2.3 Idioms, Idyoma & Word Usage
Key Takeaways
- An idiom cannot be read literally: 'cost an arm and a leg' means very expensive, and 'break the ice' means to start a conversation.
- balat-sibuyas means overly sensitive; bukas ang palad means generous; nagbibilang ng poste means jobless or idle.
- haligi ng tahanan refers to the father, while ilaw ng tahanan refers to the mother.
- Use rin/raw after words ending in a vowel or w/y, and din/daw after other consonants; use ng as a noun marker but nang for adverbs, manner, or 'when.'
- affect is a verb meaning to influence, while effect is a noun meaning a result.
Idioms, Idyoma, and Correct Word Usage
An idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal words alone. Both English idioms and Filipino idyoma (also called sawikain or matalinghagang pananalita) appear on the CSE-PPT Professional exam, and word-usage items test commonly confused words in both languages. Because idioms are figurative, you must memorize their meanings; decoding word by word will mislead you.
English Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A piece of cake | very easy |
| Hit the nail on the head | to be exactly right |
| Break the ice | to start a conversation or ease tension |
| Under the weather | feeling sick |
| Once in a blue moon | very rarely |
| Burn the midnight oil | to work or study late into the night |
| Spill the beans | to reveal a secret |
| Cost an arm and a leg | to be very expensive |
| Beat around the bush | to avoid the main point |
| Get the ball rolling | to begin or start something |
Example: 'Explaining the new policy without alarming the staff was no piece of cake.' The idiom means it was not easy. In a CSC item, the answer choices restate that figurative meaning ('It was difficult'), never the literal cake.
Filipino Idyoma (Idiomatic Expressions)
Filipino idyoma are highly figurative and culturally specific. Learn these high-frequency expressions with their meanings and English glosses:
| Idyoma | Kahulugan (Meaning) | English gloss |
|---|---|---|
| balat-sibuyas | madaling masaktan; maramdamin | onion-skinned: overly sensitive |
| makati ang paa | mahilig gumala o lumabas | fond of gallivanting or wandering |
| bukas ang palad | mapagbigay; matulungin | generous, open-handed |
| matigas ang ulo | suwail; ayaw makinig | hard-headed, stubborn |
| nagbibilang ng poste | walang trabaho; walang ginagawa | jobless, idle |
| isang kahig, isang tuka | mahirap; sapat lang sa isang araw | living hand to mouth |
| haligi ng tahanan | ama | father, pillar of the home |
| ilaw ng tahanan | ina | mother, light of the home |
| mababaw ang luha | madaling umiyak | cries easily |
| mahaba ang dila | tsismoso o tsismosa; madaldal | gossipy, talkative |
| namumuti ang mata | matagal nang naghihintay | has waited a very long time |
Halimbawa: 'Huwag kang balat-sibuyas' means 'Do not be overly sensitive.' In a reading item that asks, 'Ano ang kahulugan ng idyomang nagbibilang ng poste?', the answer is walang trabaho o ginagawa (jobless or idle), not the literal counting of posts.
Correct Word Usage: English
Word-usage items test commonly confused pairs. Memorize these:
| Confused pair | Correct use |
|---|---|
| affect / effect | affect = verb, to influence; effect = noun, a result |
| its / it's | its = possessive; it's = 'it is' |
| their / there / they're | possessive / a place / 'they are' |
| principal / principle | principal = head or main; principle = a rule or belief |
| stationary / stationery | stationary = not moving; stationery = paper and supplies |
| fewer / less | fewer for countable things; less for uncountable amounts |
| accept / except | accept = to receive; except = to exclude |
Correct Word Usage: Filipino
Filipino usage items focus on rin/din, raw/daw and nang vs. ng:
- rin/din and raw/daw: use rin/raw after a word ending in a vowel or the sounds w or y (for example, 'ako rin,' 'ikaw raw'); use din/daw after other consonants (for example, 'lakas din,' 'malungkot daw').
- nang vs. ng: ng is a marker placed before a noun ('Kumain ng kanin' = ate rice); nang is used for adverbs and manner, for 'when,' or for joined actions ('Tumakbo siya nang mabilis' = ran quickly; 'Umuwi siya nang dumilim' = went home when it got dark).
- may vs. mayroon: may is followed directly by the noun ('May libro ako'); mayroon is used when a linker or pronoun follows ('Mayroon akong libro').
Traps and Strategy
- Never read idioms literally. Cost an arm and a leg has nothing to do with limbs; it means expensive.
- False antonyms among synonyms appear here too: several choices may all be gossip-related, but only one matches mahaba ang dila.
- rin/din follows the final sound, not the spelling alone; 'ikaw rin' uses rin because w patterns with the vowels.
- effect vs. affect: if you can place 'the' in front of the word, use the noun effect (the effect); otherwise the verb affect is usually correct.
A Worked Example
A usage item may read: 'The school __ addressed the students about the new __ of honesty.' The correct pair is principal (the head of the school) and principle (a rule or belief), giving 'The school principal addressed the students about the new principle of honesty.' Remember that a principal is your 'pal,' the main person, while a principle is a rule. For idioms, a reading passage might state, 'Bagama't mahirap, hindi sumuko ang pamilyang isang kahig, isang tuka.' The idiom means the family was very poor, earning only enough for a single day, so the correct choice describes extreme poverty, never a literal scratching or pecking. Treat every idiom item as a memory check first and a context check second.
Build an idiom notebook: write each idiom, its meaning, and one sentence using it. Review five English idioms and five Filipino idyoma every day. Because the CSC favors well-known, textbook expressions (balat-sibuyas, bukas ang palad, break the ice), focus your memory on classic idioms rather than modern slang, which is not tested.
Ano ang kahulugan ng idyomang 'bukas ang palad'?
Choose the sentence that uses the correct word.
Piliin ang pangungusap na may WASTONG gamit ng 'nang' at 'ng'.