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EFE learning modules / Medicine & Pharmacy

Medicine & Pharmacy: Buying OTC medicine, reading dosage instructions, and interacting with a pharmacist

Common Expressions Back to Catalog

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Bitter pill to swallow

/ቢተር ፒል ቱ ስዋሎው/

ለመቀበል የሚከብድ መራራ እውነታ

An unpleasant fact that one is forced to accept

አንድን ደስ የማያሰኝ ነገር ለመቀበል መገደድ

In Practice

"The news of the chronic illness was a bitter pill to swallow."
"The high cost of medicine was a bitter pill to swallow."
Fluent Tip

Used when discussing difficult medical news or costs.

Under the weather

/አንደር ዘ ዌዘር/

ጤና ማጣት ወይም ህመም መሰማት

Feeling slightly ill or not well

ትንሽ መታመም ወይም ጥሩ ስሜት አለመሰማት

In Practice

"I'm feeling a bit under the weather today."
"He stayed home because he was under the weather."
Fluent Tip

Commonly used to describe minor illnesses like colds.

Back on one's feet

/ባክ ኦን ዋንስ ፊት/

ከህመም በኋላ ማገገም

To be healthy again after a period of illness

ከህመም በኋላ ተመልሶ ጤናማ መሆን

In Practice

"I hope these vitamins get you back on your feet."
"She is finally back on her feet after the surgery."
Fluent Tip

Used when discussing recovery from illness.

Just what the doctor ordered

/ጀስት ዋት ዘ ዶክተር ኦርደርድ/

ልክ የሚያስፈልገው ነገር

Exactly what is needed or wanted for a situation

ለአንድ ሁኔታ በትክክል የሚያስፈልገው ነገር

In Practice

"This rest was just what the doctor ordered."
"Getting the right cough syrup was just what the doctor ordered."
Fluent Tip

Used for any remedy that works perfectly.

On the mend

/ኦን ዘ ሜንድ/

በማገገም ላይ

Improving in health or condition; recovering

በጤና ወይም በሁኔታ መሻሻል፤ ማገገም

In Practice

"The pharmacist said I should be on the mend in three days."
"Is your sister on the mend yet?"
Fluent Tip

Used to describe the process of getting better.

Clean bill of health

/ክሊን ቢል ኦፍ ሄልዝ/

ጤናማ መሆኑን የሚያረጋግጥ ማስረጃ

A report that says someone is healthy

አንድ ሰው ጤናማ መሆኑን የሚገልጽ ሪፖርት

In Practice

"The doctor gave him a clean bill of health."
"I need a clean bill of health for my insurance."
Fluent Tip

Formal way to say someone is healthy after an exam.

A taste of your own medicine

/ኤ ቴስት ኦፍ ዩር ኦውን ሜዲሲን/

የራስህን መጥፎ ተግባር መልሰህ ማግኘት

To be treated in the same unpleasant way that you have treated others

ሌሎችን በበደልክበት መንገድ አንተም መበደል

In Practice

"He finally got a taste of his own medicine."
"The pharmacist was rude, so I gave him a taste of his own medicine."
Fluent Tip

Used in social interactions, sometimes metaphorically about behavior.

Run down

/ራን ዳውን/

የድካም ስሜትና ጤና ማጣት

Tired and slightly ill, especially from working too hard

በድካም ምክንያት የሚመጣ መጠነኛ ህመም

In Practice

"I feel run down and need some vitamins."
"Working late made her feel run down."
Fluent Tip

Describing exhaustion that leads to needing OTC supplements.

In the pink of health

/ኢን ዘ ፒንክ ኦፍ ሄልዝ/

በጣም በጥሩ ጤንነት ላይ መሆን

In very good health and physical condition

በጣም በጥሩ የጤና ሁኔታ ላይ መሆን

In Practice

"He looks in the pink of health after taking the meds."
"I want to get back to the pink of health."
Fluent Tip

Used to describe excellent health status.

Dose of one's own medicine

/ዶዝ ኦፍ ዋንስ ኦውን ሜዲሲን/

ተመጣጣኝ ቅጣት

Getting the same negative treatment you gave someone else

ለሌሎች ያደረግከውን መጥፎ ነገር መልሰህ ማግኘት

In Practice

"She got a dose of her own medicine when the shop closed early."
"He needs a dose of his own medicine."
Fluent Tip

Common idiom for karma or retribution.

As fit as a fiddle

/አዝ ፊት አዝ ኤ ፊድል/

በጣም ጤናማ

To be very healthy and strong

በጣም ጤናማና ጠንካራ መሆን

In Practice

"My grandfather is as fit as a fiddle."
"Take these pills and you'll be as fit as a fiddle."
Fluent Tip

Describing someone who has recovered well.

Take a turn for the worse

/ቴክ ኤ ተርን ፎር ዘ ወርስ/

ሁኔታው እየተባባሰ መሄድ

To suddenly become more ill

በድንገት ህመሙ መጨመር

In Practice

"His condition took a turn for the worse overnight."
"Contact the doctor if you take a turn for the worse."
Fluent Tip

Crucial for describing worsening symptoms to a pharmacist.