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Structure of the word Khātam 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 khātam, 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.)