Penulis : Dinny Raudhatun Nurris – Toastmasters International Member
Saat kita menonton sebuah film berbahasa Inggris, seringkali kita mendengarkan sebuah frasa atau ungkapan yang tidak familiar di telinga kita. Sekilas maknanya akan terdengar aneh jika kita kaitkan dengan kalimat-kalimat lain yang mengikuti.
“Hi there. From my neck of the woods, eh? Sorry if I took a snap at you at one time.”
(Finding Nemo – 2003)
Perhatikan potongan dialog dari film “Finding Nemo” yang digarisbawahi di atas! Ketika kalian membaca tulisan “neck of the woods”, apakah kalian merasa kebingungan dengan maksud dari kalimat tersebut? Jika iya maka kalian sedang membaca salah satu bagian dari bahasa Inggris yang disebut dengan Idioms.
Pengertian Idiom
Idioms adalah kalimat atau frasa yang tidak memiliki maksud yang sama dengan kata kata yang membentuknya, sebagai contoh kalimat “from the neck of the woods” diatas. Jika kita mengartikan kalimat tersebut secara langsung maka itu berarti “dari leher hutan“, terdengar sangat aneh bukan?
Hal
Fungsi Idiom
Idiom sering kita jumpai dalam karya sastra maupun dalam konteks komunikasi bahasa Inggris sehari-hari. Mungkin beberapa dari kalian berpikir apa sih gunanya belajar idioms? Jawabannya sederhana, Idioms memiliki fungsi untuk memberi variasi dan warna dalam konteks komunikasi, memperkaya kosakata dalam berbahasa, serta untuk menyampaikan sesuatu yang sulit untuk dijelaskan.
Beda halnya dengan mempelajari grammar maupun English texts, mempelajari idioms berguna untuk penguasaan berbahasa secara verbal sehingga kita pun bisa dengan mudah beradaptasi dengan situasi yang menuntut kita untuk berbahasa Inggris. Selain itu, memahami banyak idioms akan membuat penggunaan bahasa Inggris kita terasa lebih natural.
Contoh dan Struktur Idiom
Jika kalian terbiasa untuk mengacu pada formula dalam penulisan bahasa Inggris, maka untuk idioms ini kalian dituntut untuk menghafalnya saja. Hal tersebut dikarenakan idioms memang tidak memiliki formula khusus selain kata kata yang membentuknya
Perlu diingat bahwa jika kita ingin menggunakan suatu idioms, kita tidak boleh mengurangi atau menambah kata kata penyusun idioms tersebut karena maknanya akan berubah.
Ada banyak sekali idioms dalam bahasa Inggris, namun dalam artikel ini kami sudah merangkum idioms yang umum digunakan saja. Yuk belajar memahami idioms dalam bahasa Inggris bersama!
Berikut adalah contoh ungkapan yang dapat kamu praktikan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari:
Idioms | Makna | Contoh Kalimat |
A blessing in disguise | Selalu ada berkah yang tidak terlihat | In the midst of pandemic covid-19, honey bee sellers get abundant orders. It is such a blessing in disguise. |
A busy bee | Seseorang yang sangat sibuk | I never see Tio eat at home. I suppose he eats outside or in the office. He is like a busy bee for real! |
A snowball effect | Akibat yang semakin lama semakin membesar | Never lie to your spouse! It can cause a snowball effect that ruins your relationship with her. |
An apple a day keeps the doctor away | Makanan bergizi itu menyehatkan | My grandma believes that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. However, I never see her apples for once. |
Above and beyond | Melakukan sesuatu dengan baik bahkan melebihi ekspektasi | He must have practiced so hard. His performance was beyond and above what we expected! |
Actions speak louder than words | Melakukan sesuatu lebih baik daripada berbicara saja | Actions speak louder than words, Jennie! So just do your work at your best! |
All ears | Siap mendengarkan dengan saksama | What’s wrong with you? Would you tell me? I’m all ears! |
All along | Selama ini / sepanjang | I’ve just known that you are lying all along and make use of me for your own benefits! |
Bad egg | Orang jahat | Simon is a bad egg. He killed many people back then! |
Beat around the bush | Berbelit belit / terlalu banyak basa basi | Just speak right to the point and don’t beat around the bush. We can’t understand what you are saying. |
Bed of Roses | Sesuatu yang sangat mudah | To live as a celebrity is not a bed of roses. |
Better late than never | Lebih baik terlambat daripada tidak sama sekali | Well, at least you can manage to submit your assignment, Josh! It’s better late than never, isn’t it? |
Birds of a feather flock together | Orang yang memiliki watak yang sama biasanya akan cocok | Now, I know why Sue always sticks to Maya. Their personalities are alike. You know, birds of a feather flock together! |
Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth | Terlahir dari keluarga berada/kaya raya | I’m not sure Bill is able to live in that small house. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. |
Break a leg | Semoga berhasil! | I know you can beat them, Charles, in the final round! Break a leg! |
Break the ice | Mencairkan / menghangatkan suasana | We need someone with good energy and great enthusiasm to help us break the ice. I feel so awkward right now. |
Call it a day | Berhenti | I can’t stand working here so I have to call it a day and search for a better one. |
Calm before the storm | Kondisi tenang sebelum hal buruk terjadi | It is calm before the storm before Sharon comes at 10. |
Catch someone’s eye | Menarik perhatian | Sherly’s gorgeous. She indeed catches all the audience’s eyes. |
Chop chop | Segera / cepat | Everybody, chop chop! We’re already late! |
Come clean | Tanpa rahasia / mengatakan yang sebenarnya | You have to make sure that you come clean to us and assure us you will never tell lies anymore. |
Costs an arm and a leg | Sangat mahal | I’m surprised you have that fridge! It costs an arm and a leg. I am not even able to buy it. |
Couch Potato | Orang yang sangat malas | Look at her! She is such a couch potato. She just spends her time binge-watching K-dramas. |
Cry your eyes out | Menangis tersedu sedu | Knowing that her grandpa passed away, Tristan cried his eyes out. |
Don’t cry over spilt milk | Jangan menyesali hal yang sudah terjadi | Well, we can’t return back time, right? So, let’s not cry over spilt milk. |
Don’t judge a book by its cover | Jangan menilai seseorang dari penampilannya saja | The old man has such a pure heart although he dresses like a crook. We surely cannot judge a book by its cover. |
Every cloud has a silver lining | Ada hal baik dibalik setiap musibah | Even though the world is crying due to corona virus outbreak, I believe that every cloud has a silver lining. |
Feel on top of the world | Merasa sangat sukses | After getting tons of followers on her instagram account, she feels on top of the world. |
Food for thought | Patut untuk dipertimbangkan | She told me that she meets all the requirements needed for scholarship. It is food for thought whether to allow her to apply for the scholarship. |
Get a life | Lebih menikmati hidup | Why do you always get stressed over him? Just get a life, dear! |
Get a taste of your own medicine | Merasakan sendiri keburukan yang dilakukan pada orang lain | They must get a taste of their own medicine so they will not do the same thing in the future. |
Get out of hand | Menjadi tidak bisa diatasi | There’s so much work to do at the same time and it gets out of my hand. I need help! |
Get your act together | Bekerjalah dengan lebih baik / lakukan dengan lebih baik | You have to remember that they are our main client. So, please get your act together if you don’t want to get fired! |
Give someone the cold shoulder | Tidak mempedulikan seseorang | After I rejected his calls for weeks, he gave me the cold shoulder and even didn’t look me in the eye. |
Good things come to those who wait | Berkah akan datang kepada orang yang sabar | Do it slowly and patiently. Good things come to those who wait. |
Hang in there | Bertahanlah | Dad will pick you up at 7, dear. Hang in there! |
Have had it up to here | Marah atau frustasi terhadap sesuatu | She looked not fine after I showed her the news. I suppose she had had it up to here. |
Hit the sack/hay | Tidur | Dion has been working for more than 12 hours. Now he is hitting the hay. |
In the red/in the black | Besar pengeluaran daripada pendapatan | I can’t afford any more things. I’ve been in the red for a while now. |
It’s a piece of cake | Hal yang sangat mudah dilakukan Loading... Loading... | She finished the questions in 15 minutes. It must be a piece of cake for her. |
It’s raining cats and dogs | Hujan deras | It’s raining cats and dogs but I don’t bring raincoat. |
It takes two to tango | Semua orang yang terlibat harus ikut bertanggung jawab | I can’t believe that she blamed you for the failure in the group project. I mean it takes two to tango! |
Kill two birds with one stone | Melakukan dua hal dalam sekali waktu | The fact that he is working as a photographer now is like killing two birds with one stone as he gets paid while doing his hobby. |
Lose your touch | Bakat / kemampuan yang sudah memudar | He never practices playing violin so he has lost his touch. |
Make a long story short | Singkat cerita | Long story short, Anna had a fight with Tom yesterday, leading to bruises all over her body. |
Miss the boat | Menyia-nyiakan kesempatan | I’m going to confess to her now. I’m not going to miss the boat! |
My two cents | Menurut pendapatku | I feel like we should visit her together, that’s my two cents. |
Nip something in the bud | Menghentikan sesuatu yang buruk sebelum semakin memperburuk keadaan | The project was nipped in the bud due to abundant of requests. |
No pain, no gain | Tidak ada hasil yang didapatkan tanpa perjuangan | You should go to the gym at least five times a week, no pain no gain. |
On cloud nine | Sangat bahagia | Tomorrow, she will celebrate her 17th birthday. I guess she is on cloud nine now. |
On the ball | Memahami / Menyiapkan / Merespons sesuatu dengan cepat | Coming to a lot od networking opportunities keeps me on the ball. |
Once in a blue moon | Sesuatu yang sangat jarang terjadi | I saw him wash the dishes yesterday, I can’t believe my own eyes as it happens once in a blue moon. |
Pitch in | Melakukan sesuatu bersama-sama untuk suatu hal atau untuk seseorang | Let’s pitch in together to buy her new shoes. |
Pull someone’s leg | Menghambat orang lain | You need to prepare yourself for the football competition, you don’t want to pull your team’s leg, right? |
Pull yourself together | Tenangkan dirimu | You must pull yourself together, Siska! He is okay now. |
Rain on someone’s parade | Merusak rencana orang lain | His coming to my birthday party was totally a rain in my parade. |
Rule of thumb | Aturan tak tertulis | The most important rule of thumb here is to not meddle with anyone else’s personal affair. |
So far so good | Sejauh ini tidak ada masalah | I’m happy working here. So far so good! |
Speak of the devil | Ketika seseorang muncul saat tengah dibicarakan | Oh my goodness! Why does he have to appear? Speak of the devil! |
Spill the beans | Membocorkan rahasia | I never trust Tamara since she likes to spill the beans. |
Take your time | Lakukan dengan hati hati | Don’t be in a hurry! Take your time! We’ll be here waiting for you. |
Time flies when you’re having fun | Waktu tidak terasa ketika kamu merasa bahagia | Is it already past 9? Time surely flies when you’re having fun. |
That’s all she wrote | Tidak ada lagi hal yang dapat dibicarakan | She wrote an apology letter stating that she has come clean and that’s all she wrote. |
That’s music to my ears | Hal baik yang menyenangkan untuk didengar | She told me that she was fine, that’s music to my ears. |
The early bird gets the worm | Siapa cepat dia dapat | Sorry, this seat is taken. Early bird gets the worm, pal! |
There’s no such thing as free lunch | Tidak ada hal yang didapatkan tanpa berusaha | You should show her that you care and are willing to listen so you can get closer to her. There’s no such thing as free lunch. |
Through thick and thin | Setelah melewati banyak hal | James is surely Boni’s best friend. He has been with Boni through thick and thin since childhood. |
Time is money | Kita harus pandai memanfaatkan waktu | I won’t come to the party. Time is money so I’ll spend my time working at the weekend. |
To make matters worse | Memperburuk keadaan | I lost my key yesterday, to make matters worse, nobody was home too. I had to spend the night in my friend’s house! |
To the best of my knowledge | Sepengetahuanku | To the best of my knowledge, food with preservatives isn’t healthy for kids. |
Under the weather | Merasa tidak enak badan | My sister went home earlier because she felt under the weather. |
Up in the air | Tidak pasti | The plan for the holiday is still up in the air. |
We see eye to eye | Bertemu secara langsung | I miss her so much as we haven’t seen eye to eye for years! |
What goes around comes around | Kamu akan diperlakukan sebagaimana kamu memperlakukan orang lain | Be careful of what you are saying and doing! What goes around comes around. |
When pigs fly | Sesuatu yang tidak mungkin terjadi | Are you sure he will wake up in the early morning? When pigs fly! |
Bagaimana? Cukup banyak bukan? Daftar idioms di atas sudah bisa untuk kamu gunakan dalam pembicaraan sehari hari loh. Tapi sebelum itu, yuk kita kerjakan contoh soal di bawah ini!
Contoh Latihan Soal
Gunakan idioms yang tepat untuk mengisi bagian yang rumpang dalam pembicaraan!
- Tom : I’ve never won any doorprize
Sam : Yeah, I think it happens ________
2. Samantha : I’ll have an eating competition tomorrow
Sonya : All right, ________
3. Farah : I’ve got a new sister!
Nana : ________, you’ve been wanting to have it for over 3 years
4. Rama : Hey, you’re sitting on my chair!
Shinta : ________. You are late so find another seat.
5. Rena : Can we finish the task tomorrow?
Atta : No, ________. We must not postpone our work.
6. Tata : Can you tell me why Diana cried yesterday?
Anna : Sorry I can’t, I don’t want to ________.
7. Roy : We only need to write 150 words for the essay right?
Suryo : Yes, it is________. 150 words is so easy.
8. Selena : I think I’m going to ________, I’m so sleepy
Vierra : Yes, you really need to sleep.
9. Student : Mr. We haven’t finished the task yet
Teacher : don’t worry and ________, we still have 30 minutes left
10. Ghulam : Whoa, your new phone looks so cool, Is it expensive?
Agung : Yes, it costs me ________, but it’s worth the price.
Kunci Jawaban
- Once in a blue moon
- Break a leg
- That’s music to my ear
- Early bird gets the worm
- Time is money
- Spill the beans
- A piece of cake
- Hit the sack
- Take your time
- An arm and a leg
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Idioms adalah kalimat atau frasa ungkapan dalam bahasa Inggris yang memiliki makna berbeda dari kata kata penyusunnya.
Idioms tidak memiliki rumus penulisan, hanya saja elemen kata dalam setiap ungkapan harus ada dan terletak dengan benar.
Ada sangat banyak sekali idioms dalam bahasa Inggris dan masing masing idioms memiliki konteks penggunaan tertentu.
She just got married, I bet she is on cloud nine now.
(=Dia baru saja menikah, aku yakin saat ini dia sedang sangat bahagia.)
Please don’t go outside! It’s raining cats and dogs!
(=Jangan pergi keluar, sedang hujan lebat!)
Cara paling sederhana adalah memahami konteks dari suatu idioms dan mempraktikkannya secara berkala.
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