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Multilingual folks: what are some odd idioms in your language(s)? (lemmy.world)

submitted 8 months ago by alquicksilver@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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What are some (non-English) idioms, and what do they mean (both literally and in context)? Odd ones, your favorite ones - any and all are welcome. :)

For example, in English I might call someone a "good egg," meaning they're a nice person. Or, if it's raining heavily, I might say "it's raining cats and dogs."

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[-] HerrVorragend@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago

German:

tie a bear on so. / so.'s back - to fool so.

make so. believe a X is an U - to fool so.

being blue - being drunk

the devil is a squirrel - devil is in the details

My favourite is hard to translate.

'verschlimmbessern' - to want to fix something but making it worse in doing so.

Imbadprove maybe

[-] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago

To make a worseprovement! I like that one.

[-] No_Change_Just_Money@feddit.de 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I want to add some:

The core of the poodle - the truth, the solution to a riddle

Being on the wood way - Being confidently wrong

Butter to the fish - lets be honest and come to the point

That is like jacket and troursers - two things being the same

This is like jumping and leaping - two actions being the same

[-] Norgur@kbin.social 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

s.th. is not the yellow from the egg: It's not the best
I only understand train station: I did not understand anything
Now we have the salad: Now we're screwed
now it’s about the sausage: Things have gotten serious
So is carved from another (kind of) wood: So is more capable

this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024

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