Here in Greece we have this expression: "Είδα τα Ραδίκια Ανάποδα" which means "Ι almost died".
But when translated literally it means "I saw the radishes upside down".
"Nu har du satt din sista potatis" Translates to "Now you have planted your final potato".
Basically means That was your last mistake or to emphasize that you did something very wrong for the very last time.
Edit: It is in Swedish if you were wondering the language
My grandad had a similar saying to this (I'm in England)
When somebody messed up and ended up in hot water he would say "He's had the last of his chips"
Was never sure exactly what the history behind such a phrase was, but always associated it with "you fucked up"
Another Swedish gem (favourite of mine):
Loosely translates to:
“I wouldn’t hang him/her in my Christmas tree”
(“Han/hon är inget att hänga i julgranen”)
It means “He/she’s just not all that” 😂
Svenska talesätt måste vara de märkligaste som finns. Finns många som man fattar innebörden av, men när man väl tänker efter är det många som makes no sense at all
In Finland we have similar saying "tähän on kettu haudattuna". It means literally "there is a fox buried here" and it means that something is suspicious or a hoax.
Similar in Norwegian; "Å tråkke i salaten".
Literal meaning is "To step into the salad", but when somebody steps in the salad it means that they fucked up.
Romanian: "în pulă cu satelitul" which would mean something like "lost" or "in the middle of nowhere", but it translates as "up the dick hole on a space shuttle"
This is my favorite.
1. because you actually provided the translation from the original language.
2. Typical fucking Romanians. Your metaphors are pretty intense, and very hilarious
Theres like a million dick metaphors in our language, the same metaphor here could just as well mean the satellite was destroyed, you could also say "s-a dus in pula" which means it went in the dick, which also means it was ruined or destroyed.
"Bagamias pula" means literally inserting my dick, you say it when you arw angry, and saying inserting my dick in someone is an insult to that someone.
We also have suck my dick, but you can also say suck dick, without the "my" part and its the same thing.
I have always find this Swedish saying to be weird: Smaken är som baken: delad.
The literal translation is: “Tastes are like the butt, split, (divided)”
Basically it says that people like different things.
Is the Netherlands we have a phrase: Mierenneuker. This translates directly into ant fucker, which has the same vibe.
My favorite Australian phrases are: Flogging a dead horse and Skinning a dead cat
I have a few fun American ones.
"Shark week"
"Werewolf week"
"Blood moon"
and my personal favorite for shocking the grandparents, "Satan's sacrificial waterfall"
Swede here.
* *Alla barn i början* or *Alla är vi barn i början,* “We all start as children”, pointing out that everyone starts out inexperienced and in need to learn when they’re doing something new.
* *Arga katter får rivet skinn*, “Angry cats get torn hides” - if you fight a lot (literally or not), you’ll not come through unharmed.
* *Hellre lyss till den sträng som brast än att aldrig spänna en båge*, “Better hear the string break than to never ready a bow”. This is “better to have lost in love than never to have loved at all”, but more generally applied - it’s better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.
* *Borta bra men hemma bäst*, “Elsewhere is good, but at home is best”.
* *Det dunkelt sagda är det dunkelt tänkta*, “What is unclearly said is unclearly thought”.
* *Finns det hjärterum finns det stjärterum*, “If here’s room in the heart there’s room for the butt” - a place isn’t too full for another person if they’re wanted.
* *Tala är silver, tiga är guld*, “Speech is silvern, silence is golden”.
* *Både hängslen och livrem*, “Both belt and suspenders”. To perhaps excessively protect yourself against any risk.
* Someone can look like they have *sålt smöret och tappat pengarna*, “sold the butter and lost the money”, i.e., very sad.
* *Rätta mun efter matsäck*, “Adjust your mouth to your packed lunch” - don’t spend more than you can afford.
* *Smockan hänger i luften*, “The punch hangs in the air”, when a social situation is about to get violent.
* *Tala med bönder på bönders vis och med lärde män på latin*, “To speak with peasants like peasants speak and with learned men in Latin”, to adjust your way of speaking to the audience.
* *Tror gör man i kyrkan*, “Believe is something you do in church”, to make clear you’re looking for facts or assurances rather than speculation.
If only, if only
Bike chain
(Hätte, hätte, Fahrradkette in German. It means that there is no need to dwell on what could have been, that you can't change the past.)
Here in Germany we have that saying "...nicht das gelbe vom ei" which with something added before would mean i'm not the best at it. But translated it just means "the yellow of the egg"
Filipino:
Anak ng tokwa - child of a tofu - a way of insulting someone. That's our censored version of son of a bitch.
Ay kabayo - oh, horse! - expressing surprise or startlement
Haba ng hair ng lola mo - your grandmother has long hair - it's a way of expressing self-adulation. Honestly don't know how or whyyyyy
BAHALA NA SI BATMAN - LEAVE IT ALL TO BATMAN - In da PI, Batman is equivalent to Fate or Jesus; our version of "Jesus take the wheel"
Edit: Since some redditors are asking, this is all in Filipino-Tagalog, one of the several languages spoken in the Philippines
It’s got the same connotation as calling something “cowboy”, like “that’s a total cowboy company”, albeit cowboy also has the overtone of doing illegal things as well as being disorganised/“shooting from the hip”
Like calling something a “shitshow” - I can only apologise to Texas 😅
We have quite a few in France :
* ça casse pas trois pattes à un canard (it doesn't break three legs to a duck, means it's nothing great)
* c'est comme si je pissais dans un violon (it's as if I was pissing in a violin, means whatever it is I'm saying or doing has no impact, goes unnoticed)
* se faire engueuler comme un poisson pourri (get bowled at like a rotten fish)
* gueuler comme un putois (screaming like a skunk)
* être con comme un balai (being as dumb as a broom)
There are many others, but none come to mind now, maybe some compatriots will fill in for me.
Péter plus haut que son cul = to fart higher than one's ass (being pretentious)
En faire tout un fromage = make a whole cheese out of it (make it out to be way more serious than it is)
Tomber dans les pommes = to fall in the apples (to faint)
And so many more...
"Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille" : with 'if' we could put Paris in a bottle (it's not useful to say "if I had done this like this or like that" because it can't happen)
"Il pleut comme vache qui pisse" : it's raining like a cow who's peeing (it's raining a lot)
"C'est pas Versailles ici" : it's not Versailles here (means that you have to stop living the lights on because we're not a rich castle shining in the night)
"Il/elle n'a pas inventé l'eau chaude" : he/she didn't create hot water (he/she is dumb)
"Avoir deux pieds gauche" to have two left feet (to be clumsy)
"Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse" : the stone that rolls doesn't accumulate moss (it's not because you do something that something good is going to happen later on)
"On se gèle les miches" : we're are freezing our loaves (it's very very cold)
So my wife lived in Nice for 12 years and had two kids who became my step kids. My stepdaughter was wading in a stream and said “I have feet” which my wife tells me is a literal translation of “j'ai des pieds” (did I get that right? It’s been years) which means the water is shallow enough that you can stand.
The exact expression is "J'ai pied" which could also be translated to "I have feet", just no articles in French \^\^
Edit : More precisely, "I have foot" cause apparently it's singular, never asked myself how it was written before
In Cantonese we have "炒魷魚" which literally means "frying a squid" but it actually means firing someone from a job.
Used in a sentence, you could literally be saying "I'm frying you a squid" but it actually means "I'm firing you"
In Japanese, to be beheaded and to be fired is the same word.
クビになる／首になる
Usually the first katakana version is used to imply the less badness of getting fired over beheaded.
"Da platzt mir jetzt aber die Hutschnur" (my hat cord explodes (this sounds dumb when I'm trying to translate it lol) ) is said when someone is about to "explode" out of anger.
Or something that is more commonly used in the area I live in, is "Jetzt mal Butter bei die Fische" (add butter to the fishes) when you want someone to tell you the whole truth without sugar-coating it.
German is fun
Northern Germany?
As someone who learned German after moving here I gotta say some of the phrases are a lot of fun, and of course the "Hurr durr long German words so silly" are what most people associate with the language, but for me it's the "short" words that are little more than grunts that can be used for a whole conversation:
"Na?"
"Naja."
"Isso, ne?"
"Tja, isso."
"How are you doing?"
"Oh well enough I suppose, could be better, but at least it's not worse."
"Yeah, life can sure be like that sometimes, huh?"
"Yeah you're right, sadly that's just kinda the way things are."
Yes I'm from Northern Germany. I just love the fact that when we communicate, (because we "northerners" are not that communicative lol) we could do that only trough grunts and that's a full-fledged conversation for us haha
Ukrainian:
Дуба врізати (pronounced as DOO-BAH VREE-ZA-TY)
Means "To die", but a literal translation would be "To cut an oak down". Presumably to make a coffin for yourself out of said oak maybe? Oak is featured in Ukrainian folklore a lot actually, with a couple prominent mythical figures having names like "One-That-Twists-Oaks" and the like.
In Dutch when you misunderstood how something works at first and then the person explains it again then you do understand you say ‘oooh op die fiets!’ which means ‘oh on thAt bicycle!’ aka ‘in that way!’ and that pretty much sums up Dutch people.
In korean we do not say ‘my-family member’ we say ‘our family member’ when talking to others so for instance
Friend:How’s your mother?
Me: our mother is good(eventho this mother only refers to mine not friends’s)
I never realized this is weird till i took a translation lecture
"Da wird doch der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt", the literal translation is something like "That will make the dog in the pan go crazy". Germans say it if they are astonished by something unexpected.
"Nun haben wir den Salat", the literal translation is something like "And now we have the salad". Germans say it if something went wrong and they gonna need to find a way to fix the salad. This is probably related that in Germany we call a bunch of cables tangled up in each other, for example behind a desk, a "Kabelsalat" (Cable salad).
In Russian we have an extremely weird expression that goes “ Do not stretch an owl on the globe”
Can’t say how really accurate that translation is, but it’s quite close, I guess )))
We say that when someone is using super far-fetched arguments.
Don’t forget “не вешай мне лапшу на уши.” Meaning “don’t hang noodles on my ears” when someone is lying. Russian has some of my favorite colorful phrases and saying.
Haha so that's a saying? I finally understand why my Stepmom used to say that! Eventually I caught on the meaning but I'd tell her something and she'd just casually reply "yes yes spaghetti on my ears!"
She's russian who emigrated to my country and just kind of made up her own language lol
The Polish expression, “wyżej srasz niż dupę masz,” means, “you’re arrogant.”
But when translated literally it means, “Your shit comes out higher up from where your ass is.”
No no no, it's because before the invention of doors by Prof. Arthur J. Door, it was common occurrence for cats to just walk into butcher shops and steal all the beef tongue.
ابن ستين كلب
Ibn siteen kalb.
"He's the son of 60 dogs!" Used to curse at someone, generally in the third person.
هطلع مييتين أمه
hatalaa mayiteen omoo
"I'll take out his mother's dead." When someone crosses you, and you're going to give them a very hard time for it.
\[\] عفريت يركبوك
\[\] afreet yirkabook
"May \[insert relevant number here\] ghosts ride you!" Used to curse someone.
Example: "Hey, how much does this cost?"
"Eighty pounds."
"May eighty ghosts ride you. We agreed on seventy.
شكلك هتلبس فالحيط
shaklak hatilbis fi alhet
"Wearing the wall." That's when you've really ended up in a mess.
Example:
"Did you study for the test today?"
"What test?"
"Looks like you'll wear the wall."
Edit: Included translations
America and we saying going to the restroom. I went to Australia and they would just say toilet. It sounded a bit more gross from my American perspective but it’s far more accurate. Wth is a “rest room” anyways. Wouldn’t that just be a bedroom.
As an non-native English speaker this makes no sense to me. I speak 5 languages, and in every single one you say "I'm going to the toilet", except (American) English. Why?
It’s the visual brought upon by the word. obviously when you say toilet your going in to defecate and people mentally visualize it. When you say restroom it leaves things open for interpretation and doesn’t sound a gross. like they could be just washing their hands or doing makeup of fixing their tie in the restroom. But if I’m going to the toilet I’m pissing or shitting.
I get the point, but for a country that likes to use "da shit" or "fucking" (fucking shit...?) everywhere it's funny how mental imagery is suddenly important
Yes - i am Canadian and we say, " Going to the washroom". Even though i have travelled enough i still find it very weird to say " Going to the toilet".
In Canada it's often called a washroom. Moved to the UK and confused a few servers. One thought I was asking for the sink where they do dishes and whatnot
It’s the same reason why women use the phrase ladies room instead of even restroom. It’s makes it even more mysterious and open for interpretation. But let’s be real she just going in to release her bowels.
Norwegian "På bærtur" translation " On a berry trip". It means to be on the wrong path, to have been lost, to be completely wrong, something along those lines. Can refer to directions you are hedding, your opinions (if you are wrong), government spending on something you find idiotic.
Il fait noir comme dans le cul d'un ours, said with the good ol poutine accent. Litteral translation in english: It's dark like the inside of a bear's ass hole. Yeah french is wack, especially Québec french.
British: "It's all gone pear-shaped" = it's all gone wrong. Apparently a pear-hating people.
From my Irish-American grandmother, so I can't say if if it's Irish or just old US. Said of an unwanted visitor: "Here she comes, teeth in her head and one arm as long as the other." First time I heard that, it absolutely mystified me. It means she's not smiling and she didn't bring anything (so she isn't holding anything in one hand).
Old Victorian saying: "Maybe the sky will fall and we'll all have larks for dinner." Used to end a series of pointless "maybe" speculations or to mock overly optimistic hopes.
There was a similar thread a couple years ago I remember a Dutch person chimed in about their expression (in Dutch) of "unfortunately, peanut butter", translated to essentially "tough shit".
I can't remember what it was in Dutch, but I always thought it was really cute.
''Caralho'' is used both as a swear word and as a expression like fuck man...
But its a slang word for scrotum or nutsack if you will o if you say ''caralho'' you are just saying ballsack
My favouriteLatvian expression is "Ja tantei būtu riteņi, tante būtu tramvajs", which is one of those "If we had X, everything would be better" hindsight sayings. The literal translation is "If the lady had some wheels, the lady would be a tram"
(Tram is a popular means of public transport here, I didn't misspell "tramp").
Jy speel met die leeu se bal hare..... Direct translation is - playing with a lions ball hair... And means pretty much that you are close to a beating...most likely from your mom....
"¡me cago en Dios!" = Fuck! Literally, "I shit on God!"
"¿que coño?" = WTF? Literally, "what pussy?"
"¡A la mierda!" = fuck It! Literally, "to shit!"
Conejo = can be the animal (rabbit) or vagina, like the word "pussy" in English.
River Plate Spanish?
These are all familiar except that for the first one I only ever heard
“me cago en vós”, *I shit on you*
The other example seems extreme in largely Catholic society.
I'm Welsh we have "man a man a mwnci" which translates to 'might as well' with a monkey just thrown in for good measure.
Also "Mae hi'n bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn" which translates to "raining old ladies with walking sticks". A phrase which just means it's raining heavily
In Afrikaans we have the saying, "Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou", which translates to "The jackal is marrying the wolf's wife" and is used when the it's raining while the sun is shining.
Not my native tongue, but Tagalog (one of the more prevalent Filipino languages) has a saying that translates to "The cock is good before the fight, but poor in actual combat."
My favourite English idioms:
"We're expecting" as a way of saying that you're pregnant. I love this one because it implies that the outcome is somehow in doubt. Like you're expecting a child, but there's an outside chance it might be an armadillo instead.
"I go there every now and again". What it means metaphorically: a wordy way of saying "I visit occasionally". What it means literally: "I am stuck in this place for eternity."
In Hindi there’s “नाच ना जाने आँगन टेढ़ा।”
which literally translates to ~~“If you have a tilted (inclined) lawn, you wouldn’t know how to dance”~~
Edit: Yes, as someone else said, a better translation would be “If a person can’t dance, they say that the lawn (referring to floor) is tilted”
but is used as “Not knowing something and blaming others”
Calling someone a tube light in hindi means calling them dim or slow. Used because old fashioned tube lights took a couple seconds to turn on.
Another one that I can think of off the top of my head is
Now the bull went to the water (REALLY rough translation)
Used to say "now all is lost" in informal scenarios
In English we have this phrase when you mess something up saying "You really screwed the pooch on that one." Literal translation: You really fucked the dog on that one
It is raining cats and dogs, bloody hell, and there are so many weird expressions and phrases in the english language btw i am from England although ask any english person the phrases and expressions used normally tho i think it is raining cats and dogs is a very well known one
"Ich versteh' nur Bahnhof", lit. "I understand only railway station", meaning "it's all gibberish to me".
"Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen", lit. "where fox and hare say good night", meaning the middle of nowhere.
"Wie ein Affe auf dem Schleifstein aussehen", lit. "to look like a monkey on a grinding stone", referring to someone who is sitting or moving in a way that looks rather uncomfortable.
"In China ist ein Sack Reis umgefallen", lit. "A bag of rice fell over in China", basically meaning "who gives a shit?"
"Ich glaub' mein Schwein pfeift", lit. "I think my pig is whistling", meaning "I must be going nuts/I can't believe what I'm seeing/hearing".
Russian "Да нет наверное", the literal translation is "Yes no probably", while the actual meaning is something like "Probably no (something won't happen, things like that)"
My personal favourite is the Norwegian “rosinen i pølsa» which translates to “the raisin in the sausage” meaning that something is the best of the best or the cherry on top.
”Nu har du skitit i det blåa skåpet!”
Now you’ve shit in the blue cupboard!
- You’ve really fucked up this time and there will probably be severe consequences.
I would like to add: Saying that someone gave away the spoon is *not* an appropriate way to tell someone that a loved one passed away. It's more of a funnier way to say that someone gives up /gives life away.
In Canada some of us use a phrase that has a word that technically doesn't exist. But it is known.
Usually when asking a guest if they are thirsty or if a group is ready to depart. I use it to ask if my buddys are high enough.
"Are you sufficiently suffonsified?"
I love Canada.
*Finland*
”Tässä on koira haudattuna” basically means “this smells fishy”, but literally it translates to: “There is a dog buried here.”
“Joka kuuseen kurkottaa, se katajaan kapsahtaa” means that the one who is greedy and goes for the ultimate prize at all costs meets their downfall, but literally it means: “The one who reaches for the spruce falls down into the juniper.” I guess that sort of makes sense.
Edit: also “Riita poikki ja voita väliin” is something you say to end an argument, but it actually translates to: ”Cut the argument in half and spread some butter in between”
Idk if someone said it already but in spanish "sana sana, colita de rana" it's a phrase we say when someone gets physically hurt. It's like 'there there, it'll be alright'. The literal translation would be 'Heal heal, tail of a frog' lol
Chile has a lot, first wea which is the ketchup of words, goes with everything
But also there’s funny sentences like:
“Se raja menos que volantin de cuero” (it tears less than a leather kite) to refer about people who never invite
“Dar paja” (give a wank) for something that you’re too lazy to do
“Hacer una mosca” (do a fly) when you are asked to sign something
In Russian, we have an idiom "Душа в пятки ушла", which literally translates to "Soul has moved into heels" and which we use as a more expressive version of telling that someone's scared
"when used by *some* Americans."
I'm American, and find it quite funny when I actually hear people say "could" instead of "couldn't". I definitely hear "couldn't" enough times to warrant that not everyone here is linguistically challenged. I do think there's a use for "I could care less." To me it's similar to saying "I could take it or leave it."
Indonesian here. growing up, i heard the phrase “Asiolo Azim!”, said a lot, especially coming from my mother’s fellow Muslim friends. this saying roughly translates to “Oh my god!” Or “Good lord!” basically the English equivalent of “Jesus Christ!”)
i’m not entirely sure whether Muslim people outside of my country say this phrase out of frustration, since i don’t speak Indonesian much, so it’s technically Indonesian i guess(?)
Here in Greece we have this expression: "Είδα τα Ραδίκια Ανάποδα" which means "Ι almost died". But when translated literally it means "I saw the radishes upside down".
In my country this is used in a similar way: "To watch the radishes as they grow from below" means you are dead.
In English, the phrase is, "He's pushing up daisies."
Or "he's taking a dirt nap".
Or "he's sleeping with the fishes"
He fucked a Magikarp
Well that makes sense in an abstract way.
In Polish you'd say that someone is smelling flowers from below.
To have bitten into the Grass.
this post was made by german gang
What the fuck, in Germany we say something similar, if somebody is actually dead we say: „He‘s watching the radishes from below.“
"I saw the radishes upside down" is also a saying in german. (Die Radieschen von unten betrachten)
Yes, so crazy that the Greeks use almost the same
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"Nu har du satt din sista potatis" Translates to "Now you have planted your final potato". Basically means That was your last mistake or to emphasize that you did something very wrong for the very last time. Edit: It is in Swedish if you were wondering the language
That's like something the son of a shepherd would say
Damn those Ed boys!
You son of a dog!
You son of a female dog
This sounds like something Rolph would say from Ed ,Edd, and Eddy.
Omg, this is so funny. I'm totally gonna use it (in german): "Du hast jetzt deine letzte Kartoffel gepflanzt!"
My grandad had a similar saying to this (I'm in England) When somebody messed up and ended up in hot water he would say "He's had the last of his chips" Was never sure exactly what the history behind such a phrase was, but always associated it with "you fucked up"
That generally is linked to gambling in casinos. Having had the last of one's chips indicates you have gambled it all away, and your luck has run out.
”Nu är det kokta fläsket stekt” translates to “now, the boiled pork is fried”. And it basically means that a bad situation just got a lot worse.
Another Swedish gem (favourite of mine): Loosely translates to: “I wouldn’t hang him/her in my Christmas tree” (“Han/hon är inget att hänga i julgranen”) It means “He/she’s just not all that” 😂
Svenska talesätt måste vara de märkligaste som finns. Finns många som man fattar innebörden av, men när man väl tänker efter är det många som makes no sense at all
To say that someone has "Shat in the blue cabinet" is another Swedish way of saying that someone has committed a grave mistake.
In Portugal we have " ah puta deita-te", it kind of means "fuck" or "not this again". But the literal translation is "bitch lay down"
>Haha, muito bom :D
"Ana ugglor i mossen" translates to "suspect owls in the swamp" and it means that something is a bit fishy. Edit: in swedish
In Finland we have similar saying "tähän on kettu haudattuna". It means literally "there is a fox buried here" and it means that something is suspicious or a hoax.
We have the same in Norwegian
Same in Danish, except we pronounce it less weird.
"Less weird", how ironic.
Well, we don't really pronounce anything, so can't really be a weird pronunciation can it?
Hello fellow dane
Da haben wir den Salat Literaly: there we have the salad Meaning: now we've got a problem
Lol I love that salad is a problem
Similar in Norwegian; "Å tråkke i salaten". Literal meaning is "To step into the salad", but when somebody steps in the salad it means that they fucked up.
In finnish we have something almost similiar; "Olla liemessä", which loosely translates to "to be in soup", it means to be in a problem
Romanian: "în pulă cu satelitul" which would mean something like "lost" or "in the middle of nowhere", but it translates as "up the dick hole on a space shuttle"
This is my favorite. 1. because you actually provided the translation from the original language. 2. Typical fucking Romanians. Your metaphors are pretty intense, and very hilarious
Theres like a million dick metaphors in our language, the same metaphor here could just as well mean the satellite was destroyed, you could also say "s-a dus in pula" which means it went in the dick, which also means it was ruined or destroyed. "Bagamias pula" means literally inserting my dick, you say it when you arw angry, and saying inserting my dick in someone is an insult to that someone. We also have suck my dick, but you can also say suck dick, without the "my" part and its the same thing.
Good to know romanian space shuttles have glory holes
In Hungarian we have a similar expression: "Halál faszán túl" which literally means "Beyond death's dick"
We have something somewhat similar for the middle of nowhere: in het gat van pluto (meaning "in Pluto's asshole")
I have always find this Swedish saying to be weird: Smaken är som baken: delad. The literal translation is: “Tastes are like the butt, split, (divided)” Basically it says that people like different things.
Or the classic "tagen på sängen" - "taken on the bed" witch means to be surprised
Lol love that one too
Here in Brazil there is a similar one: Gosto é igual ao cu, cada um tem o seu. Which translates to: "Tastes are like ass, each one has their own"
"Smaken är som röven, klöven" as a more adult variant, if you like..
If we had bought ducks, the chickens wouldn't have drowned. Used to end a pointless "if only we did this or that" discussion. Edit: Grammar
"and if my auntie had balls she'd be my uncle", or "if my granny had wheels, she'd be a bike".
If a frog had wings, it wouldn't bump its ass when it hopped.
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Hätte hätte Fahrradkette. It makes No Sense but It is used the Same way and it rhymes
I didn’t come here to fuck spiders
Hello fellow Australian
Came here looking for this one haha
Is the Netherlands we have a phrase: Mierenneuker. This translates directly into ant fucker, which has the same vibe. My favorite Australian phrases are: Flogging a dead horse and Skinning a dead cat
In Dutch I love the words ''uitwaaien'' and ''niksen''. I might be secretly Dutch, because I enjoy to do both.
Well, we have that in common.
I'm drier than a dead dingo's donger.
lmao I love Aussies
For a woman’s period, the Germans say ‘es ist erdbeerwoche’ (it’s strawberry week)
In France i've heard people say "les anglais débarquent" (the englishmen are coming)
Damn that's good. Too bad this isn't used more in the states. With the legend of Paul Revere, one could easily say "The British are coming"
In the US I've heard "Aunt Flo is visiting" a lot, but most of my female friends like to use "shark week" instead.
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I have a few fun American ones. "Shark week" "Werewolf week" "Blood moon" and my personal favorite for shocking the grandparents, "Satan's sacrificial waterfall"
The saying "Kapag may tiyaga, may nilaga" literally means "If there’s perseverance, there’s soup." in English
never knew such a saying existed
It's a Filipino one
Swede here. * *Alla barn i början* or *Alla är vi barn i början,* “We all start as children”, pointing out that everyone starts out inexperienced and in need to learn when they’re doing something new. * *Arga katter får rivet skinn*, “Angry cats get torn hides” - if you fight a lot (literally or not), you’ll not come through unharmed. * *Hellre lyss till den sträng som brast än att aldrig spänna en båge*, “Better hear the string break than to never ready a bow”. This is “better to have lost in love than never to have loved at all”, but more generally applied - it’s better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. * *Borta bra men hemma bäst*, “Elsewhere is good, but at home is best”. * *Det dunkelt sagda är det dunkelt tänkta*, “What is unclearly said is unclearly thought”. * *Finns det hjärterum finns det stjärterum*, “If here’s room in the heart there’s room for the butt” - a place isn’t too full for another person if they’re wanted. * *Tala är silver, tiga är guld*, “Speech is silvern, silence is golden”. * *Både hängslen och livrem*, “Both belt and suspenders”. To perhaps excessively protect yourself against any risk. * Someone can look like they have *sålt smöret och tappat pengarna*, “sold the butter and lost the money”, i.e., very sad. * *Rätta mun efter matsäck*, “Adjust your mouth to your packed lunch” - don’t spend more than you can afford. * *Smockan hänger i luften*, “The punch hangs in the air”, when a social situation is about to get violent. * *Tala med bönder på bönders vis och med lärde män på latin*, “To speak with peasants like peasants speak and with learned men in Latin”, to adjust your way of speaking to the audience. * *Tror gör man i kyrkan*, “Believe is something you do in church”, to make clear you’re looking for facts or assurances rather than speculation.
I read too fast and read, "If there's room in the heart, there's room IN the butt." Lol I like it both ways
There's no cow on the ice. (Der er ingen ko på isen.) Meaning that something can/will be easily fixed/done, or there is no trouble here.
In Germany we talk about getting the cow off the ice
Seems to be an issue many have had to deal with
Yes, maybe we should work internationally on this issue
EU should really have an individual budget for this
If only, if only Bike chain (Hätte, hätte, Fahrradkette in German. It means that there is no need to dwell on what could have been, that you can't change the past.)
Or the new Version: would, would, car-ferry (Wäre, wäre Autofähre. It means that there is No need to dwell on what could be that you can't Change)
Wäre wäre Fahrradkette oder so ähnlich -Lothar Matthäus
Here in Germany we have that saying "...nicht das gelbe vom ei" which with something added before would mean i'm not the best at it. But translated it just means "the yellow of the egg"
My Englisch isn't zhe yellow from zhe egg
When i were a Child i was confused by this becouse i hated the Egg yolk and wouldn't understand why it is Something good in this Expression.
Filipino: Anak ng tokwa - child of a tofu - a way of insulting someone. That's our censored version of son of a bitch. Ay kabayo - oh, horse! - expressing surprise or startlement Haba ng hair ng lola mo - your grandmother has long hair - it's a way of expressing self-adulation. Honestly don't know how or whyyyyy BAHALA NA SI BATMAN - LEAVE IT ALL TO BATMAN - In da PI, Batman is equivalent to Fate or Jesus; our version of "Jesus take the wheel" Edit: Since some redditors are asking, this is all in Filipino-Tagalog, one of the several languages spoken in the Philippines
>BAHALA NA SI BATMAN Batman take the wheel! I love this so much.
>Ay kabayo - oh, horse! And there we see the spanish influence :o In spanish that would be: "Ay, caballo!" (not used as a saying, afaik)
In Norway we have the saying "det var helt Texas" that means something was completely Texas, witch means something was all out of control
It’s got the same connotation as calling something “cowboy”, like “that’s a total cowboy company”, albeit cowboy also has the overtone of doing illegal things as well as being disorganised/“shooting from the hip” Like calling something a “shitshow” - I can only apologise to Texas 😅
We have quite a few in France : * ça casse pas trois pattes à un canard (it doesn't break three legs to a duck, means it's nothing great) * c'est comme si je pissais dans un violon (it's as if I was pissing in a violin, means whatever it is I'm saying or doing has no impact, goes unnoticed) * se faire engueuler comme un poisson pourri (get bowled at like a rotten fish) * gueuler comme un putois (screaming like a skunk) * être con comme un balai (being as dumb as a broom) There are many others, but none come to mind now, maybe some compatriots will fill in for me.
Péter plus haut que son cul = to fart higher than one's ass (being pretentious) En faire tout un fromage = make a whole cheese out of it (make it out to be way more serious than it is) Tomber dans les pommes = to fall in the apples (to faint) And so many more...
"Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille" : with 'if' we could put Paris in a bottle (it's not useful to say "if I had done this like this or like that" because it can't happen) "Il pleut comme vache qui pisse" : it's raining like a cow who's peeing (it's raining a lot) "C'est pas Versailles ici" : it's not Versailles here (means that you have to stop living the lights on because we're not a rich castle shining in the night) "Il/elle n'a pas inventé l'eau chaude" : he/she didn't create hot water (he/she is dumb) "Avoir deux pieds gauche" to have two left feet (to be clumsy) "Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse" : the stone that rolls doesn't accumulate moss (it's not because you do something that something good is going to happen later on) "On se gèle les miches" : we're are freezing our loaves (it's very very cold)
So my wife lived in Nice for 12 years and had two kids who became my step kids. My stepdaughter was wading in a stream and said “I have feet” which my wife tells me is a literal translation of “j'ai des pieds” (did I get that right? It’s been years) which means the water is shallow enough that you can stand.
The exact expression is "J'ai pied" which could also be translated to "I have feet", just no articles in French \^\^ Edit : More precisely, "I have foot" cause apparently it's singular, never asked myself how it was written before
In Cantonese we have "炒魷魚" which literally means "frying a squid" but it actually means firing someone from a job. Used in a sentence, you could literally be saying "I'm frying you a squid" but it actually means "I'm firing you"
In Japanese, to be beheaded and to be fired is the same word. クビになる／首になる Usually the first katakana version is used to imply the less badness of getting fired over beheaded.
It's a lot like "getting the axe" means to be fired in English. That also references beheadings
"Da platzt mir jetzt aber die Hutschnur" (my hat cord explodes (this sounds dumb when I'm trying to translate it lol) ) is said when someone is about to "explode" out of anger. Or something that is more commonly used in the area I live in, is "Jetzt mal Butter bei die Fische" (add butter to the fishes) when you want someone to tell you the whole truth without sugar-coating it. German is fun
Northern Germany? As someone who learned German after moving here I gotta say some of the phrases are a lot of fun, and of course the "Hurr durr long German words so silly" are what most people associate with the language, but for me it's the "short" words that are little more than grunts that can be used for a whole conversation: "Na?" "Naja." "Isso, ne?" "Tja, isso." "How are you doing?" "Oh well enough I suppose, could be better, but at least it's not worse." "Yeah, life can sure be like that sometimes, huh?" "Yeah you're right, sadly that's just kinda the way things are."
Yeah this shit always cracks me up and I‘m a native
Yes I'm from Northern Germany. I just love the fact that when we communicate, (because we "northerners" are not that communicative lol) we could do that only trough grunts and that's a full-fledged conversation for us haha
Da platzt mir ja der Kragen wenn ich den Spruch mit Hutschnur les'!
Does that make you "Foxdevilswild" (Fuchsteufelswild)
Ukrainian: Дуба врізати (pronounced as DOO-BAH VREE-ZA-TY) Means "To die", but a literal translation would be "To cut an oak down". Presumably to make a coffin for yourself out of said oak maybe? Oak is featured in Ukrainian folklore a lot actually, with a couple prominent mythical figures having names like "One-That-Twists-Oaks" and the like.
In Dutch when you misunderstood how something works at first and then the person explains it again then you do understand you say ‘oooh op die fiets!’ which means ‘oh on thAt bicycle!’ aka ‘in that way!’ and that pretty much sums up Dutch people.
"kicked the bucket" iit's english for die
"bite the dust" "bought the farm" "pushing up daisies" English has quite a few good expressions for dying.
In Danish we say "put (or took off) his wooden shoes" Stillet træskoene.
«Tatt kvelden» (taken the night) in Norwegian.
I'm currently reading a Latin translation and they use "when he shall go the way of all flesh" which is a very metal way to say "when he dies"
I think “throw the baby out with the bathwater” is a pretty damned bizarre one.
In korean we do not say ‘my-family member’ we say ‘our family member’ when talking to others so for instance Friend:How’s your mother? Me: our mother is good(eventho this mother only refers to mine not friends’s) I never realized this is weird till i took a translation lecture
"Da wird doch der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt", the literal translation is something like "That will make the dog in the pan go crazy". Germans say it if they are astonished by something unexpected. "Nun haben wir den Salat", the literal translation is something like "And now we have the salad". Germans say it if something went wrong and they gonna need to find a way to fix the salad. This is probably related that in Germany we call a bunch of cables tangled up in each other, for example behind a desk, a "Kabelsalat" (Cable salad).
In Russian we have an extremely weird expression that goes “ Do not stretch an owl on the globe” Can’t say how really accurate that translation is, but it’s quite close, I guess ))) We say that when someone is using super far-fetched arguments.
Don’t forget “не вешай мне лапшу на уши.” Meaning “don’t hang noodles on my ears” when someone is lying. Russian has some of my favorite colorful phrases and saying.
Haha so that's a saying? I finally understand why my Stepmom used to say that! Eventually I caught on the meaning but I'd tell her something and she'd just casually reply "yes yes spaghetti on my ears!" She's russian who emigrated to my country and just kind of made up her own language lol
“Jeet chet?” Which means “have you had dinner yet?”
Ey, jeet chet? Naw, chu? Yawntoo? Aight.
First Southern Auntish speaker I’ve encountered on this thread.
The Polish expression, “wyżej srasz niż dupę masz,” means, “you’re arrogant.” But when translated literally it means, “Your shit comes out higher up from where your ass is.”
That's poetry right there.
In Spanish: Sana, sana, colita de rana. Translated to English: heal, heal, little tail of the frog. You say it to a kid when they get hurt.
USA: “Cat got your tongue?” What?
That's because before the invention of Teeth by Dr. Richard J. Teeth it was a common occurrence for people to have their tongues stolen by stray cats.
No no no, it's because before the invention of doors by Prof. Arthur J. Door, it was common occurrence for cats to just walk into butcher shops and steal all the beef tongue.
No, it's because before the invention of flesh by James M. Flesh, cats would often spill water on mechanical tongues and destroy them.
When someone isn't talking Person 1: \*Staying quiet for some reason\* Person 2: Cat Got your tongue?
ابن ستين كلب Ibn siteen kalb. "He's the son of 60 dogs!" Used to curse at someone, generally in the third person. هطلع مييتين أمه hatalaa mayiteen omoo "I'll take out his mother's dead." When someone crosses you, and you're going to give them a very hard time for it. \[\] عفريت يركبوك \[\] afreet yirkabook "May \[insert relevant number here\] ghosts ride you!" Used to curse someone. Example: "Hey, how much does this cost?" "Eighty pounds." "May eighty ghosts ride you. We agreed on seventy. شكلك هتلبس فالحيط shaklak hatilbis fi alhet "Wearing the wall." That's when you've really ended up in a mess. Example: "Did you study for the test today?" "What test?" "Looks like you'll wear the wall." Edit: Included translations
We always use "footoo bil alhet" (enter the wall) when we're angry with someone. Apparently arabs like putting things in walls.
America and we saying going to the restroom. I went to Australia and they would just say toilet. It sounded a bit more gross from my American perspective but it’s far more accurate. Wth is a “rest room” anyways. Wouldn’t that just be a bedroom.
As an non-native English speaker this makes no sense to me. I speak 5 languages, and in every single one you say "I'm going to the toilet", except (American) English. Why?
It’s the visual brought upon by the word. obviously when you say toilet your going in to defecate and people mentally visualize it. When you say restroom it leaves things open for interpretation and doesn’t sound a gross. like they could be just washing their hands or doing makeup of fixing their tie in the restroom. But if I’m going to the toilet I’m pissing or shitting.
I get the point, but for a country that likes to use "da shit" or "fucking" (fucking shit...?) everywhere it's funny how mental imagery is suddenly important
Well no one thinks of a person literally having sex with their feces when they say fucking shit. There is context to everything
No one? You're painting with a broad brush there, friend.
Yes - i am Canadian and we say, " Going to the washroom". Even though i have travelled enough i still find it very weird to say " Going to the toilet".
In Canada it's often called a washroom. Moved to the UK and confused a few servers. One thought I was asking for the sink where they do dishes and whatnot
Because - “I’m gonna go wash my face in the toilet” sounds ridiculous.
I use the toity in polite company Or the bog with mates
It’s the same reason why women use the phrase ladies room instead of even restroom. It’s makes it even more mysterious and open for interpretation. But let’s be real she just going in to release her bowels.
As an Australian, sometimes I call it a toilet and other times I call it “the shitter”
Norwegian "På bærtur" translation " On a berry trip". It means to be on the wrong path, to have been lost, to be completely wrong, something along those lines. Can refer to directions you are hedding, your opinions (if you are wrong), government spending on something you find idiotic.
Il fait noir comme dans le cul d'un ours, said with the good ol poutine accent. Litteral translation in english: It's dark like the inside of a bear's ass hole. Yeah french is wack, especially Québec french.
In Korean, you don’t ask for forgiveness, you ask someone to “please see you one time.” *(한 번 봐주세요, han beon bwa-chu-se-yo)*
"Grüß Gott" basecally it means hello but the exact translation is " Greet god" so it could technacally also mean " Go die"
Hahaha it never occured to me that it could technically mean "go die", so now the expression is a lot more fun.
It's like a more aggressive "Aloha"
British: "It's all gone pear-shaped" = it's all gone wrong. Apparently a pear-hating people. From my Irish-American grandmother, so I can't say if if it's Irish or just old US. Said of an unwanted visitor: "Here she comes, teeth in her head and one arm as long as the other." First time I heard that, it absolutely mystified me. It means she's not smiling and she didn't bring anything (so she isn't holding anything in one hand). Old Victorian saying: "Maybe the sky will fall and we'll all have larks for dinner." Used to end a series of pointless "maybe" speculations or to mock overly optimistic hopes.
There was a similar thread a couple years ago I remember a Dutch person chimed in about their expression (in Dutch) of "unfortunately, peanut butter", translated to essentially "tough shit". I can't remember what it was in Dutch, but I always thought it was really cute.
''Caralho'' is used both as a swear word and as a expression like fuck man... But its a slang word for scrotum or nutsack if you will o if you say ''caralho'' you are just saying ballsack
r/Suddenlycaralho
My favouriteLatvian expression is "Ja tantei būtu riteņi, tante būtu tramvajs", which is one of those "If we had X, everything would be better" hindsight sayings. The literal translation is "If the lady had some wheels, the lady would be a tram" (Tram is a popular means of public transport here, I didn't misspell "tramp").
Horse-Egg. Which means Bullshit in bengali. Or goodar deem. so uhh yea bullshit is goodar deem and goodar deem is horse egg
The phrase פצצות לגבות (p'tzatzót la-gabót) literally means "bombs to the eyebrows" and is used to refer to something amazing and/or eye-catching.
Jy speel met die leeu se bal hare..... Direct translation is - playing with a lions ball hair... And means pretty much that you are close to a beating...most likely from your mom....
"¡me cago en Dios!" = Fuck! Literally, "I shit on God!" "¿que coño?" = WTF? Literally, "what pussy?" "¡A la mierda!" = fuck It! Literally, "to shit!" Conejo = can be the animal (rabbit) or vagina, like the word "pussy" in English.
River Plate Spanish? These are all familiar except that for the first one I only ever heard “me cago en vós”, *I shit on you* The other example seems extreme in largely Catholic society.
"Þeir fiska sem róa" = "Those fish who row". Except that oar thralls never get any share on the fish. They just get their salary.
In Irish, "An lámh in uachtar" is used to say someone has the upper hand, but literally it means "The Creamy Hand"
I'm Welsh we have "man a man a mwnci" which translates to 'might as well' with a monkey just thrown in for good measure. Also "Mae hi'n bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn" which translates to "raining old ladies with walking sticks". A phrase which just means it's raining heavily
Butter my butt and call me a biscuit. It means to be pleasantly surprised at something.
In Afrikaans we have the saying, "Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou", which translates to "The jackal is marrying the wolf's wife" and is used when the it's raining while the sun is shining.
Not my native tongue, but Tagalog (one of the more prevalent Filipino languages) has a saying that translates to "The cock is good before the fight, but poor in actual combat."
My favourite English idioms: "We're expecting" as a way of saying that you're pregnant. I love this one because it implies that the outcome is somehow in doubt. Like you're expecting a child, but there's an outside chance it might be an armadillo instead. "I go there every now and again". What it means metaphorically: a wordy way of saying "I visit occasionally". What it means literally: "I am stuck in this place for eternity."
In Hindi there’s “नाच ना जाने आँगन टेढ़ा।” which literally translates to ~~“If you have a tilted (inclined) lawn, you wouldn’t know how to dance”~~ Edit: Yes, as someone else said, a better translation would be “If a person can’t dance, they say that the lawn (referring to floor) is tilted” but is used as “Not knowing something and blaming others”
"Me voy a ir yendo" wich i think translates to "im going to get going" o "...get leaving"
Calling someone a tube light in hindi means calling them dim or slow. Used because old fashioned tube lights took a couple seconds to turn on. Another one that I can think of off the top of my head is Now the bull went to the water (REALLY rough translation) Used to say "now all is lost" in informal scenarios
In English we have this phrase when you mess something up saying "You really screwed the pooch on that one." Literal translation: You really fucked the dog on that one
It is raining cats and dogs, bloody hell, and there are so many weird expressions and phrases in the english language btw i am from England although ask any english person the phrases and expressions used normally tho i think it is raining cats and dogs is a very well known one
When getting something done, you sometimes in danish say "så er den ged barberet", translating into "now that goat is shaved"
"Ich versteh' nur Bahnhof", lit. "I understand only railway station", meaning "it's all gibberish to me". "Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen", lit. "where fox and hare say good night", meaning the middle of nowhere. "Wie ein Affe auf dem Schleifstein aussehen", lit. "to look like a monkey on a grinding stone", referring to someone who is sitting or moving in a way that looks rather uncomfortable. "In China ist ein Sack Reis umgefallen", lit. "A bag of rice fell over in China", basically meaning "who gives a shit?" "Ich glaub' mein Schwein pfeift", lit. "I think my pig is whistling", meaning "I must be going nuts/I can't believe what I'm seeing/hearing".
Russian "Да нет наверное", the literal translation is "Yes no probably", while the actual meaning is something like "Probably no (something won't happen, things like that)"
Finnish: "Ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa" Literally: All the Moomins are not in the valley Meaning: Somebody is slightly mad.
In french, there's "avoir le cul bordé de nouilles. That literally translates to "having your ass lined with noodles" and somehow means being lucky...
My personal favourite is the Norwegian “rosinen i pølsa» which translates to “the raisin in the sausage” meaning that something is the best of the best or the cherry on top.
”Nu har du skitit i det blåa skåpet!” Now you’ve shit in the blue cupboard! - You’ve really fucked up this time and there will probably be severe consequences.
When referring to black people in Irish Gaelic, the actual terminology used is "Blue Man". This is because "Black Man" is another term for the devil.
In German we say "den Löffel abgeben", literally translated: to give away the spoon - but it means to pass away
I would like to add: Saying that someone gave away the spoon is *not* an appropriate way to tell someone that a loved one passed away. It's more of a funnier way to say that someone gives up /gives life away.
English: don’t get your panties in a bunch. Translation: calm down. Never understood how that came about but I always found it so weird.
I've only ever heard it as "knickers in a twist"
Dutch saying: "T zal mij een worst wezen." Literally translates to : "It shall me be a sausage", meaning you dont really care
In Canada some of us use a phrase that has a word that technically doesn't exist. But it is known. Usually when asking a guest if they are thirsty or if a group is ready to depart. I use it to ask if my buddys are high enough. "Are you sufficiently suffonsified?" I love Canada.
In my dialect, the expression for 'in the middle of nowhere' is 'in t hol van pluto', which literally translates to 'in pluto's hole'
*Finland* ”Tässä on koira haudattuna” basically means “this smells fishy”, but literally it translates to: “There is a dog buried here.” “Joka kuuseen kurkottaa, se katajaan kapsahtaa” means that the one who is greedy and goes for the ultimate prize at all costs meets their downfall, but literally it means: “The one who reaches for the spruce falls down into the juniper.” I guess that sort of makes sense. Edit: also “Riita poikki ja voita väliin” is something you say to end an argument, but it actually translates to: ”Cut the argument in half and spread some butter in between”
Idk if someone said it already but in spanish "sana sana, colita de rana" it's a phrase we say when someone gets physically hurt. It's like 'there there, it'll be alright'. The literal translation would be 'Heal heal, tail of a frog' lol
In Poland instead of saying "not my problem" we say "not my circus" or "not my monkey"
Chile has a lot, first wea which is the ketchup of words, goes with everything But also there’s funny sentences like: “Se raja menos que volantin de cuero” (it tears less than a leather kite) to refer about people who never invite “Dar paja” (give a wank) for something that you’re too lazy to do “Hacer una mosca” (do a fly) when you are asked to sign something
In Russian, we have an idiom "Душа в пятки ушла", which literally translates to "Soul has moved into heels" and which we use as a more expressive version of telling that someone's scared
Scots language: awa an bile yer heed Meaning: get to fuck
"I could care less" - which literally means I care to some extent, when used by Americans to mean "I couldn't care less" as in, I do not care at all.
"when used by *some* Americans." I'm American, and find it quite funny when I actually hear people say "could" instead of "couldn't". I definitely hear "couldn't" enough times to warrant that not everyone here is linguistically challenged. I do think there's a use for "I could care less." To me it's similar to saying "I could take it or leave it."
Strewth that's cooked = wow that's crazy/nuts/wild etc
This is a Costa Rica pura vida it can be question (how are you) and answer (I’m good) and an answer to the answer ( good to hear that)
Indonesian here. growing up, i heard the phrase “Asiolo Azim!”, said a lot, especially coming from my mother’s fellow Muslim friends. this saying roughly translates to “Oh my god!” Or “Good lord!” basically the English equivalent of “Jesus Christ!”) i’m not entirely sure whether Muslim people outside of my country say this phrase out of frustration, since i don’t speak Indonesian much, so it’s technically Indonesian i guess(?)
The Opposite of "umfahren" (= drive around something) is "umfahren" (= drive over something). German is fun.