Game: Idioms from around the world

Nick
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Game: Idioms from around the world

517662_GettyImages-945033164ForYou.jpg

 

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
61 Replies 61
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@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
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@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!!

@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
Level 10
Ohope, New Zealand

 

 @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
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

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... 

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

Laura2484
Level 10
Ohope, New Zealand

@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
Level 10
Ohope, New Zealand

@Katie @Nick 

 

33. 🇳🇱 Falling with your bum on butter

 

@Huma0 

😂 Could this be similar ?

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@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
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

@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
Level 10
Ohope, New Zealand

@Katie @Nick @Sarah977 

 

Pretty close🗣                                                                                👤

 

 

Laura2484
Level 10
Ohope, New Zealand

@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
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

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

 

Katie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

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
Level 10
New York, NY

@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.