In my native language, we have an expression :-
sugar to your mouth.
It is used to express a wish or hope that what the speaker is saying may come true.
Is there a similar expression in either American or British English?
-
I'll ignore appeals to [your preferred deity] to answer your prayer ("God willing", etc.). But we have many idiomatic expressions suitable for a range of contexts. One that's primarily British is More power to your elbow - said by way of approval / encouragement to someone who's just set out some proposed action or goal that you completely agree with, and would like to see come to pass. But the exact context affects which turns of phrase might be appropriate.– FumbleFingersAug 25, 2020 at 13:34
-
[What follows this is not an answer, just a comment for clarification.] I immediately wanted to say that's music to my ears, but while it sounds the most similar to sugar to your mouth, it doesn't appear as if it has the same meaning. In short, please provide a sentence (or pair of sentences) in which sugar to your mouth would actually be used, so that what you're looking for can be put into the exact context—and an on-topic answer can be given.– Jason BassfordAug 25, 2020 at 14:48
Add a comment
|
3 Answers
An equivalent to this idiom which is used in English is from your mouth to God’s ears (or … to the gates of Heaven).
Refer to What is the origin of the phrase "from your lips to God’s ears?" for more information regarding this idiom as well as its origin.
-
We have exactly the same expression in our native language - "May God hear your words". "Sugar to your mouth" is similar in meaning but the difference is that it does not have a religious connotation.– BeqaAug 28, 2020 at 21:09
-
@Beqa For a way to express this without any religious connotation, you can simple say "may your words come true".– hb20007Aug 29, 2020 at 9:02
God willing!
Quoting https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/god-willing
used for saying that you hope there will be no problems with your plans
Quoting a ELU answer - https://english.stackexchange.com/a/26350/131620
"God willing" means "If God allows this to be so," so it has a religious connotations. Other phrases that do not have religious connotation include "If Fate decrees", and "If the wind blows right", or "Hope its my lucky day", all of which relates to the future, but does not have the religious connotation "God willing" has.
Quoting http://chrisbrauns.com/2009/10/what-d-v-means-and-why-we-should-use-it-often/
“D.V.” refers to the Latin phrase, “Deo Volente” and means, “God willing.”"
James 4:13-17 tells us why we should use it often:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:13-17)."
How about music to one's ears? From Lexico:
music to one's ears: Something that is very pleasant or gratifying to hear or discover.
Example:
If that turns out to be true, it will be music to my ears.
Music to one's ears conveys the same sentiment as sugar to one's mouth, with "music" corresponding to "sugar" and "ears" to "mouth".
answered Aug 25, 2020 at 14:49
-
1I don't believe this is the right phrase. It sounds the most similar to the original, but I think it has a different meaning. I actually just finished writing a comment to that effect under the question. Aug 25, 2020 at 14:50
-
-
1I agree with Jason Bassford here. They are not quite related. Consider this exchange between two imaginary friends-- A: You are soon going to get promoted. B: Thanks! From your mouth to God's ears. B (after getting promoted) : Hey I just got the news that I got promoted. Boy, the news was music to my ears.– user392935Aug 25, 2020 at 15:01