With Love to Muhammad (sa) - The Khatam-un-Nabiyyin — Page 23
Structure of the word Kh ā tam 23 of a word in the Arabic language by its native speakers and scholars? There are no idioms in the world which rely exclusively on literal meanings to be understood. They are figurative by definition. The following are some examples of idioms in the English language that Farhan Khan may not be able to understand because he would try to translate them literally according to the dictionary: 1. A piece of cake 2. Lend me your ear 3. On the same page 4. Actions speak louder than words 5. A picture paints a thousand words More specific to this topic, the following English idioms express the same connotations as we attribute to kh ā tam , along with examples of their usage: 1. Be-all, end-all (The ultimate expert: He thinks he’s the be-all, end-all of the Arabic language, but he doesn’t even know the basics of Arabic grammar. ) 2. Cream of the Crop (The best: The Navy SEALs are the military’s cream of the crop and they are qualified by the highest training standards. ) 3. Call the Shots (The decision maker: Although the president is officially in charge, the vice-president calls the shots. ) 4. Seal of Approval (The authority: Nothing gets done around here without the director’s seal of approval. )