Republic of Korea

Today I will “show” you some of my favourite funny idioms from all over the world. This time though, they will have different meanings:

Arabic

(laisa lii fiiha naqa wa la jamal) ليس لي فيها نقة ولا جمل I don’t have a camel in the caravan = this matter doesn’t concern me

Armenian

Գլուխս մի՛ արդուկեր: (Klookhys mee artooger) Stop ironing my head! = Stop annoying me! (as in repetitively asking or talking about something)

Cheyenne

Mónésó’táhoenôtse kosa? Are you still riding the goat? = separated from your spouse

Énêhpoése ma’eno. The turtle is shrouded = it’s foggy.

Étaomêhótsenôhtóvenestse napâhpóneehéhame. My tapeworm can almost talk by itself = my stomach is growling.

Dutch

Ik zweet peentjes I sweat carrots = I’m sweating like a pig

IJsberen 'to polar bear' (i.e. to pace up and down)

Estonian

Puust ja punaseks ette tegema to make something out of wood and paint it red - to make something really clear (I have no idea why this would mean “to make something really clear” but ok.)

Finnish

pitkin hampain with long teeth - (to do something) unwillingly

kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa to pace around hot porridge like a cat = to beat about the bush

French

avoir les dents longues to have long teeth = to be ambitious

avoir les dents qui rayent le parquet to have teeth that scratch the floor = to be extemely ambitious

P.S. Do French people have a teeth fetish or what?

pédaler dans la choucroute to pedal in the sauerkraut = to spin your wheels - to go nowhere

German

Ich werde dir die Daumen drücken / Ich drücke dir die Daumen I’ll squeeze my thumbs for you = I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you/I wish you luck

(totally not going to hurt!)

Hals und Beinbruch!  Break a neck and leg = Break a leg (Good luck) (I wrote this one because I find it quite interesting how the German people added “a neck” to the expression.)

Hindi

नौ दो ग्यारह होना to be nine two eleven - to get away

I was very interested in the origin of this idiom so I typed it in google and every post was connected with 9/11. It turns out that there was a flight with the number 11-92. I have no idea what the connection is, so I asked a few random people on Facebook and I will squeeze my thumbs for an answer!

आँख का तारा star/apple of one’s eye = very fond of

Italian

mettere una pulce nell’orecchio to put a flea in somebody’s ear = to raise a doubt/suspicion

avere gli occhi foderati di prociutto to have one’s eyes lined with ham = can’t see the wood for the trees - to be unable to see what is distinctly in sight

avere le orecchie foderate di prosciutto to have one’s ears lined with ham = to be unable to hear what can be clearly heard

Klingon

Heghlu’meH QaQ jajvam this is a good day to die

:((

Korean

당근이지! (dang-geun i-ji) it’s a carrot = of course / it’s obvious

IT’S A CARROT I LOVE THIS IDIOM!

Norwegian

å gå som katta rundt den varme grauten to pace around hot porridge like a cat = beat about the bush

å være midt i smørøyet (bokmål) / å vere midt i smørauget (nynorsk)

to be in the middle of the butter melting in the porridge - to be in a very favourable place or situation

Those Norwegians, the really like porridge, don’t they?

Serbian

Nosom para oblake He’s ripping clouds with his nose = He’s conceited, puffed up

Tibetan

chang.sa.rgyag

to put up a beer tent = to get married

How is this not a German idiom, I don’t know..

Welsh

ar gefn ei geffyl gwyn on the back of his white horse = full of mischief