What are some (non-English) idioms, and what do they mean (both literally and in context)? Odd ones, your favorite ones - any and all are welcome. :)

For example, in English I might call someone a “good egg,” meaning they’re a nice person. Or, if it’s raining heavily, I might say “it’s raining cats and dogs.”

  • sacredbirdman@kbin.social
    2·
    9 months ago

    Finnish ones (some sayings here too):

    • “Ski into a spruce!” -> Get lost!
    • “So the forest answers as one calls into it” -> what comes around goes around
    • “If you reach for the spruce you’ll fall into the juniper” -> don’t bite more than you can chew
    • “to be like hit on the head with a piece of wood” -> to be baffled
    • “it went into the forest” -> something failed
    • “to have own cow in the ditch” -> to have their own hidden agenda behind a request or actions
    • “to throw the spoon into the corner” -> to die
      • sacredbirdman@kbin.social
        1·
        9 months ago

        I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s from a time when spoons were rarer and everyone had their own spoon. So, to discard your spoon meant you’re done with eating for good.

    • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
      1·
      9 months ago

      “It went to the forest” - we have that one in Swedish as well: “Det gick åt skogen”. It’s possible that it crossed the border in either direction during our imperial days, I suppose.