Bedeutung
The total amount of money or belongings one possesses.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Parents often feel a moral obligation to spend 'elinde avucunda ne varsa' for their children's future, especially for weddings and education. In classic Turkish movies, the 'poor but proud' protagonist often loses 'elinde avucunda ne varsa' to a rich villain, creating a powerful emotional hook. The phrase reflects a history where wealth was physical and visible, often carried in small pouches or held in the hand during trade. Due to high inflation periods in Turkey, people often talk about their savings 'melting' (erimek), leading to the frequent use of this phrase to describe losing purchasing power.
Match the Person
Always check the subject of your sentence. If it's 'I', use 'elimde avucumda'. If it's 'you', use 'elinde avucunda'.
Don't be too literal
If you are literally talking about someone holding something in their hand, just say 'elinde'. Using the full idiom implies money/wealth.
Bedeutung
The total amount of money or belongings one possesses.
Match the Person
Always check the subject of your sentence. If it's 'I', use 'elimde avucumda'. If it's 'you', use 'elinde avucunda'.
Don't be too literal
If you are literally talking about someone holding something in their hand, just say 'elinde'. Using the full idiom implies money/wealth.
Use for Empathy
Using this phrase when someone loses money shows you understand the gravity of their situation. It sounds more empathetic than 'parasız kaldı'.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive suffixes for 'we'.
Yeni bir araba almak için el____ avuc____ ne varsa harcadık.
Since the verb is 'harcadık' (we spent), the possessive suffixes must be 1st person plural (-imizde, -umuzda).
Which sentence best describes a total financial loss?
Aşağıdaki cümlelerin hangisi büyük bir maddi kaybı anlatır?
Option B uses the idiom to show that the person lost every single thing they had.
Match the situation to the phrase.
Bir baba, oğlunun ameliyatı için bütün birikimini kullanıyor.
Spending all savings for a vital cause like surgery is a classic use of this idiom.
Complete the dialogue.
Ayşe: 'Neden bu kadar üzgünsün?' Mehmet: 'Bütün paramı borsada kaybettim. Yani...'
Mehmet is talking about himself, so he must use 'elimde avucumda'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Common Verbs Used With This Phrase
Spending
- • Harcamak
- • Yatırmak
- • Vermek
Losing
- • Kaybetmek
- • Kaptırmak
- • Eritmek
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenYeni bir araba almak için el____ avuc____ ne varsa harcadık.
Since the verb is 'harcadık' (we spent), the possessive suffixes must be 1st person plural (-imizde, -umuzda).
Aşağıdaki cümlelerin hangisi büyük bir maddi kaybı anlatır?
Option B uses the idiom to show that the person lost every single thing they had.
Bir baba, oğlunun ameliyatı için bütün birikimini kullanıyor.
Spending all savings for a vital cause like surgery is a classic use of this idiom.
Ayşe: 'Neden bu kadar üzgünsün?' Mehmet: 'Bütün paramı borsada kaybettim. Yani...'
Mehmet is talking about himself, so he must use 'elimde avucumda'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, you can use it metaphorically for energy, time, or effort, but it is 90% used for financial assets and physical belongings.
No, it's not rude. It's a standard idiom. However, it is quite dramatic, so don't use it for small, everyday expenses.
'Nesi var nesi yok' is slightly more informal and can refer to everything about a person, while 'elinde avucunda' specifically targets their savings and possessions.
You would say: 'Elimde avucumda hiçbir şey kalmadı.'
Yes, the 'ç' in 'avuç' always becomes 'c' when you add a vowel-starting possessive suffix (um, un, u, umuz, unuz).
It might be used in a casual business discussion about a startup's funding, but not in a formal financial audit.
The 'ne varsa' part is usually fixed, but the following verb (harcadı, kaybetti) carries the tense.
The phrase itself is singular in structure ('hand' and 'palm'), but it refers to a plural amount of things. You don't say 'ellerinde avuçlarında' unless you are talking about multiple people individually.
It means 'whatever there is.' It acts as a universal quantifier in this phrase.
Very common! It's used to express heartbreak, sacrifice, and the struggle of life in many pop and arabesque songs.
Verwandte Redewendungen
varını yoğunu ortaya koymak
synonymTo put everything one has (existent and non-existent) on the line.
sıfırı tüketmek
similarTo run out of everything; to hit rock bottom.
beş parasız kalmak
similarTo be left without even five cents (penniless).
cebinde akrep olmak
contrastTo have a scorpion in one's pocket (to be very stingy).
