# Favorite foreign idiom/proverbs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 19, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640 "2003-07-19T21:26:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/41 "2003-07-23T05:50:24Z")

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I can’t provide the transliteration right this second, but my favorite is this Russian euphemistic phrase for going to the bathroom:

“I’m going where the Czar goes on foot.” or “…where the Czar goes walking.” Because presumably he goes everywhere else in a carriage!

And heard this one first in Spanish, but have since heard it in English too:

_En la tierra de los ciegos, el tuerto es rey._

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

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**Author:** ![ArcticCircle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@ArcticCircle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArcticCircle)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/42 "2003-07-23T06:07:42Z")

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Icelandic:  
Like an elf out of its mound

( to be caught off guard )

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/43 "2003-07-25T05:44:35Z")

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Arabic:  
_Ya lateef_  
Look what Allah has laid is my garden, or,  
Woo-hoo! I’m a lucky man today!

I’m taking Ken Kesey’s word for this one. I hope he’s right. Remember this one for seduction.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/44 "2003-07-25T05:47:03Z")

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Dagnabbit! “…what Allah has laid **in** my garden…”

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**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/45 "2003-07-25T08:02:40Z")

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Dutch: **Oude koeien uit de sloot halen**.

_To pull old cows out of the ditch_, i.e. to bring up an old story or argument that is best forgotten (usually due to difference of opinion).

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