Game: Idioms from around the world

[Nick]

Anyone who not only travels a lot but likes hanging out with locals will know some idioms from other languages. Those weird, fascinating phrases whose figurative meaning has nothing to do with the literal one, and yet they play an important role in communication. They are unique to a place and its language, amplifying a message while drawing the audience in.

They give clues about the customs and values of their originating culture. They are funny, cool and knowing those of a different language marks the difference between mechanically parroting a series of words in a grammatically correct fashion, and beginning to "think" in that language. 

For this game, I gathered some funny phrases from around the world. From Korea to Poland, and from Brazil to Greece, I translated everything into English (so that anyone can play) and you need to figure out what each one means (that part will be in English also). And as always, let’s have one guess each time so more people can play and enjoy the game. I'll be off for a week starting Monday but worry not. I left a cheat sheet with the rest of the team so guess away and they'll be able to tell you if you are right or wrong.  

Have fun! 😉

Nick 

1. 🇫🇷 Giving the cat its tongue
2. 🇫🇷 To sleep on one’s two ears = To be perfectly at peace and without a worry in the world ✅
3. 🇵🇹 I’m in the inks
4. 🇪🇸 Speaking of the king of Rome, by the door he appears = Talk of the devil and he’s sure to appear ✅
5. 🇰🇷 Rice cake in a picture
6. 🇧🇷 The snake is going to smoke
7. 🇮🇹 You have salami slice on your eyes =You can’t see clearly ✅
8. 🇳🇱 Speaking with a potato in your mouth = Talking very poshly ✅
9. 🇵🇱 Drill a hole in your belly
10. 🇵🇱 I was made into a horse
11. 🇬🇷 I’m in pieces = Can't think or stand straight from too much alcohol ✅
12. 🇬🇷 Running but never arriving = Being extremely busy ✅
13. 🇫🇷 Cut the hairs in four = To be excessively precise and detailed ✅
14. 🇫🇷 To push on the mushroom 
15. 🇵🇹 Bread, bread. Cheese, cheese
16. 🇰🇷 Glasses in my eyes = Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ✅
17. 🇧🇷 Pork spirit
18. 🇪🇸 Whoever gets up early, God helps him = The early bird catches the worm ✅
19. 🇮🇹 It always rains on the wet
20. 🇳🇱 That's not anything
21. 🇵🇱 Throwing peas onto a wall
22. 🇬🇷  I’m an open book = I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve, very easy to read ✅
23. 🇵🇱 A roll with a butter
24. 🇬🇷 I’m swatting flies
25. 🇫🇷 See noon at his door
26. 🇫🇷 When the hens have teeth
27. 🇵🇹 Take the little horse away from the rain = Don’t count on it! Don’t hold your breath! ✅
28. 🇪🇸 He who does not cry does not suck
29. 🇫🇷 The carrots are cooked
30. 🇰🇷 Don’t drink the Kimchi soup first
31. 🇧🇷 To pay for the duck
32. 🇮🇹 Eye can’t see, heart can’t pain = What you don't see/know can't hurt you ✅
33. 🇳🇱 Falling with your bum on butter = You're very lucky ✅
34. 🇵🇱 Do you have a snake in your pocket?
35. 🇬🇷 By the devil’s mother
36. 🇬🇷 It’s raining chairs (or chair legs)
37. 🇵🇹 Flea behind the ear
38. 🇪🇸 God raises them and they come together
39. 🇫🇷 To want the butter and the money from the butter's sale
40. 🇫🇷 Being a boot licker = Sucking up to people ✅
41. 🇰🇷 Spitting while lying down
42. 🇧🇷 The jaguar's friend
43. 🇮🇹 Who despises, buys
44. 🇳🇱 Letting the wind blow through your fences
45. 🇵🇱 The drawing man catches a cut throat razor
46. 🇬🇷 He does the duck
47. 🇬🇷 Sit on your eggs
48. 🇫🇷 Have fairy fingers
49. 🇵🇹 Burn the eyelashes
50. 🇪🇸 Less gives a stone
51. 🇰🇷 Bad mushrooms bloom in March.
52. 🇮🇹 Do not say cat if you do not have it in your bag = Don't brag prematurely ✅
53. 🇳🇱 Chasing the cat into the curtains
54. 🇵🇱 They have flies up their nose
55. 🇵🇱 Did an elephant stomp on your ear?
56. 🇬🇷 I came out of my clothes
57. 🇬🇷 Good wines
58. 🇫🇷 Three apples tall
59. 🇵🇹 Wake up with the feet outside
60. 🇧🇷 Thinking about the calf's death
61. 🇮🇹 Nail moves away nail
62. 🇵🇱 Stick you in a bottle
63. 🇬🇷 Slowly the cabbage
64. 🇪🇸 Flip the tortilla
65. 🇬🇷 Have your eyes fourteen

[Sarah977]

@Debra300  Okay, here's a Canadian one for you-  "F**kin' the dog".  Means lounging around with your hands in your pockets when there's work to be done, as in "We don't pay you to stand around f**in' the dog.

[Debra300]

@Sarah977,

Wow, that's strong!

My mother use to say, "You don't believe that fat meat is greasy".  Which meant that I was doing something wrong even though I had been told or shown that there are consequences.  Then would be quickly followed by some form of punishment/corrective action on her part.  OUCH!!

[Sarah977]

@Debra300  I have to say, I've never heard that one. 

Here's a Mexican one: A Mexican isn’t “hungover”…he “has a raw one of the 'you’re gonna cry' type” (tiene una cruda marca llorarás).

[Laura2484]

 @Katie @Nick 

52. 🇮🇹 Do not say cat if you do not have it in your bag

🤔 guessing this means ‘Don’t let the cat out of the bag! ‘ 🤫🤐🤭 ‘ Don’t divulge any details sshhh!

[Katie]

Great guess @Laura2484 but this one actually has a slightly different meaning! I've always wondered where the whole idea of putting cats into bags comes from actually - maybe something they used to do in olden times?? 🤔 🐈 👜

The Italian phrase doesn't have anything to do with cats directly, but more to do with the concept of what the phrase is implying... 

[Ann72]

@Katie  Is that equivalent to "Don't count your chickens before they hatch"?

[Laura2484]

@Katie 

😂 I’ll try another.

Ok , could it imply ‘ You’d rather not say anything until it is certain or definite? Or not to get your hopes up prematurely? 

Something like that perhaps 🧐

[Laura2484]

@Katie @Nick 

33. 🇳🇱 Falling with your bum on butter

@Huma0 

😂 Could this be similar ?

[Sarah977]

@Katie  Perhaps similar to "Never cry wolf"?  I.e. don't make false claims or no one will ever believe you even if you are speaking the truth?

[Katie]

@Laura2484 @Sarah977 

52 - So you're both pretty close here - it means 'do not say anything if you haven't accomplished it' 👏

I couldn't think of an exact equivalent idiom in English but the ones you guys mentioned were the ones that sprang to mind 👌 

[Laura2484]

@Katie @Nick @Sarah977 

Pretty close🗣                                                                                👤

[Laura2484]

@Katie @Nick 

Guessing again ....

27.🇵🇹Take the little horse away from the rain

implying ‘ give up on that notion /idea ? ‘ remove that idea /plan? ‘

[Katie]

@Laura2484 you've got a knack for this! Yes, it means 'don't count on it' or 'don't hold your breath' 😊👏

[Katie]

Hey everyone,

Just giving you a little round-up of which ones we've got so far - well done for guessing these, they were quite hard I reckon! 

13. 🇫🇷  Cut the hairs in four 

22. 🇬🇷  I’m an open book 

27. 🇵🇹  Take the little horse away from the rain 

33. 🇳🇱  Falling with your bum on butter 

40. 🇫🇷  Being a boot licker 

52. 🇮🇹  Do not say cat if you do not have it in your bag 

I've also added a ✅  next to these ones on the main list, for easy reference. 

Some insider tips from someone who has access to all of the answers: I think these ones could be slightly easier to guess -

4.  🇪🇸   Speaking of the king of Rome, by the door he appears

7.   🇮🇹.  You have salami slice on your eyes

8.  🇳🇱.  Speaking with a potato in your mouth

18.🇪🇸   Whoever gets up early, God helps him

See if you can get them.... 🍀 💭

@Laura2484 @Huma0 @Debra300 @Sarah977 

[Ann72]

@Katie @Nick  I think #4 would be equivalent to the English idiom, "Speak of the Devil."  

I don't know about #8, but it reminds me of "He speaks with forked tongue," meaning he's untruthful.