I would like to see some direct translation from your language into English.
#21
A spoonful of tar in a barrel of honey (Russian: ложка дёгтя в бочке мёда), meaning some small bad detail that can/will spoil something big and good.
To let the goat into the veg patch (Russian: пускать козла в огород), meaning to allow someone to act where they could be particularly harmful.
Старый конь борозды не испортит (Russian: an old horse won't damage the furrow), meaning an elderly or experienced person will be able to cope with the task at hand. Funnily enough, there is also "a blunder can happen to an old woman too" (Russian: и на старуху бывает проруха), meaning even an experienced person can sometimes make mistakes.
To let the goat into the veg patch (Russian: пускать козла в огород), meaning to allow someone to act where they could be particularly harmful.
Старый конь борозды не испортит (Russian: an old horse won't damage the furrow), meaning an elderly or experienced person will be able to cope with the task at hand. Funnily enough, there is also "a blunder can happen to an old woman too" (Russian: и на старуху бывает проруха), meaning even an experienced person can sometimes make mistakes.
5points
#22
A favorite one of mine is "Du gehst mir tierisch auf den Keks."
It means to get on somebody's nerves in a bad way. A direct translation would be: "You go me animally on the cookie."
(German, by the way)
It means to get on somebody's nerves in a bad way. A direct translation would be: "You go me animally on the cookie."
(German, by the way)
And I have an english expression for which I still haven't found the right translation to German: "Whatever floats your boat." I know what it means, but found no equivalent in German.
4points
#23
There is a funny category in german sayings called "Denglisch" and its full of words and sayings. I have lots of favourites and one of these is "Heartly Luckwish" - Herzlichen Glückwunsch- Congratulations! 😄🥳
4points
#24
Always found this german saying pretty funny. It's usually said with a bit of anger.
Du kannst mir den Buckel runter rutschen!
(You can slide down down my hump/back = Leave me alone or p!ss off).
Du kannst mir den Buckel runter rutschen!
(You can slide down down my hump/back = Leave me alone or p!ss off).
4points
#25
A less common Afrikaans saying "Hang tak" litterally translates too "hang branch". This is usually said when somebody tells another person to hold on for a moment.
Another one "Alle grappies op n stokkie" translates too "All jokes on a stick". This is usually said when somebody wants to get serious, and stop the joking around.
4points
#26
Nu har du skitit i det blå skåpet!
Directely translated from swedish it would be:
Now you pooped in the blue cabinet!
And it's like:
Oh. Now you've done it...
You have really messed up!
Directely translated from swedish it would be:
Now you pooped in the blue cabinet!
And it's like:
Oh. Now you've done it...
You have really messed up!
4points
#27
Here in Franken/Bayern, germany, there is a local thing. "Blöder als 100m feldweg." In fränkisch(the local accent) "Blaider als 100meder feldwech." The meaning is. "Stupider than 100 meter dirt road."
4points
#28
As proud as a watering can.
4points
#29
German sayings and their history:
“Es ist 08 15.” It is zero eight fifteen. It is nothing special. It goes back to WW1 it was the most common machine gone who oftentimes didn’t really work that well.
“Etwas ausbaden.” To bath last. Meaning to be punished harder than necessary. It goes back to the times without running water. Usually people bathed in the same tub without changing the water and the last one got dirty water and had to clean the tub.
“Jemanden ausstechen” to poke someone out. To be better than someone else. Goes back to the duels knights had. You used a lance to poke out the other knight from his saddle.
“Einen blauen Brief bekommen.” To get a blue letter. Meaning to get bad news usually meaning that you have to repeat a school year. It goes back to the Prussian army who used their destroyed blue uniforms to create paper for letters who usually carried bad news for those who got them either the dead of a relative or an announcement of mobilisation who went to schools.
“Alles in Butter.” “Everything is inside butter.” Meaning everything is alright. To transport fragile goods especially over the alps you put them in a box and added melted butter who hardened an protected the goods during transportation.
“Den Faden verlieren” To loose the thread. Meaning to be no longer able to follow the conversation. In the past people who spun spread talked with each other, sometimes the if the conversation got carried away the thread ripped and spun himself around the spindle forcing to stop the conversation to restart the spinning process.
“Dem Fass den Boden ausschlagen” To break the bottom of the barrel. Meaning something is an obvious scam or extremely rude behaviour, back when guilds existed there were people who controlled that wine or bear weren’t watered down or had other ingredients in them. Was someone convicted his barrels were brought to the markets and the bottom was cut off to destroy the inferior product and publicly shaming someone. In the same category. “Ein Schlitzohr sein.” Being a Split ear. Meaning being a dishonest person. Was a man convicted of fraud and he wore earring they were ripped out creating a visible split ear.
“Die Lute riechen” “To smell the fuse” meaning to see someone’s bad intentions early. You could smell a canon being lit by a fuse and it gave you time to escape.
“Unter dem Pantoffel stehen” “To stand under the slippers.” Being a submissive husband to a dominant sometimes violent wife. Slippers were a female foot wear in the 15 till 17th century and some wives used the wooden slippers to beat their husbands into submission.
“Seemannsgarn spinnen” “To spin seaman’s thread” meaning to tell a fantastical story without any truth in it. When seaman had to fix their sails during their travels they usually told each other stories.
“Das kommt mir Spanisch vor.” It appears to be Spanish in my eyes” Something is really strange. It goes back to emperor Carl the fifth who came from Spain and his customs were strange to the people.
“Den Stab über jemand brechen” To break a stick above someone. Meaning to have a harsh judgment of someone. Until the 19th century a judge would break a literal stick over someone he sentenced to death to symbolise that their live was over.
“Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben” “Not having all cups inside the cupboard.” Meaning being insane or an idiot. It comes from the jiddish word toschia meaning mind which over time turned into Tasse (cup).
“Es ist 08 15.” It is zero eight fifteen. It is nothing special. It goes back to WW1 it was the most common machine gone who oftentimes didn’t really work that well.
“Etwas ausbaden.” To bath last. Meaning to be punished harder than necessary. It goes back to the times without running water. Usually people bathed in the same tub without changing the water and the last one got dirty water and had to clean the tub.
“Jemanden ausstechen” to poke someone out. To be better than someone else. Goes back to the duels knights had. You used a lance to poke out the other knight from his saddle.
“Einen blauen Brief bekommen.” To get a blue letter. Meaning to get bad news usually meaning that you have to repeat a school year. It goes back to the Prussian army who used their destroyed blue uniforms to create paper for letters who usually carried bad news for those who got them either the dead of a relative or an announcement of mobilisation who went to schools.
“Alles in Butter.” “Everything is inside butter.” Meaning everything is alright. To transport fragile goods especially over the alps you put them in a box and added melted butter who hardened an protected the goods during transportation.
“Den Faden verlieren” To loose the thread. Meaning to be no longer able to follow the conversation. In the past people who spun spread talked with each other, sometimes the if the conversation got carried away the thread ripped and spun himself around the spindle forcing to stop the conversation to restart the spinning process.
“Dem Fass den Boden ausschlagen” To break the bottom of the barrel. Meaning something is an obvious scam or extremely rude behaviour, back when guilds existed there were people who controlled that wine or bear weren’t watered down or had other ingredients in them. Was someone convicted his barrels were brought to the markets and the bottom was cut off to destroy the inferior product and publicly shaming someone. In the same category. “Ein Schlitzohr sein.” Being a Split ear. Meaning being a dishonest person. Was a man convicted of fraud and he wore earring they were ripped out creating a visible split ear.
“Die Lute riechen” “To smell the fuse” meaning to see someone’s bad intentions early. You could smell a canon being lit by a fuse and it gave you time to escape.
“Unter dem Pantoffel stehen” “To stand under the slippers.” Being a submissive husband to a dominant sometimes violent wife. Slippers were a female foot wear in the 15 till 17th century and some wives used the wooden slippers to beat their husbands into submission.
“Seemannsgarn spinnen” “To spin seaman’s thread” meaning to tell a fantastical story without any truth in it. When seaman had to fix their sails during their travels they usually told each other stories.
“Das kommt mir Spanisch vor.” It appears to be Spanish in my eyes” Something is really strange. It goes back to emperor Carl the fifth who came from Spain and his customs were strange to the people.
“Den Stab über jemand brechen” To break a stick above someone. Meaning to have a harsh judgment of someone. Until the 19th century a judge would break a literal stick over someone he sentenced to death to symbolise that their live was over.
“Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben” “Not having all cups inside the cupboard.” Meaning being insane or an idiot. It comes from the jiddish word toschia meaning mind which over time turned into Tasse (cup).
4points
#30
Not my first language but neurotypical language “does anyone want the last potato” really means “I’m taking the last potato”
3points
#31
German: "Dir kann ich auf den Kopf spucken!" - literally "I can spit on your head!" basically meaning that one is taller than the other. My Canadian fiancée thinks it's very mean, but also funny, and was very confused when I used the direct English translation because it's not a thing here.
2points
#32
(to je) Lepší než drátem do oka.
Czech. "(That's) better than a wire into the eye." - it could be worse/could have turned out worse.
2points
#33
坏蛋, Huài dàn (Mandarin) which means bad egg. People in China use that saying a lot to describe bad people,basically calling them a rotten/bad egg.
2points
#34
I speak africaans.
Goeiemore is good morning in africaans.
My naam is is My name is.
Goeiemore is good morning in africaans.
My naam is is My name is.
1point
#35
Now-Now = Later
Now = Soon
Right Now = At that point in time
Now = Soon
Right Now = At that point in time
1point
#36
German saying. “Einen Zacken zulegen.” To put a prong on. The meaning is to start doing something faster.It goes back to the Middle Ages. A prong is basically a giant metal comb you put your cauldron on to constantly heat your food over 65 degrees Celsius since usually food could stay inside the cauldron for years and new food was simply added. In the evening you put it down a few prongs to bring it to a boil faster without using more wood.
1point
