4급 관용구TOPIK 4 Korean Idioms and Proverbs — Page 9

literallyA fire drops on top of one's foot

For something to suddenly strike.

literallystab the top of one's foot

To ruin or do harm to something.

literallyhave one's ankles tied up

To be unable to escape from a certain place.

literallyOne's feet have worn out

To visit a certain place very often or move very busily.

literallynot distinguish between day and night

To continue to do something without taking a rest.

literallyA day and a night are not separate from each other

To continue to do something without taking a rest day and night.

literally1. Not to know one stays up all night

Not to realize that time is passing due to being immersed or engrossed in something

literallyovernight work

Work done while spending the night without sleep.

literallyYou should not beat the dog when it is eating rice

It is advised to not scold or rebuke someone when he/she is eating even if he/she did something seriously wrong.

literallybe full even without eating rice

To be very satisfied because something good happens.

literallyOne's appetite drops

For the words or behavior of someone to be unpleasant and disgusting.

literallyhave no appetite

To be unpleasant and upset with someone and have no inclination toward dealing with him/her.

literallybroadcasting writer

A person who writes the scripts of broadcasted programs.

literallypull the trigger

To start something or provide a critical trigger for it.

literallyhold the trigger

To have crucial control.

literallybackground music

Music that is played in a certain scene of a movie, drama, soap opera, etc., to create a certain mood.

literallygrasp[hold] one's belly button

To grasp one's belly and laugh loudly because something is very funny.

literallyOne's belly button falls out

To be very funny.

literallytap on one's belly

To live an abundant and comfortable life.

literallymake one's stomach full[fill one's stomach]

To take a great deal of wealth or profit to satisfy one's greed.

literallyThe belly button is bigger than the belly

For something secondary to take more money or effort than something primary.

literallylook into the inside of one's stomach

To have an insight into someone's mind.

literallybe unable to shut one's gaping mouth

To be very startled, awed or dumbfounded.

literallylike a honeycomb being poked

For something to fall into utter confusion and be very messy.

literallytouch[poke] a honeycomb; stir up a hornet's nest

To cause big trouble by unnecessarily stirring up something that is better to be left as it is.

literallyThe law is far and the fist is close

When people get angry, they tend to use violence to deal with a problem instead of dialogue or law.

literallycorporate card

A credit card issued to corporations.

literallyas if a mute suffers from his/her chilly heart

An expression used to refer to a situation where one gets anxious and frustrated as one cannot speak one's mind or explain one's circumstances.

literallyRice plants tend to bow their heads as they grow ripe; The boughs that bear most hang lowest

A person who has an excellent ability and high status tends to be more modest.

literallybe bumped against a wall

To face an obstacle or difficulty.

literallybottleneck phenomenon

The traffic jam that is caused where the road is suddenly narrow.

literallyThere is no man of great strength for a disease

However strong and healthy a person may be, they cannot use their strength if they are sick.

literallyspecial election; election to fill a vacancy

An election held irregularly to fill an opening caused by a representative's death, resignation, etc.

literallyrepair work; maintenance work

A construction method used to mend an old or broken building or facility.

literallyauxiliary predicate element

A predicate element that conjoins with the main part of the predicate to complement its meaning.

literallyremedial class; supplementary lesson

A class provided after school or during a vacation, to make up for insufficient learning.

literallypopular election; universal election; common election

An election for which any adult is given the right to vote, regardless of their property, status, gender, education level, etc.

literallysharpen the sword of[the sword blade of] revenge

To watch for a chance to take revenge on someone who did harm to oneself or one's family.

literallyconvex lens

The lens whose middle part is thicker than the rim, looking convex.

literallyhave a swollen cheek

To be dissatisfied and angry.

literallyfeudal society

In the medieval era, a society based on the production system, in which a monarch or feudal lord has serfs cultivate his/her land instead and receives the yields as rent.

literallyfeudalism; the feudal system

(archaic) A political system based on the hierarchical relationship between a monarch and a feudal lord.

literallycause a beacon

To take the lead in a certain task or movement.

literallyabsentee ballot; absentee voting

The vote given to someone living in another region away from his/her registered place of residence in another region.

literallycorrupt election

An election that was executed using unfair means or methods.

literallysee the impurity

To do something unclean and undesirable especially when one should try to avoid it.

literallybe affected by the bad omen

To be harmed by something ominous.

literallyirregular conjugation

A grammatical inflection of a verb or adjective in which its root changes or irregular verbal endings are attached to the root.

literallyunearned income

The income gained from another source, not by working directly.

literallyfor fear that someone may be blown away with just a little puff and burst with just a little squeeze

An expression used to describe the attitude of parents who care much about and cherish their young children.