Idiomatic Expressions

 By Uwagboe Ogieva

Idiomatic expressions are sayings or expressions that do not have literal meaning but figurative. This could be in form of phrase or clause as the case may be. Bellow are some idiomatic expressions in Edo - African language

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1. Ata ne unu yan "Atanunuyan" - meaning talkative 
2. Ah mu ọmwan aburro - .is when someone who had committed some sacrilege or desecrated the land or any other taboo is being punished by some way of excommunication. This means he will not be allowed into anyone's house, not allowed to associate with anybody in the community and nobody in the said community allowed to relate with the sinner in any way at all until some fine have been paid such as "ekpetin vbe Odegbe". Again, when caught red handed or caught at the sceen of a crime
3. Ada ne eva [Adaneva] - Junction or a point of diversion
4. Ah mu ọmo ye egbe iyẹ- Put the baby on the body of the mother, meaning the baby have been put or kept in the right place
5. Ẹdẹ gbe[Ẹdẹgbe] - Early morning [e.g. Ugbe  ne ẹdẹ gbe - dance till early morning]
6. Egui n'eighi fo vbe oha - (The tortise that's always in the bush), meaning You are always the same or always repeting same action.  Egui n'eghifo vbe "ogha" also means somebody that is always at the center of any trouble. A trouble maker.
7. Ghẹ ye unu kp'amen isikan kuọmwen? - don't  insult me? or Don't throw the dirty in your mouth on me!
8. Idoboro ire ẹdẹ - 'there is no trouble in the day' - signifying, their is no problem
9. Ih ma don ih ma fafara – I didn't lin, I didn't fade or wash away.
10. Ih ma sẹ amen orrogho bae amen ẹzẹ – (I didn't add flood water to river water)..means to be free of dubiousness. being straight forward and honest. Same as "Ima ze ogheghe ba edin ma"
11. Ih rrie egbe-owa - I am going to the toilet. 
12. Ih sẹba / sẹtin wa udu - No need for me to be worried or preocupied, or I don't need to be worried.
13. Inu uh khian lalọ sẹ vbe ẹboumwen- How much can you lick in a bag of salt, meaning how much can you take or bear..
14. N'ọh kon n'ọh giọgiọ rhenren wẹrẹ iyeke a mu egui re – Both the
    fool and the lay men knows you hold the tortoise in the back
15. Ọh mwen ẹko eva - he/she have two stomarch meaning he/she is wicket or a witch
16. Ọmaen n'ẹhokhi lae ẹvbo - Great wrath / damage has before the nation
17. Owa ulema ghe oghen - .means a hotel or restaurant
18. Te agbon muyo mure - Life is up and down, Good and bad times incorporated.
19. Te ọh mu obọ mwen - She is in her mensuration period
20. Uh gha mien ọrrẹrrẹ vbe odulẹmon! - Warning!
21. Urru ne ọla - his/her throat is loud, meaning out spoken, sings well, loudable, high tone.
22. Urru ẹre la sẹrẹ ọre gbe - his / her voice is louder than him/her, meaning he/she is too word careless, talkative, etc
23. "Aighi rule ule uwu ne omwan mien" - You can not replay or reproduce death race for someone of others persons to see
    
    
    
    
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