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General discussionInternational question: Idioms(143 posts)(143 posts)
(143 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted July 01, 2014
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Getcomposted: Dumb as a bag of hammers.
"Tyhmä kuin saapas" = "Dumb as boot(s)". Really quite common one.
Posted July 01, 2014
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Getcomposted: Dumb as a bag of hammers.
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iippo: "Tyhmä kuin saapas" = "Dumb as boot(s)". Really quite common one.
We say "dumb as a clay pidgeon" (hülye, mint egy agyaggalamb)
or
"he has cabbage soup in his head" (káposztalé van a fejében)

My Egypitian friend said that they use "he has shoes in his head" for this
Post edited July 01, 2014 by MadyNora
Posted July 01, 2014
I'm glad to see the resurrection of this thread! :)

About dumbness: we say "stupido come la pietra"=dumb/stupid as a stone.

Here is another idiom: "menare il can per l'aia"=move the dog trough the farmyard. It means "making A LOT of chaos".
Post edited July 01, 2014 by Enebias
Posted July 01, 2014
"Halpaa kuin saippua" = "Cheap as soap" -> self explanatory, but also used on very expensive things.. yes we like the irony ;)

"Sopii kuin nyrkki silmään" = "Fits like fist to eye" > Something fits very well.

"Sopii kuin nenä päähän" = "Fits like nose to head" > as before, but not so aggressive ;)

"Sopii yhteen kuin paita ja perse" = "Fit together like shirt and arse" > "Bit" weird one. Can mean kinda yes and no, depending on context and people.

"Syö kuin hevonen" = "Eats like horse" -> Eats alot.

"Syö kuin metsähiiri" = "Eats like forest mouse" -> Eats ALOT (multiple times their own body weight). More rare.
Post edited July 01, 2014 by iippo
Posted July 01, 2014
I've added a few more and just remember these.

opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one=self explanatory-used as an insult mostly
get your thumb out of your ass=get a move on, start working
quit lolly gagging around=the same as above
football is a contact sport (while acting like you are dancing) - irony-equating dancing with american football
duh! Football?!=meaning a dumb jock-someone who equates everything to sports
I could eat a horse=very hungry
Call me anything but late for supper=always hungry and on time when food is on the table

If you are from Canada or the UK please forgive, this is one from a lot of Vets from WW2, The royal whore=the queen. My father-in-law used to call her that all the time. lol Sorry if I offended anyone here for this. He had his reasons, something about having to stand out in the rain for like 6 hours for an inspection by the royals, and they just drove by and never stepped out of the car they were in. ;-)
Post edited July 01, 2014 by txnca
Posted July 01, 2014
Related to dumbness:
Туп как пробка - "dumb as cork"
Осёл - "a donkey"
Дубовый лоб - "oak forehead"

And don't even get me started on the idioms for "to die". You see, we have a book "12 chairs" (quite popular, really) where one of the characters, coffin-maker Bezenchuk describes what idioms should be used when speaking of different people. Some of those are: "to play the box", "give one's soul to God", "order/command to live long", "to stretch one's legs" etc.

Oh, and about the thread revival: you're more than welcome. As I already said, I thought it deserved better. :-)
Posted July 01, 2014
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iippo: "Heittää veivi(-nsä)" = "To throw ones crank" -> To die / pass away.

i would very much one to know the history of the "crank" here :)
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txnca: I would guess that crank might have to do with old car cranks. On some old cars you had to turn a crank to get them to start, and they were not attached at the front, although that did change.

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JudasIscariot: *Snip*
"Butterflies in my stomach" means being slightly stressed but in a good way, eustress instead of distress, for the most part.
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txnca: This one means to be nervous, like you are abut to go on stage to give a speech in front of a lot of people.

Here are some from the US as well, mostly from the South;

<snip>

go fly a kite=leave me alone-fuck off

<snip>

I'll add more as I remember them. Fun conversation here!
Make like a tree and leaf. ;)
Posted July 01, 2014
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MadyNora: My Egypitian friend said that they use "he has shoes in his head" for this
Bush related ? Is it even slightly related to shoe-slinging in general ?
Posted July 01, 2014
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txnca: I would guess that crank might have to do with old car cranks. On some old cars you had to turn a crank to get them to start, and they were not attached at the front, although that did change.

This one means to be nervous, like you are abut to go on stage to give a speech in front of a lot of people.

Here are some from the US as well, mostly from the South;

<snip>

go fly a kite=leave me alone-fuck off

<snip>

I'll add more as I remember them. Fun conversation here!
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Getcomposted: Make like a tree and leaf. ;)
make like a cow patty and hit the trail! lol
Posted July 01, 2014
Meni je to Španska vas = That's a Spanish village to me -> I have no idea what you're talking about.

Naučil te bom kozjuh molitvic = I'm gonna teach you some goat prayers. -> I'm going to give you a trashing.

Sekira mu je padla v med = His axe fell into honey -> He suddenly became well-off.

Na vrat na nos sem šel tja = I went there on my neck and on my nose -> I dropped everything and went there.

Pojdi se soliti = Put salt on yourself -> Like saying "Go to hell".

Šel je po gobe = He went to search for mushrooms -> He died.
Posted July 01, 2014
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MadyNora: My Egypitian friend said that they use "he has shoes in his head" for this
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Potzato: Bush related ? Is it even slightly related to shoe-slinging in general ?
IDK. He just used it once when we talked, and he said it means "stupid person".


Another idioms came to my mind:

nem látja a fától az erdőt - he can't see the forest because a tree is blocking his view = he fails to see the obvious (or the big picture), because he is busy with something small and unimportant
más szemében a szálkát sajátjában a gerendát se - he notices the twig in your eye, but fails to see the log in his own - he finds the smallest mistakes in other people, but completely ignores his own, much bigger mistakes
Posted July 01, 2014
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MadyNora: IDK. He just used it once when we talked, and he said it means "stupid person".


Another idioms came to my mind:

nem látja a fától az erdőt - he can't see the forest because a tree is blocking his view = he fails to see the obvious (or the big picture), because he is busy with something small and unimportant
más szemében a szálkát sajátjában a gerendát se - he notices the twig in your eye, but fails to see the log in his own - he finds the smallest mistakes in other people, but completely ignores his own, much bigger mistakes
Also used: He has rocks in his head.
Posted July 01, 2014
"Vuonna miekka ja kivi" = "In the year sword and rock" = A very long time ago.

"Heittää/päästää leija" = "To throw/to release a kite" = to fart (a very smelly fart)

This latter one never made much sense to me, but there you go. There was a Finnish drama movie called "Leijat Helsingin yllä", translated "Kites over the Helsinki", but due to that idiom it just seemed to mean something about Helsinki being covered by very bad smelling farts.
Post edited July 01, 2014 by timppu
Posted July 01, 2014
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timppu: I have no idea if some idioms are also used elsewhere, but e.g.:

"Toimii kuin junan vessa." = "Works like a train toilet."

Means basically the same as "Works like a clockwork.", ie. something works perfectly and as expected.
Railways obviously don't operate according the same standards than here. If we had such a saying, that would probably mean that the device in question presents major biological hazards to its user... ( when not unavailable due to a strike/ technical incident)
Post edited July 01, 2014 by Phc7006
Posted July 01, 2014
"Sataa ämmiä äkeet selässä" = "Raining hags with harrows on their backs" - Used when it's raining heavily.
English counterpart would be: It's raining cats and dogs

"Älä osta sikaa säkissä" = "Don't buy a pig in a sack" - Don't buy a product you don't know anything

"Matti kukkarossa" = "Matt in the wallet" - Out of money
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionInternational question: Idioms(143 posts)(143 posts)
(143 posts)