An idiom (ibora, phraseological unit) is one of the most expressive units of a language. You can say xursand bo‘ldi (“was glad”), but og‘zi qulog‘ida (“mouth up to the ears”) paints a picture for the listener. Idioms give speech imagery, folk spirit and feeling; they are the fruit of centuries of a people’s observation and experience. The branch that studies them is phraseology. In the exam you must find an idiom’s meaning, distinguish it from a free phrase and a compound word, identify its role in the sentence and tell it apart from a proverb.
§1. What an idiom is
An idiom is a fixed combination of two or more words that as a whole expresses a figurative meaning. Its meaning is not the sum of the meanings of its words:
ko‘ngli joyiga tushdi — calmed down; tarvuzi qo‘ltig‘idan tushdi — was bitterly disappointed; og‘zi qulog‘ida — overjoyed; qo‘li ochiq — generous; ko‘zi uchib turibdi — waiting eagerly
Features of an idiom:
stability — a word inside it cannot be replaced: you cannot say yuragi joyiga tushdi instead of ko‘ngli joyiga tushdi;
unity of meaning — the meaning belongs to the whole combination and cannot be split into parts;
reproducibility — an idiom is not built anew in speech but taken ready-made from memory;
imagery and emotion — it often expresses the speaker’s attitude (irony, sympathy, praise).
Many idioms contain names of body parts: ko‘z, qo‘l, bosh, til, yurak, ko‘ngil. This is because people describe feelings through changes in the body: in fear the heart races — yuragi yorildi (“his heart burst” — he was terrified).
§2. How idioms differ from other units
A free phrase (yashil daraxt, kitob o‘qimoq) — words keep their literal meaning and the phrase is built freely; a word can be replaced: yashil barg, gazeta o‘qimoq.
A compound word (kungaboqar, belbog‘, oshqozon) — a single word, written solid, naming one thing.
An idiom — the words are written separately, but the meaning is unified and figurative; no word can be replaced.
The same combination can be a free phrase or an idiom depending on context: Ovqatdan oldin qo‘lini yuvdi (really washed his hands — a free phrase) — U bu ishdan qo‘lini yuvdi (gave it up — an idiom).
Test: try to read the combination literally. If the literal meaning does not fit the sentence and the whole can be replaced by one word, it is an idiom
Worked example
U doim boshini baland ko‘tarib yuradi — is boshini baland ko‘tarib an idiom?
The literal meaning (holding the head up high) is physically possible.
But the word doim (“always”) shows we are talking about habitual behaviour.
The combination equals one meaning — “proudly”.
Answer: in this context it is an idiom (figurative), meaning “proudly”.
§3. Structure of idioms and meaning relations
By structure idioms are of two kinds:
phrase-type idioms: qo‘li ochiq, ko‘z ochib yumguncha, tili bir qarich, og‘ziga talqon solgandek;
sentence-type idioms: tarvuzi qo‘ltig‘idan tushdi, kapalagi uchib ketdi, tepa sochi tikka bo‘ldi.
Like words, idioms enter into meaning relations:
synonymous idioms: yuragi yorildi — kapalagi uchib ketdi (was terrified); boshi osmonga yetdi — og‘zi qulog‘ida (overjoyed);
antonymous idioms: ko‘ngli oq — ko‘ngli qora, yuzi yorug‘ — yuzi qora;
an idiom can be a synonym of a single word: ko‘z ochib yumguncha — tez (quickly); og‘ziga talqon solgandek — jim (silently).
The meaning of an idiom can be given by one word or a short gloss — this is exactly what tests ask for
Some idioms have several meanings, which only context can decide. So when looking for an idiom’s meaning, always read the whole sentence.
§4. The idiom in the sentence
An idiom functions as one sentence part, since it expresses one concept:
predicate: U bu gapni eshitib, tarvuzi qo‘ltig‘idan tushdi (≈ was disappointed);
attribute: Qo‘li ochiq odam hammaga yoqadi (≈ a generous person);
adverbial: Ko‘z ochib yumguncha yetib keldi (≈ arrived very quickly);
An idiom is not split into sentence parts — the whole of it is one part
This also affects punctuation: no comma goes inside an idiom, since it is a single sentence part.
Worked example
Which sentence part is the idiom in Akam bu xabarni eshitib, boshi osmonga yetdi?
Find the idiom: boshi osmonga yetdi — “was overjoyed”.
The subject is akam; what is said about him? — boshi osmonga yetdi.
The idiom acts as a single predicate; it cannot be split into boshi (subject) and osmonga (object).
Answer: the idiom is the predicate.
§5. Proverb, saying, aphorism, periphrasis
It is important to tell apart units close to idioms:
A proverb (maqol) is a complete sentence expressing folk wisdom; it contains a judgement, conclusion or piece of advice: Bilagi zo‘r birni yiqar, bilimi zo‘r mingni (“the strong in arm defeats one, the strong in knowledge a thousand”); Ishlagan tishlaydi (“who works, eats”); Bir yigitga yetmish hunar oz.
A saying (matal) is a figurative expression that draws no conclusion and enters a sentence as a part of it: Tuyaning dumi yerga tekkanda (“when the camel’s tail touches the ground” — never).
An aphorism is a short, profound thought by a known author: the sayings of Navoiy or Avloniy.
Periphrasis (tasviriy ifoda) names a thing descriptively through its feature: oq oltin (cotton), qora oltin (oil), po‘lat qush (aeroplane), cho‘l kemasi (camel), zangori ekran (television).
An idiom is a combination (a sentence part); a proverb is a complete sentence with a conclusion
The main dictionary of idioms is Sh. Rahmatullayev’s explanatory phraseological dictionary of Uzbek. Proverbs and sayings alike belong to oral folklore and have been passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. One question helps tell them apart: does the expression make a judgement on its own, or does it sit inside another sentence as a part? The first is a proverb; the second is an idiom or a saying.
Worked example
Bir yigitga yetmish hunar oz — an idiom or a proverb?
It is a complete sentence: it has a subject (yetmish hunar) and a predicate (oz).
It gives a piece of advice: a person should master many skills.
It does not sit inside another sentence as a part but makes an independent judgement.
Answer: a proverb.
§6. Using idioms correctly
Idioms are used mainly in colloquial, literary and journalistic styles; they are not used in official or scientific style: no one writes ko‘zim uchib turibdi in a formal application.
Distorting an idiom is a mistake: wrong qovuni qo‘ltig‘idan tushdi instead of tarvuzi qo‘ltig‘idan tushdi.
Mind the stylistic colouring: tili bir qarich is negative (cheeky, sharp-tongued) and cannot be used as praise.
Idioms are not translated word for word: when rendering og‘zi qulog‘ida in another language, you choose an equivalent idiom of that language or a plain word (“overjoyed”). A literal translation distorts the meaning or sounds comic.
Too many idioms make a text sound artificial; one well-placed idiom is more powerful than ten ordinary words.
Writers use idioms to bring characters’ speech to life, to give a text folk colour and to express irony. In an essay, too, one or two apt idioms make the argument lively.
Check yourself
What does qulog‘iga quyib oldi mean?
Is kungaboqar an idiom or a compound word?
Which sentence part is the idiom in Ko‘z ochib yumguncha keldi?
What is oq oltin?
Is Ishlagan tishlaydi an idiom or a proverb?
When is qo‘lini yuvdi an idiom?
Give a synonym for kapalagi uchib ketdi.
Which single word is og‘ziga talqon solgandek synonymous with?
Common mistakes
Splitting an idiom into two or three sentence parts.
Labelling a proverb as an idiom (a proverb is a complete sentence, an idiom a combination).
Replacing a word inside an idiom: wrong qovuni qo‘ltig‘idan tushdi.
Treating a compound word as an idiom: kungaboqar is one word.
Ignoring context: qo‘lini yuvdi is not always an idiom.