You probably know what it means to hit the hay, tie the knot or buy a lemon. Maybe youāve 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 ā¦ or should I say gone crackers?
Thatās 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 āitās raining cats and dogs,ā next time you could incorporate a more Lithuanian take, and say āitās raining axes.ā How metal is that?
It can also be raining old women, barrels, buckets, pipe stems, frogs, female trolls, fire and brimstone ā¦ depending on where youāre from.
Some of these idioms from around the world make a lot of sense. Others get so lost in translation, you canāt help but get tickled pink.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."Photo credit: Canva
Swedish
āNu ska du fĆ„ dina fiskar vƤrmda.ā
Literal translation: Now your fishes will be warmed.
It's another way of saying someoneās in trouble, or their āgoose is cooked.ā
The Swedish language is definitely not lacking in the threats department. They also have a saying, ānu har du satt din sista potatis,ā which translates to ānow you have planted your last potato.ā
Imagine hearing Batman say āYouāve planted your last potato, Joker.ā Doesn't have quite the intended effect.
"To have oneās eyes lined with ham."Photo credit: Canva
Italian
āAvere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto.ā
Literal translation: To have oneās eyes lined with ham.
Leave it to the Italians to have food-related phrases. You can use this when someone canāt see whatās right in front of them. It can also be used when someone is blinded by love. Sadly, there is no āham-colored glassesā idiom.
"To lay your head in water."Photo credit: Canva
Icelandic
āAĆ° leggja hƶfuĆ°iĆ° Ć bleyti.ā
Literal translation: To lay your head in water.
You say this when you āneed to sleep on something,ā or āput your thinking cap on.ā 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 yuāallem al-Himaar.ā
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 āitās all Greek to me.ā
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 ātrain station.ā Which would indicate that everything else is foreign to them.
And letās not forget ānicht mein bier, nicht meine sorgen,ā translating to ānot my beer, not my worries.ā
(Fun fact: The term ānot my circus, not my monkeysā actually stems from a Polish proverb, not an English saying at all.)
"To speak directly from the liver."Photo credit: Canva
Norwegian
āĆ
snakke rett fra leveren.ā
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
āMama huhu.ā
Literal translation: Horse horse, tiger tiger.
You can use it to say something is just okay. Not good, not bad, just ā¦ 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 ācomme ci, comme caā in French, āhorse horse, tiger tigerā isnāt 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.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have oneās eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for informationānot just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimicā¦could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if theyāve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESLābut English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I donāt know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! Iām 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."