# Funniest idioms in other languages (that don't translate) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 20, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879 "2010-06-20T16:21:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/21 "2010-06-24T12:44:59Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Another German: > > **Du hast nicht alle Tassen im Schrank** - You don’t have all the cups in the cupboard, meaning: You are crazy. Don’t know where it comes from. That’s kinda similar to various English phrases - “You’re one sandwich short of a picnic” etc. The German one that confused me was “der Hahn im Korb” - it literally means “the cock in the basket”, but it means to be a single male in the company of many females (i.e. the only rooster in the henhouse) ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/22 "2010-06-24T13:04:34Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Norwegian: **Hun har ben i nesen** - She is strong-willed, she doesn’t give up easily, she’s a fighter - but literally, _she has bone in the nose!_ It seems to be used about women much more than about men, and it is intended as a compliment. Isn’t that just the same as “she’s hard-nosed”? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/23 "2010-06-24T13:46:20Z")
“Se agrandó Chacarita”: extremely hard to translate, used when a an underdog starts winning, or thinks is going to start winning, literally “Chacarita got bigger”, Chacarita Juniors being a small second division Football club, that sometimes gets into the first division, and some time in the past defeated the “big ones” the great teams of Argentinian Futbol. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/24 "2010-06-24T14:30:16Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > German: > > Mach’ nicht so ein Theater= don’t make drama, or as my sister freely translated: Don’t turn it into a three-act opera. I use this daily! Huh, Spanish has **deja de hacer teatro** (stop turning this into a theater play), used most often to refer to… people who behave like soccer players do after somene has looked at them wrong (Mr referee, Mr referee, he gave me a dirty look! waaaaah!) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/25 "2010-06-24T14:44:13Z")
_tenir un nopale in su frente_ (Mexican Spanish) to have a cactus growing from your forehead to be uncultured, to be a rube. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/26 "2010-06-24T17:11:44Z")
I don’t know what the German translation would have been, but once when my German (ex)Step-Mother got really angry at her first husband, she was heard to yell into the phone “Well, you should lick your hand backwards! ! !” anybody know what she meant?!? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/27 "2010-06-24T17:27:14Z")
In Latin there is an expression **Faenum habet in cornū** , literally “he’s got hay in his horns.” Apparently, back in the day they used to tie hay to the horns of bulls that were particularly prone to violence, as a warning. As a metaphor, this meant a person was crazy. But it makes me wonder. Who’s job was it to tie hay to the horns of psychotic bulls? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/28 "2010-06-24T18:11:36Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I don’t know what the German translation would have been, but once when my German (ex)Step-Mother got really angry at her first husband, she was heard to yell into the phone “Well, you should lick your hand backwards! ! !” > > anybody know what she meant?!? That would translate to “Du solltest deine Hand rückwärts lecken!”, but as a native German speaker, I’ve never heard that phrase and don’t have a clue what it means. Maybe it’s a local idiom. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/29 "2010-06-24T18:14:26Z")
“Lama cova?” is a Hebrew phrase that means, essentially, “what the heck?”. It literally means “why hat?” or maybe “why a hat?” Why a hat. Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/30 "2010-06-24T18:21:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > In Latin there is an expression **Faenum habet in cornū** , literally “he’s got hay in his horns.” Apparently, back in the day they used to tie hay to the horns of bulls that were particularly prone to violence, as a warning. As a metaphor, this meant a person was crazy. But it makes me wonder. Who’s job was it to tie hay to the horns of psychotic bulls? Well, in German there is the phrase “Er/Sie hat Stroh im Kopf” (he/she has straw in the head) for a not so bright person, expressing the misfortunate lack of a brain. Maybe there’s a connection. ---
**Author:** ![Polly\_Glot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de053/32.png) [@Polly\_Glot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polly_Glot)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/31 "2010-06-24T19:03:41Z")
The German phrase that stuck with me from my college 101 class was _Du liebes bischen_. Literally: You love little? Or, you love a little? I can’t recall what the figurative meaning is even supposed to be! And the Spanish idiom I like best: _De Guatemala a Guatepeor_! From bad (mala) to worse (peor). ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/32 "2010-06-24T19:06:20Z")
“No rompas las pelotas”, meaning “dont bother me”, litterally “dont break my balls (testicles)” ---
**Author:** ![mufatango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@mufatango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mufatango)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/33 "2010-06-24T19:30:33Z")
From Brazilian portuguese: Quebrando o galho: “Breaking the branch” - can mean either “shooting the bull” or “skinning the cat” as in getting something done in an unconventional way. Ou fode ou sai de cima: “Either start fucking or get off” Buraco velho tem cobra dentro: “Old holes have snakes in them” - old people can be the trickiest to deal with Mouros na costa! : “Moors on the coast!” - watch out, someone might hear what you are saying about them, someone might be trying to deceive you Egua! “Mare!” - darn it! Droga! “Drug!” - darn it! ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/34 "2010-06-24T21:03:13Z")
From Yiddish: Vahksin zuls du vi a tsibeleh, mitten kup in drerd - May you grow like an onion, with your head in the ground! I am not sure how this is supposed to be insulting, but my wife and her Jewish friends and family all think it is the most wonderful insult to use. I think it must sound better in Yiddish. Gai kakhen afenyam - Go shit in the ocean. This one I get, at least. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/35 "2010-06-24T21:30:44Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > The most common insult in Czech is “do prdele,” which roughly translates to “go to an ass.” pravnik- Do you know of some odd idiom my (Czech) Dad spoke of that is used when you see a dog taking a crap? You’re supposed to say it if you see that happening. I believe it’s a hex on the dog to make it constipated. It starts with “pes”, which I believe is “dog”. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/36 "2010-06-24T21:36:11Z")
My German National secretary laughed herself breathless when she heard me tell some visitor asking for direction “Ich bin Frempt.” That she told me translated “I am a homosexual.” The phrase I wanted was “Ich gehe hier Frempt,”literally “I go here [as a] stranger.” ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/37 "2010-06-24T22:58:55Z")
Korean/meaning/literal ne podgi haltala/worst insult, like son of a bitch/eat my pussy geseki/son of a bitch/puppy yong-ge/beautiful young woman/spring chicken no-ge/dirty old man/old rooster nappun yeon/bitch/bad girl ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/38 "2010-06-24T23:14:25Z")
I have a nice example from Spanish, which is related to the soccer-mania gripping a large portion of the world right now 🙂 _ **"Tiene más moral que el Alcoyano"** _. Literally meaning, “(He/She/It)has more morale than the Alcoyano”. Applies to someone who fights tooth and nail for something, never even contemplating the possibility of giving up. “Alcoyano” is the name of a Spanish soccer club, and this comes from something that supposedly happened many years ago… The whole saying is, actually: “Tiene más moral que el Alcoyano, que perdía 12 a 0 y aún pedía la prórroga”: “More morale than the Alcoyano, that was losing 12-0 and still was asking for extra time”. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/39 "2010-06-25T00:29:02Z")
I don’t know very many in Danish, but: **at gå agurk** –to go cucumber, or in English, go bananas **at være en død kartoffel** –to be a dead potato, or a dead duck **jeg er en heldig kartoffel** –I’m a lucky potato, or I’m a lucky guy I think there are a lot of idioms built around potatoes. I about died laughing the day someone said to me “If we had been on that side of the road we would have been dead potatoes.” To the American ear–no matter how Danified–the phrase “døde kartofler” sounds hysterical. You also have to be very careful, when speaking of skiing, to say “stand on skis,” not just talk about skiing. Because if you say you can’t ski and don’t put in the standing part, you’ll say you can’t s\*\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879/40 "2010-06-25T04:01:06Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Huh, Spanish has **deja de hacer teatro** (stop turning this into a theater play), used most often to refer to… people who behave like soccer players do after somene has looked at them wrong (Mr referee, Mr referee, he gave me a dirty look! waaaaah!) I read a lot of regency period romances, and a common idiom used in those novels is “to enact a Cheltenham tragedy” with the same basic meaning. I don’t know if it’s still in use in modern England. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funniest-idioms-in-other-languages-that-dont-translate/543879.md?page=3)