırmak," which translates to "losing the goats," means that someone has lost their mind, or in other words, gone completely insane. Funnily enough in English there are quite a few similar idioms such as "going bananas," "losing one's marbles, "to be barking mad," "to lose the plot" or "to go stir crazy," being just some.

Turkish men usually like women with a bit of meat on their bones, and this is a lovely compliment to curvy girls.

This anatomic description is actually used to describe someone who is very precious to you. You might hear it featured as a lyric in love songs.

Kind of like telling couples to never go to bed angry, this is said to newlyweds who traditionally share a single, long pillow in a marital bed.

Said to berate someone who’s being lazy. We use it when someone does little job and keeps speaking about it.

Often said of a father when a new baby monopolises the mother’s attentions, or by anyone who has been passed over in favour of another.

If you hold onto something you have for long enough, it will eventually become useful.

Example:

İyi ki kızımın bebek arabasını saklamışım, şimdi senin çok işine yarayacak. Eee, sakla samanı gelir zamanı.

“Fortunately, I saved my daughter’s stroller. It will be very useful for you now. See, keep a thing for seven years and you’ll find a use for it.”

As time passes, all the troubles we experience are forgotten or the sorrow we feel decreases.

Example:

Üzülme, bugünler de geçecek; zaman her şeyin ilacıdır.

“Don’t worry, these days will be over, too; time is the best medicine.”