ตำน้ำพริกละลายแม่น้ำ
Meaning: To squander resources for nothing.
Language: Thai
Literally: To pound chili paste and dissolve it in the river
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: Dumping precious curry paste into an entire river yields no soup — effort and money utterly wasted.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Fer cara de pomes agres — To look sullen and cross.
- Fer figa — To give way or fail — of legs, knees or a plan.
- Nou is die gort gaar — Now we're really in trouble.
- Rúsínan í pylsuendanum — A pleasant, unexpected bonus at the very end.
- Balat-sibuyas — Overly sensitive and easily hurt.
- Kacang lupakan kulit — To forget your roots and origins.
More Thai idioms
- ขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน — To use enormous means for a trivial result.
- น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก — Seize an opportunity while it lasts.
- ชักแม่น้ำทั้งห้า — To give a long-winded, roundabout justification before getting to the point.
- จับปลาสองมือ — To chase two goals at once and risk losing both.
From our tongue twisters
- Pecyn o bersli heb ei brisio, prisio'r persli heb ei becynnu. — A 'p/b/pr/br' mutation drill — Welsh initial consonant mutations mean the same root sound…
- Capra neagră sare piatra, piatra-i neagră, capra-i albă. — A rapid 'c/pr/n' alternation that gains speed — and the colour-swap at the end trips the…
- Μια πάπια μα ποια πάπια; μια πάπια με παπιά στα παγωμένα νερά. (Mia papia ma pia papia; mia papia me papia sta pagomena nera.) — A 'pa/pi/pag' drill — the near-identical syllables pile up while the image stays perfectl…