You probably know what it means to hit the hay, tie the knot or buy a lemon. Maybe youโve already killed two birds with one stone today, so effortlessly that it was a piece of cake. But to a non-English speaker, using these phrases would probably make you sound crazy โฆ or should I say gone crackers?
Thatโs the fun thing about idioms. They change depending on the time, place and culture creating them. In other words, they usually sound ridiculous to anyone except those who normally use them. Looking at turns of phrase in different languages helps us see the world through different eyes. And man does it seem impressive at a party.
Just think, instead of saying โitโs raining cats and dogs,โ next time you could incorporate a more Lithuanian take, and say โitโs raining axes.โ How metal is that?
It can also be raining old women, barrels, buckets, pipe stems, frogs, female trolls, fire and brimstone โฆ depending on where youโre from.
Some of these idioms from around the world make a lot of sense. Others get so lost in translation, you canโt help but get tickled pink.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."Photo credit: Canva
Swedish
โNu ska du fรฅ dina fiskar vรคrmda.โ
Literal translation: Now your fishes will be warmed.
It's another way of saying someoneโs in trouble, or their โgoose is cooked.โ
The Swedish language is definitely not lacking in the threats department. They also have a saying, โnu har du satt din sista potatis,โ which translates to โnow you have planted your last potato.โ
Imagine hearing Batman say โYouโve planted your last potato, Joker.โ Doesn't have quite the intended effect.
"To have oneโs eyes lined with ham."Photo credit: Canva
Italian
โAvere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto.โ
Literal translation: To have oneโs eyes lined with ham.
Leave it to the Italians to have food-related phrases. You can use this when someone canโt see whatโs right in front of them. It can also be used when someone is blinded by love. Sadly, there is no โham-colored glassesโ idiom.
"To lay your head in water."Photo credit: Canva
Icelandic
โAรฐ leggja hรถfuรฐiรฐ รญ bleyti.โ
Literal translation: To lay your head in water.
You say this when you โneed to sleep on something,โ or โput your thinking cap on.โ This one is hilarious because I cannot fathom getting any mental clarity from holding my head in the water.
"Repetition teaches the donkey."Photo credit: Canva
Arabic
"At-Tikraar yuโallem al-Himaar.โ
Literal translation: Repetition teaches the donkey.
Practice makes perfect, but it especially does for donkeys. Animal-themed wisdom at its finest.
"I only understand train station."Photo credit: Canva
German
"Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof."
Literal translation: I only understand train station.
It's another way of saying โitโs all Greek to me.โ
The history of this one is a bit mysterious. One theory is that it originated from WWI soldiers who had only one thing on their mind after getting discharged: returning home. Meaning, they could only comprehend the train station that would lead them there. Others say it refers to tourists new to Germany who have really only learned the German word for โtrain station.โ Which would indicate that everything else is foreign to them.
And letโs not forget โnicht mein bier, nicht meine sorgen,โ translating to โnot my beer, not my worries.โ
(Fun fact: The term โnot my circus, not my monkeysโ actually stems from a Polish proverb, not an English saying at all.)
"To speak directly from the liver."Photo credit: Canva
Norwegian
โร
snakke rett fra leveren.โ
Literal translation: To speak directly from the liver.
When you say something without sugar-coating it, you are speaking directly from the liver. This dates back to a time when the liver was thought to be the magical organ that produced courage. So speaking from the liver is just like speaking from the heart, only down and to the right a little.
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."Photo credit: Canva
Chinese
โMama huhu.โ
Literal translation: Horse horse, tiger tiger.
You can use it to say something is just okay. Not good, not bad, just โฆ meh.
As the story goes, a Chinese painter who, not very good at his craft, created a drawing of an animal that looked sort of like a tiger, and sort of like, you guessed it, a horse. That story actually has a tragic ending that serves as a cautionary tale against carelessness. But nowadays it takes on a lighter connotation.
And like โcomme ci, comme caโ in French, โhorse horse, tiger tigerโ isnโt quite as commonly spoken as non-native speakers would assume.
Language continues to be an ever-evolving and always entertaining way to not only appreciate other cultures, but also note the similarities. Words might change slightly, but ultimately we're all expressing the same things.
This article originally appeared three years ago.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't