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Buah tangan

Meaning: A souvenir or gift brought back for others from a trip.

Language: Indonesian

Literally: Fruit of the hand

Category: Daily Life

Origin: The thoughtful traveller returns with something carried in hand, a warm Indonesian custom of never coming back empty-handed.

More idioms — Daily Life

  • Filer à l'anglaise — To leave discreetly without saying goodbye.
  • Se mettre sur son trente-et-un — To dress up in your very best clothes.
  • Tomber dans le panneau — To fall for a trick or scam.
  • Faire la grasse matinée — To sleep in and have a lazy lie-in.
  • To have a chip on your shoulder — To harbor a grudge or a defensive sense of grievance.
  • Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen — You can bet your life on it; it's absolutely certain.

More Indonesian idioms

  • Sambil menyelam minum air — To accomplish two things in one go.
  • Air tenang menghanyutkan — Quiet people can run surprisingly deep.
  • Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya — Those who know the least often talk the most.
  • Besar pasak daripada tiang — To spend more than you earn.

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