Hilarious idioms from different languages.

 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.


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1 thought on “Hilarious idioms from different languages.”

  1. 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

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