air liur is to lick saliva. It means to praise something that was previously despised. Opportunists do this a lot.
Unjuk gigi
Show teeth = A show of force. Prove one’s worth. Get one’s back up.
Dogs, cats and tigers bare their fangs to show ferocity. The phrase implies guts and verve. A junior basketball player gets his chance to show teeth after spending most of his team’s games on the bench.
“Only have teeth and tongue left” (tinggal gigi dengan lidah saja) is to have nothing left. Not even the shirt on your back.
“Sometimes teeth bite the tongue” (gigi dengan lidah ada kala bergigit juga) is an old-fashioned way of saying allies, spouses or relatives sometimes argue.
Odol
Toothpaste.
Odol, a German brand of toothpaste, was once so popular in Indonesia that it became a generic name for toothpaste, just as the brand name Xerox is synonymous with photocopy. Odol is no longer available in Indonesia.
In the old days, there were two kinds of dentifrice: Odol and Gibbs of Britain. The latter took the form of a cake that had to be scraped onto a toothbrush. Odol succeeded because it was hygienic and easier to use.
The literal term for toothpaste is pasta gigi. It’s rarely used in conversation, but it shows up in advertisements and written Indonesian.
Other brands that became generic names for products in Indonesia include Honda (motorcycle), Softex (sanitary napkins), and Aqua (bottled mineral water).
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Old Indonesian literature describes a beautiful woman in the following ways:
Bibirnya seperti buah delima,
Her lips are like pomegranates,
Rambutnya seperti mayang mengurai,
Her hair is like the tips of a palm blossom,
Alisnya seperti semut beriring,
Her brows are like ants walking in a line,
Dagunya seperti lebah bergantung,
Her chin is like honey hanging down,
Betisnya seperti paha balalang,
Her shins are like the thighs of a cricket,
Lengan bagai lilin dituang,
Her arms are like molded candles,
Kulit seperti sawo matang.
Her skin is like the ripe sawo fruit.
The sawo fruit has a sweet taste similar to that of a pear. Its skin is usually brown.
Older Indonesian men relish these images, but the phrases are a relic of a bygone age for the younger set. Today, the glut of skin whitening lotions on the market suggests soft white skin (kulit putih halus) is more popular than the darker shade of old. Long, shiny, straight black hair is in, though many women dye or highlight their locks.
Dia bertangan dingin
He is cold-handed = He has a knack for success. He’s a real pro.
One theory about the origin of this expression is that the nerves in a cold hand are numb, allowing their owner to take unpopular steps without hesitation. An executive fires workers to make his business successful. Bertangan dingin suggests an uncanny talent for making money or succeeding in any endeavor.
Paling jempol
The best thumb = First rate. Great. Number one.
An old-fashioned term used to describe places, objects and people. As in other cultures, Indonesians also stick up their thumbs (acung jempol) to indicate approval.
Hendak menggaruk, tak berkuku
Want to scratch, have no nails = You want to do something, but are powerless.
“Have no nails yet, but want to scratch,” is a variation. Belum berkuku hendak menggaruk.
This means you’re out of your league. You’re a deluded upstart.
“Give nails, want to grab,” means you’re greedy. Diberi kuku hendak mencekam. The more power you have, the more corrupt you become.
Bagai inai dengan kuku
Like henna with nails = Fast friends. Like lips and teeth.
This old-fashioned expression mostly applies to platonic friendships.
Henna is an earthy pigment made from shrubs that is used to color nails, hands, feet, hair and beards. Its use in religious ceremonies and other celebrations of many cultures goes back centuries. The swirling, intricate patterns associated with henna in other parts of the world are rare in Indonesia, where the pigment is mostly used on nails. It is popular among unmarried, conservative Muslim women in villages who don’t use nail varnish. They believe Muslim custom only allows henna because it is natural, and allows the nails to “breathe.” Ablution waters can touch the nails before prayer.
Other sayings such as bagai empedu lekat di hati (like a gall bladder close to the heart) can be used for friendship and lovers. A less common saying is bagai aur di tebing (like bamboo near cliffs). Most of the expressions show that rural Indonesians associate nature and body parts with friendship.
Banting tulang
Smashing bones = Do all in one’s power, make every effort.
The phrase implies a continuous, even endless struggle.
If you exert yourself to the fullest, even your bones ache. This applies to a single parent who works and raises a child at the same time.
Buah hati, cahaya mata
Fruit of my heart, light of my eyes = Sweetheart.
Hati means liver, but translates as heart in an emotional context. Jantung hati (heart’s heart) is also the object of one’s affection, or a child.
Buah hati is a lyrical, whimsical way for Indonesian parents to describe their children:
“My darling children, the fruit of my heart,” they say. Anakanakku sayang, buah hatiku.
Panas hati (hot heart) means angry, or jealous.
“My heart grows hot listening to the gossip,” she fumes.
Panas hatiku mendengar gossip itu.
In some restaurants, menus knock off the “h” in hati to clarify that a dish contains liver rather than heart. Ati ayam, for example, is chicken liver.
Lari terbirit-birit
Running very fast = Running
