Fun with Idioms in English and Other Languages
Contributors to this list: Linda Ceriello, Giulia Brusco, Christophe Crucciani, Ted Fisher,
• Not playing with a full deck= GERMAN: to not have all cups in the cupboard (nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben) ITALIAN: not having all the wheels in the right place (non avere tutte le rotelle a posto) also: to be lacking some Fridays (Non avere tutti i venerdì) FINNISH: not rowing the boat with both oars (ei souda molemmilla airoilla) also: the lift is not going all the way up (ei mee hissiihan ylos asti) LATVIAN: the roof has left (Aizbraucis jumts) SWEDISH: to have brownies in the attic (Att ha tomtar på loftet) TURKISH: his goats fled (Keçileri kaçırmıs) • To beat around the bush = SWEDISH: to walk like a cat around hot porridge (Att gå som en katt kring het gröt) CZECH: walking around mashed potatoes (chodit okolo horké kaše) ITALIAN: lead the dog around in the courtyard (menare il can per l'aia) FRENCH: to turn around the pot (Tourner autour du pot) • Pushing up daisies = FRENCH: eat dandelions by the root (manger les pissenlits par la racine) GERMAN: see/view the radishes from below (die Radieschen von unten anschauen/betrachten) • Bite the bullet = GERMAN: bite the sour apple (in den sauren Apfel beißen) SPANISH: bite one of your balls (morderte un huevo) ITALIAN: to clutch one's teeth (stringere i denti) • What the fuck?? = HUNGARIAN: What the horse dick? (Mi a lofasz?) ITALIAN: What the dick? SPANISH: What fart? (que pedo?) • To kick the bucket = FRENCH: to break one's pipe (a casser sa pipe) SPANISH: hang up your tennis shoes (colgar los tenis) also: estirar la pata (stretch the leg) • Cross that bridge when we come to it = ITALIAN: Don't bandage your head before you break it. (Non fasciarti la testa prima di rompertela.) GERMAN: Don't worry about unlaid eggs. (Kümmere dich nicht um ungelegte Eier.) • I've had it up to here! = GERMAN: I have the nose full! (Ich habe die Nase voll) SPANISH: I am up to the mother! (hasta la madre) • The middle of nowhere = GERMAN: where the foxes and hares say goodnight (wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen) ITALIAN: inside the world's ass (In culo al mondo) • A stone's throw = GERMAN: a cat's jump (Katzensprung) ITALIAN: at a rifle's shot (a un tiro di schioppo) • To bring home the bacon = FRENCH: to take down the silver cup (décrocher la timbale) GERMAN: to shoot the bird (den Vogel abschiessen) • To split hairs = FRENCH: to fuck (to sodomize) flies (enculer les mouches) ITALIAN: to split one hair into four (spaccare un capello in quattro) • Healthy as a horse = ITALIAN: healthy as a fish (sana come un pesce) FINNISH: healthy as a male goat (terve ku pukki) • We are in deep shit. = SPANISH: We are in farts. (Estamos en pedos) alternatively...We are in a large fart! (Estamos en un pedote) • I don't give a shit. = GERMAN: That's sausage to me.(Das ist mir Wurst.) • I am shit-faced drunk. = SPANISH: I have a big fart. (traigo un pedote) • I will kick your ass. = SPANISH: I will break your mother. (te rompo la madre) • Beat it! = GERMAN: Make the flight! (Mach die Fliege!) • My nose is running = GERMAN: the nose walks (die Nase lauft) • Out of the frying pan and into the fire = SPANISH: (Literally, with wordplay) We left Guate-bad and entered Guate-worse (Salimos de Guatemala y entramos en Guatapeor) • To call a spade a spade = FRENCH: to call a cat a cat (appeler un chat un chat)
Thomas Morgan, Stephen Austin, Terry Stella, Kati Kettunin, Tanya Shekhovtsova's blog
and www.omniglot.com
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To print them we need three things: an amusing idiom in English, the amusing version of this idiom in another language, and the literal translation from that language into English.
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