Interesting idioms in your language

[Godwynn]

The one that comes to my mind is "it's all Greek to me."

Meaning it is something that is incomprehensible. Wikipedia shows that it may have come from a Latin saying, whose alphabet is used by most advanced Western nations.

What are some interesting idioms in your language?

 

[Winner]

"It's all Greek to me" has an interesting parallel in Czech, we say "je to (pro m&#283 španělská vesnice", literally "It's a Spanish village (to me)". Funny thing is, in German usage the village is Bohemian and since that would make no sense in Czechia, it was changed to a Spanish village by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who used to visit Bohemia a lot.

Another interesting Czech idiom is "potřebovat (něco) jako sůl", "to need (something) as much as salt", meaning you need that something very much.

I'll get back with more, perhaps.

 

[luiz]

In Brazil, greek (grego) is also used to mean something incomprehensible . Some other idiomatic references to other countries, from the top of my head:

-"A coisa está russa" (the thing is Russian, or the situation is Russian): means the situation is very bad. I have no idea how this originated, if it predates the USSR or is based on the fact that life in the USSR was very bad.

-"Negócio da China" (A deal from China, in a free translation): means a very profitable deal or business. This expression far predates the recent rise of China, and is probably related to Portugal's colonial dealings with China.

 

[HannibalBarka]

In french, we say
1. "c'est du chinois" "it's chinese" to say "it's all Greek to me".
2. "va te faire voir chez les Grecs" "go f**** yourself in Greece" !!! I don't know why?

One of my favorite is "enceinte jusqu'aux yeux" "to be pregnent up to the eyes"

 

[Tycho Brahe]

Just today I've uset "it's all Greek to me." (in english)

"It's a city in Siberia" about something completely out of reach.

Polish council - endless debating.

 

[Godwynn]

It's interesting to me that Greek means incomprehensible in so many languages!

 

[Yeekim]

 

[warpus]

Polish idioms (literal translation on left, meaning on right)

To turn someone into a horse - to fool someone
Bun with butter - piece of cake
What does gingerbread have to do with a windmill? - what does that have to do with anything?
To sit at a Turkish sermon - To not understand something
The fish goes bad beginning with the head - corruption starts at the top
To beat the horse - Rub one out
To search for wind in a field - to search for something fruitlessly

 

[onedreamer]

It's interesting to me that Greek means incomprehensible in so many languages!

In Italy it is Ostrogoth. Probably used to be Greek but changed after the Ostrogoth invasion of the peninsula.

When someone doesn't understand you:
Do I speak Chinese (or Arab or Turk)?
or:
How else should I tell you, in Chinese?

American-ish (sorta... hard to translate this, original italian: americanata)
Pompous and nationalist/propagandist. Mostly used to describe certain movies (like Independence Day, to give you an idea).

I would have more but I'm not sure I see the difference with the metaphors thread which also contains idiomatic expressions. And speaking of this, I have difficulties in calling them idioms since in Italian that word identifies an actual language.

To sit at a Turkish sermon - To not understand something

Lol, this made me laugh

To turn someone into a horse - to fool someone
Bun with butter - piece of cake
What does gingerbread have to do with a windmill? - what does that have to do with anything?
To sit at a Turkish sermon - To not understand something
The fish goes bad beginning with the head - corruption starts at the top
To beat the horse - Rub one out
To search for wind in a field - to search for something fruitlessly

I'll provide the Italian counterpart of these where possible

- To take someone from the nose/from the bottom. The second one is more modern and slang and the most villain word is used (read: arse).
- Piece of bread.
- This fits like cabbages at breakfast.
- not sure... but we have: To fall from the clouds. To indicate someone who's being clueless. And we also have "To keep the head among the clouds" meaning to be very distracted.
- same as polish
- nothing interesting.
- to search for a needle in a barn.

There is also
- to search for a hair in the egg. To be particularly picky/fussy.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

In french, we say
1. "c'est du chinois" "it's chinese" to say "it's all Greek to me".

Same here: it would be "me suena a Chino".

We have some weird fixation with china and chinese people it seems. Always somewhat negative btw:

"Es un cuento chino" = "It is a Chinese tale" ---> It is a lie.

"Lo engañó como a un chino" = "He fooled him like a Chinese man"---> he took him for a ride. There is version with Swedish instead Chinese.

"Sudar tinta china" = "To sweat chinnse ink (i think it would be inidian ink in English)"---> to have a bad time.

"Me tocó la china" = "I got the Chinese woman (although i think China means little stone here)"---> I got the short straw or i had bad luck

"Trabajar como un chino"= " to work like a Chinese man" ---> to work way too much.

"Tener un chino detrás" = "to have a chinese at the back" ---> to have bad luck.

"Naranjas de la china!" = "Oranges from China!"---> No way!

 

[RedRalph]

"sure I haven't a Jaysus" - I don't know
"get outta that garden" - I don't believe you
"gerrup the yard" - you are being disingenuous
"Look at the jabberclackers on that" - look at that girl's breasts
"if I had a garden full of mickeys (penii) I wouldn't let her look over the wal" - I do not find her attractive
"...not sayin that in a bad way" - The offensive thing I just said was not intended to be offensive
"it was like watching a robot Bono <snip> in a biscuit tin" - it was a bewildering experience
"this puts that in the ha'penny place" - this makes that look insignificant
"scopey be the hokey" - my goodness

Moderator Action: Inappropriate language removed.
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[Dreadnought]

My favorite idiom, that I use all the time:

"It's just a dog-and-pony show." -- Meaning an event or meeting isn't nearly as important as others are making it.

 

[dIZZyBlIZZy]

We have one in our family that goes generation to generation:

"Am I made of money!?"

 

[red_elk]

What does gingerbread have to do with a windmill? - what does that have to do with anything?

In Russian - "Where is an estate and where is water?" - What one thing have to do with the other one? (Don't know what is origin, really strange idiom)
"Elderberry is in garden and uncle is in Kiev" - These things are completely unrelated.

 

[luiz]

What does gingerbread have to do with a windmill? - what does that have to do with anything?

In Russian - "Where is an estate and where is water?" - What one thing have to do with the other one? (Don't know what is origin, really strange idiom)

In Brazil we say "What has the ass to do with the pants?"

Goes to show what a refined bunch we are.

 

[Tahuti]

"It's all Greek to me" has an interesting parallel in Czech, we say "je to (pro m&#283 &#353;pan&#283;lská vesnice", literally "It's a Spanish village (to me)".

c'est du chinois

In there tons of Dutch counterparts of the "All Greek to me" idiom, that basically are the same, but have Greek replaced with another nationality even though Greek is often used as well. So you can say, "Dat klinkt als Grieks voor mij" (it sounds like Greek to me), though I've heard "Dat klinkt als Russisch voor mij" (it sounds like Russian to me) or "Dat is Chinees voor mij" (its Chinese for me) extremely often as well.

Ironically, I've discovered that English uses the idiom "It's Double-Dutch", which has exactly the same meaning.

 

[Power_of_Beer]

"I understand nothing but train station"
I don't understand a word, in german.

 

[warpus]

Couple more polish ones (literal translation on the left, meaning on right)

To pass while singing - to pass with flying colours
To wake up with your hand in the toilet - when you're procrascinating and start doing work with 5 minutes left OR to find yourself in a bad situation where it's too late to change anything
5th wheel - 3rd wheel
That's Chinese to me - I don't understand this crap

 

[red_elk]

Russian:
To hang noodles on (someone's) ears - To deceive somebody.
To make an elephant out of fly - Exaggerate.
Like cow needs a saddle - About something unneeded.
Kill two hares with one shot = Kill two birds with one stone
To get lost in three pine-trees - Become confused in some simple matter

 

[Lillefix]

Russian:
To make an elephant out of fly - Exaggerate.
Kill two hares with one shot = Kill two birds with one stone

The Norwegian equivalent of these two are:

To make one feather into five chicken.
Take two flies with one hit.