Appendix

Common Idioms

Mme Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ emi Enehede-ediɔŋɔ

Mme Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ edi mbio-ikɔ emi eneyenede isio-isio ibɔrɔ akan idem ikɔ kiet-kiet emi esinde ɔtɔkiet. Yak ise ibio-ikɔ “piece of cake.” Edieke ami ndɔhɔde “I want a piece of cake,” Ami ntiŋ ke ami nyom iniŋe udia. Edi edieke ami ndɔhde, “Learning English with EnglishConnect is a piece of cake,” Ami ntiŋ ke ndikpep Ikɔ Mbakara ye EdiyiriIkɔMbakara emem. Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ “piece of cake” ɔwɔrɔ “mmem-mmem.”

Ndikama obuh-isɔŋ-ikɔ edi mfefere usuŋ editiŋ ikɔ emi anamde uyo ikɔ fo etie nte eyenisɔŋ etiŋ-ikɔ. Mme obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ anam mme ndise ke ibuot nnyin onyuŋ ɔnɔ nnyin mme akpan ekekere. Ke Ikɔ Mbakara, ini emi ofuri owo edude ke ukem-ukem ndaha, nnyin idɔhɔ, “We’re all in the same boat.” Emi anam ndise eke mme owo enamde utom ɔtɔkiet ke ubom man eka ebiet efen. Ndidɔhɔ, “We’re all in the same boat” anam ekikere eke obio ye edifɔfiɔk.

Ndidiɔŋɔ ye edikama mme obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ enyene ediwak ineme! Ke idak emi edi ibat mme obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ emi enehede-ediɔŋɔ ke Ikɔ Mbakara.

Nte edikpepde mme obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ:

1. Se obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ. Kpep se ɔwɔrɔde ye uwutŋkpɔ.

2. Kere-baŋa ukem obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ oro ke usem fo.

3. Kere baŋa mme usuŋ ndikama obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ.

4. Wet mme ikɔ ye obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ. Kama enye ke mme nneme.

5. Ti obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ ke net afo okotde mme akpaŋde-utɔŋ okop ke Ikɔ Mbakara.

Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ	Se Ɔwɔrɔde	Uwutŋkpɔ
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ a piece of cake	Se Ɔwɔrɔde mmem-mmem	Uwutŋkpɔ That test was a piece of cake!
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ a blessing in disguise	Se Ɔwɔrɔde eti ŋkpɔ emi ebietde idiɔk ke akpa-ini	Uwutŋkpɔ She lost her job, but it was a blessing in disguise. She found a better job.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ all in the same boat	Se Ɔwɔrɔde kpukpru owo edu ke ukem-ukem ndaha	Uwutŋkpɔ Nobody can leave this room. We’re all in the same boat.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ barking up the wrong tree	Se Ɔwɔrɔde ndidomo man enyene ŋkpɔ edi anam enye ke usuŋ emi edide ndudue	Uwutŋkpɔ If you think I’m going to loan you more money, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ better late than never	Se Ɔwɔrɔde ɔfɔn nditibe ke idiɔk ini akan mitibeke ke ofuri-ofuri	Uwutŋkpɔ A: He didn’t repay the money until last week. B: That’s okay. Better late than never.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ birds of a feather flock together	Se Ɔwɔrɔde mme owo ye ukem edu, ido, udɔŋ, mme ntabi esiwak ediboho ɔtɔkiet	Uwutŋkpɔ I was right that Paul and Ben would get along. Birds of a feather flock together.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ no use crying over spilled milk	Se Ɔwɔrɔde enye iŋwamke ke ndifana mme ndise edem ke mme ŋkpɔ emi akakwaŋade emi mikemeke ndikpuhɔ	Uwutŋkpɔ We can’t get the money back, so let’s make a new plan. It’s no use crying over spilled milk.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched	Se Ɔwɔrɔde afo unimke ke ŋkpɔ eyetibe, ntem afo ukpuduak-ke kabaŋa enye kaŋa	Uwutŋkpɔ A: I will probably get a raise soon, so I bought a new bed! B: Well, don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. You might not get the raise.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ get all your ducks in a row	Se Ɔwɔrɔde tum ofuri ŋkpɔ nim yuŋ beŋe idem nnɔ ikpat efen	Uwutŋkpɔ We have to get all our ducks in a row before the family comes for a visit. Let’s start cleaning and cooking right now.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ give me a hand	Se Ɔwɔrɔde ŋwam mi	Uwutŋkpɔ I can’t lift this sofa on my own. Can you give me a hand?
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ hang in there	Se Ɔwɔrɔde ku kpa mba	Uwutŋkpɔ I know learning English is very difficult. Hang in there.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ it takes two to tango	Se Ɔwɔrɔde owo mbiba eyesine ke edinam mme ndudue enyene ubiɔŋ	Uwutŋkpɔ It is partially my fault that we were fighting. It takes two to tango.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ keep an eye on	Se Ɔwɔrɔde tim se	Uwutŋkpɔ My son has been misbehaving a lot lately, so please keep an eye on him to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ let the cat out of the bag	Se Ɔwɔrɔde edinana ntiŋenyin mme edikokoi nyarare ndedibe ŋkpɔ	Uwutŋkpɔ I heard that someone let the cat out of the bag, so I might as well tell you myself—I’m pregnant!
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ out of the frying pan and into the fire	Se Ɔwɔrɔde wɔrɔ kpɔŋ idiɔk-itie ndaha kiet nka ndaha kiet emi enehede ɔdiɔk	Uwutŋkpɔ He didn’t like his previous job, so he quit, but now he can’t find a new job. He’s out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ go out on a limb	Se Ɔwɔrɔde domo ndinam enyene-ndik ŋkpɔ emi ekemede ndisin fi ke idiɔk ndaha	Uwutŋkpɔ I’m going to go out on a limb here and invest some money in this project, even though I don’t know if the project will be successful.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ preaching to the choir	Se Ɔwɔrɔde domo ndinam owo enim emi ama ekebem iso enyime ye afo	Uwutŋkpɔ They are already going to vote for him. He’s just preaching to the choir.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ rub salt in the wound	Se Ɔwɔrɔde nam ndaha enehede ɔdiɔk ke ndinam owo enyime ndudue mme nditi mmɔ kabaŋa ndudue mmɔ	Uwutŋkpɔ I know I shouldn’t have done it. You don’t have to remind me and rub salt in the wound.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ so far, so good	Se Ɔwɔrɔde tutu edisim idahaemi, mme ŋkpɔ ke ɔfɔfɔn aka iso	Uwutŋkpɔ This first month, they haven’t had any problems building the house. So far, so good.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ the straw that broke the camel’s back	Se Ɔwɔrɔde ekpri mfana emi enyenede akamba ufen koro enye edi akpatre kotu mme ediwak mfana ke udom oro	Uwutŋkpɔ We had a terrible week. Everything was going wrong. So when we missed the bus, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ you’re pulling my leg	Se Ɔwɔrɔde ndidomo man anam owo enim ke akpanikɔ ke ŋkpɔŋ inenek ke usuŋ mbre; ndibabiaŋa mmɔ	Uwutŋkpɔ No, that celebrity isn’t calling me. You’re pulling my leg.

Note

Ekpri-ŋwed

Mme andibɔ-ukpep edara edikpep mme obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ. Se emi edi usuk ekikere man aŋwam mmɔ ndikpep.

• Mek obuhɔ-isɔ-ikɔ kiet ke usen ke usen man ekpep mme andibɔ-ukpep. Nam-aŋwaŋa se ɔwɔrɔde yuŋ tiŋ baŋa mme uwutŋkpɔ.

• Man mme andibɔ-ukpep eda ini ndinam obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ kiet ŋwut nnɔ mbon eke eboho mmɔ. Mmɔ ekeme ediwut obuhɔ-isɔ-ikɔ kiet otode ke ibat-ŋkpɔ eke enyɔŋ oko, mme ndimek kiet efen emi mmɔ emehede. Andibɔ-ukpep kiet-kiet ekeme ediwut ke owo ke owo, mme andibɔ-ukpep ekeme edinam utom ke owo iba-iba.

• Bup mme andibɔ-ukpep ete edomo mme obuhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ ye mme buhɔ-isɔŋ-ikɔ ke mme usem idem mmɔ. Nte uwutŋkpɔ, man ɔnɔ ɔsɔŋɔ-uko ke ɔkpɔsɔŋ ndaha, mbonowo etode United States ete, “Hang in there!” Ewe edimen-ŋwut enyene ukem-ukem ibɔrɔ ke mme usem obio mbufo?