Idioms can tell us a lot about how people use language and interact with one another. They also somehow mirror certain people’s culture as they have very specific cultural meanings that convey societal standards, principles, and beliefs. Because the cultures of the world are beautifully diverse, the idioms that each language uses are unique and may have unexpected meanings at times. We’ve gathered some truly amazing idioms from around the world to showcase this diversity and we hope they appeal to your nerdy brains.
Dutch
Alsof er een engeltje over je tong piest
Literal translation: As if a small angel pees on your tongue.
Meaning: you absolutely love the food that you’re eating.
Brazilian Portuguese
Estou cagando e andando
Literal translation: I’m shitting and walking.
Meaning: I don’t give a damn.
Swedish
Finns det hjärterum så finns det stjärterum.
Literal translation: If there is room in the heart, there is room for the butt.
Meaning: If we care about you, we’ll make room for you to join us.
French
Avoir les fesses entre deux chaises.
Literal translation: Having the buttcheeks between two chairs.
Meaning: Being indecisive and tormented in a dilemmatic situation that you can’t choose between two things.
Spanish
No tener pelos en la lengua.
Literal translation: Not to have hairs on your tongue.
Meaning: To tell it like it is.
Arabic
عضة كوساية
Literal translation: A zucchini bite
Meaning: A short period of time.
Indonesian:
Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya.
Literal translation: An empty vessel makes the most noise.
Meaning: those know so little tend to talk too much.
Finnish
Ennen sian pieremää.
Literal translation: Before the pig’s fart
Meaning: very early in the morning.
French
Péter plus haut que son cul.
Literal translation: To fart higher than one’s arse.
Meaning: to be arrogant.
Chinese
一个愚蠢的男人给了他的妻子一架三角钢琴。智者给妻子一个正直的器官
Literal translation: A foolish man gives his wife a grand piano. A wise man gives his wife an upright organ.
Meaning: *it’s up to you*
Portuguese
É de cair o cu da bunda
Literal translation: That makes my anus fall out of my ass.
Meaning: used when something very bad and shocking happens.
Moroccan Arabic
اللسان مافيهش عضم
Literal translation: The tongue doesn’t have a bone.
Meaning: actions speak louder than words.
English
If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle.
Meaning: It is fruitless to speculate about counterfactual situations.
Dutch
Of je worst lust?
Literal translation: Do you like sausage?
Meaning: used when someone asks a very obvious question.
Danish
før fanden får sko på
Literal Transaltion: Before the devil puts his shoes on
Meaning: Early in the morning.
English
If you’ll pardon my French.
Meaning: Informal apology for the use of profane, swear or taboo words.
Spanish
Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.
Literal translation: The devil knows more because he’s old than because he’s the devil.
Meaning: Wisdom comes with age.
Slovak
Pasuje ako rit na serbel.
Literal translation: fits like a bum on a potty.
Meaning: Fits perfectly.
Azerbijaini
Halva-halva deməklə ağız şirin olmaz.
Literal translation: Mouth will not be sweet when you say “sweet”
Meaning: Just talking won’t get things done. In order to make your mouth sweet, you should act rather than just talk.
Thai
กำขี้ดีกว่ากำตด
Literal translation: Grabbing poop is better than grabbing a fart.
Meaning: Having something in your hands is better than having nothing.
Greenlandic
Tulukkat qaqortippata.
Literal translation: When the Ravens turn white.
Meaning: Never going to happen.
Swahili
Tamu ikizidi tamu, si tamu tena.
Literal translation: If sweetness is excessive, it is no longer sweetness.
Meaning: Overdoing something is not good.
Algerian Arabic:
كون مهبول تشبع كسور
Literal Translation: pretend to be insane and you will gain bread.
Next time consider Romanian too, we have a bunch of weird-ass idioms too. Consider:
– A avea caș la gură – To have fresh cheese on your mouth – Denotes that someone is young and therefore they don’t get to have an opinion on the matter at hand.
– A vinde castraveți grădinarului – To sell cucumbers to the gardener – Names the foolish action of attempting to fool an expert exactly at the thing they’re best at
– A-i face cuiva capul calendar – To turn one’s head into a calendar – To talk their socks off, until they’re utterly confused
etc etc