“Is Europe really a poor continent neglected by nature? No, surely not, and no historiographer or physicist would approve this judgment.”
Friedrich Schlegel, German poet, 1803
Hold your horses! You can’t pretend to give a monkey’s about Europe if you’re not familiar with some of its most barking animal idioms. Our attitudes to our furry and feathered friends is embedded in our language. When you’re rabbiting on you might casually mention someone is as strong as a horse or as stubborn as a mule — no need to be sheepish, we’ve all been doing it for donkey’s years. Don’t be outfoxed — the world is your oyster, and there’s many of these expressions to be found in every country across Europe. Does the Slovenian roosters’ breakfast ring you a bell? Will you pay the Portuguese duck for that? Do not worry: we won’t let you swallow French grass snakes! We’ve been collecting for you some of the best (and funniest) idioms from all parts of Europe. Don’t be an ass and don’t be a chicken! Aping these funny animal phrases will give you something to crow about.
Portugal
To go with the pigs
Ir com os porcos
To die
A Portuguese does not simply “die”, he “goes off with the pigs” (Ir com os porcos). Would he have passed away because he was “clumsy,” or better said, because he “looked like a silly cockroach” (Barata tonta) – we don’t know. But you shouldn’t ask if you don’t want to be told to “piss off” or to “go away and comb monkeys.” (Vai pentear macacos). Our advice? Better “give-up” and “take the little horse away from the rain” (Tirar o cavalinho da chuva).
To be done to the beef
Estar feito ao bife.
To have a problem
To feed the donkey sponge cake
Alimentar um burro a pão-de-ló
To give good treatment to someone who doesn’t need it
Having spent many years turning chickens.
São muitos anos a virar frangos.
To be experienced.
To have little monkeys inside your head.
Ter macaquinhos na cabeça.
To have strange ideas.
Flea behind the ear.
Pulga atrás da orelha.
To look/feel suspicious.
He who doesn’t have a dog hunts with a cat
Quem não tem cão caça com gato
To do something with the resources you have.
Pay the duck
Pagar o pato
To take the blame for something you did not do.
Priests, cousins and pigeons. The first two are not good to marry. The last two only make the house dirty.
Padres, primos e pombos. Os dois primeiros, não servem para casar. Os dois últimos só servem para sujar a casa
Portuguese proverb
A dog that has been bitten by a snake fears sausages
Cachorro mordido por cobra tem medo de linguiça
Once bitten, twice shy
Spain
To be in the age of the turkey
Estar en la edad del pavo
To be a teenager
Turkeys are awkward animals, just as Spanish teenagers who must pass through an awkward age – “the age of turkey” (La edad del pavo). It’s true young people have it hard to see anything at all in their future – they do “not see three in a donkey” (No ver tres en un burro) so to say. ’cause in Spain, we don’t “tie the dogs with sausages”(no se atan los perros con longanizas), that is to say to spend money or time without prior consideration.
The catfish is pecking me.
Me pica el bagre.
To be really hungry.
To be like a goat.
Estar como una cabra
To be out of your mind
To be sleeping with the monkey
Estar durmiendo con la mona
To be drunk
Like an octopus in a garage
Como un pulpo en un garaje
To feel lost or confused
Little dog of all weddings
El perrito de todas las bodas
A very social person
When frogs grow hair.
Cuando las ranas críen pelo.
When pigs fly.
Leave one in the horns of the bull.
Dejar a uno en los cuernos, del toro.
To put somebody down at something.
Looking for the cat in the garbanzal (a place used for chickpeas).
Buscar el gato en el garbanzal.
To try to do something very difficult.
To fall off the donkey.
Caerse del burro.
To fall from high
France – Belgium – Luxembourg
To give a rabbit
Poser un lapin
To stand someone up
“It’s like giving jam to pigs!” (C’est donner de la confiture aux cochons) Not only do the French not trust the pigs with the homemade confiture, they can also accuse someone of “eating like a pig” (manger comme un cochon). When the French stand someone up at a rendezvous, they are “giving a rabbit” (poser un lapin). Why did they not show up? Maybe because they were “sleeping like marmots” (dormir comme une marmotte).
Ducky cold
Faire un froid de canard
When it’s really cold
Jump from the rooster to the donkey
Passer du coq à l’âne
Jump from one topic to another
To do a fishtail
Faire une queue de poisson
To overtake and cut in close in front of a car
To call a cat a cat
Appeler un chat un chat
To call something by what it is
To have the cockroach
Avoir le cafard
To be down in the dumps
To drown the fish
Noyer le poisson
To bamboozle somebody.
To have a spider on the ceiling
Avoir une araignée au plafond
To have bats in the belfry
The cow!
La vache !
my god!
Speak of the wolf and you see its tail
Quand on parle du loup on en voit la queue
Speak of the devil and he appears
When chickens have teeth
Quand les poules auront des dents
To freeze over but rather for the day
A cat in your throat
Un chat dans la gorge
A frog in your throat
To give your tongue to the cat
Donner sa langue au chat
To give up
As bored as a dead rat
S’ennuyer comme un rat mort
To be very bored
It’s raining like a pissing cow
Il pleut comme vache qui pisse
It’s raining a lot
Sell the bear’s skin before it’s been killed
Vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué
To count chickens before they’ve hatched
There is an eel under the rock
Il y a une anguille sous roche
Once bitten, twice shy
To swallow grass snakes
Avaler des couleuvres
To be so insulted that you’re not able to reply.
To look at each other like earthenware dogs
Se regarder en chiens de faïence
To look at each other coldly, with distrust
Iceland
Not enough to fill a cat’s nostril
Ekki upp í nös á ketti
To not have enough of something
Cats are pretty small, their nostrils therefore even smaller. It’s then logical that something of insufficient amount in Iceland is “not enough to fill a cat’s nostril” (Ekki upp í nös á ketti). Sounds strange to you? You may then have the perfect occasion to say “there are so many wonders in a cow’s head!” (Það eru margar undur í höfuðkúpu). Because you’re not the kind of persons who “buy the cat in the sack” (Kaupa köttinn í sekknum) that is to say, who buy something without verifying its content.
To put yourself on your high horse
að setja sig á háan hest
To behave in a condescending manner
To make a camel out of a mosquito
Gera úlfalda úr mýflugu
To over-exagerate
Neither fish nor fowl
hvorki fugl né fiskur
Something not easily categorized
To place someone before the nose of a cat
koma einhverjum fyrir kattarnef
To murder someone
I only pay available sheep
Ég borga bara með reiðufé
Okay, but I don’t have to like it.
Ireland
He who lies down with dogs, gets up with fleas
An té a luíonn le madaí, eiroidh sé le dearnaid.
If you mix with the wrong company, you’ll pay for it
Rest assured that the Irish are down-to-earth people. They will warn you that if you “dress a goat in silk, it still remains a goat” (Cuir síoda ar ghabhar ach is gabhar i gcónaí é). They will also beware of people “who lies down with dogs and get up with fleas” (An té a luíonn le madaí, eiroidh sé le dearnaid). Who can blame them? They may be right! Similarly, they will also point out that if children are bad, it’s their parents to blame: don’t we say “a bad egg, a bad bird” (Drochubh, drochéan) after all?
Far away cows have long horns
Bíonn adharca fada ar na ba thar lear
Far away hills are greener
Nobody can make a racehorse out of a donkey
Ní dhéanfadh an saol capall rása d’asal
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear
A raggy colt often made a powerful horse
Is minic a rinne bromach gioblach capall
Children metamorphose with adulthood
What would the son of the cat do but kill mice
‘Cad a dhéanfadh mac an chait, ach luch a mharú
Like father, like son
Food is the horse for work
‘Sí capall na hoibre an bia
One cannot work without food
The short dog is fierce in the door of his own house
Is teann é an madadh gearr ag doras a thí fhéin
A terrier is a force at his own door
If you hit my dog, you hit me
Má bhuaileann tú mo mhadra, buailfidh tú mé féin
Do not attack my belongings
May the cat eat you, and may the devil eat the cat!
Go n-ithe an cat thú, is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat!
A curse
United Kingdom
That really gets my goat
To make someone angry or annoyed
Hold your horses! as the Brits say, or if you prefer, wait a minute! Do Her Majesty’s subjects really say that “it gets their goat” when they are making someone angry? It seems so! We must admit: this idiomatic expression is genuinely excellent – or to say it as the locals do, it’s “the dog’s bullocks“, or “the cat’s pyjamas” or even “the bees knees“. We don’t want to create a whole new set of problems or “open a can of worms” but isn’t it forbidden in the United Kingdom to loose your temper?
Whale of a time
To have a great time
To quit cold turkey
To abruptly cease using a substance dependence
The elephant in the room
A problem too big to ignore, but that everyone tries to avoid
One-trick pony
A person has only one ability
The lion’s share
The biggest part or portion
Hold your horses!
Wait a minute!
Pig-headed
A stupid or stubborn person
To weasel out of something
To be sneaky
To let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret
To go to the dogs
To go bad, to deteriorate
Let sleeping dogs lie
To avoid talking about things in the past that might cause problems
Wild goose chase
To go after something that you are not likely to get
To watch something like a hawk
To watch extremely carefully
Like a fish out of water
To feel very uncomfortable in a particular situation
A red herring
A piece of information that draws attention away from the real facts
Ants in your pants
To be very agitated
The world is your oyster
To have many good opportunities ahead
Get your ducks in a row
To organise things
Mad as a march hare
To be crazy
When the chickens come home to roost
When consequences are felt
Throw a cat among the pigeons
To cause troubles
Norway
To swallow some camels
Å svelge noen kameler
To chose to ignore something, often to keep the peace
Ah! Our Norwegian friends! They are so positive and cheerful – they are “happy salmons” (En glad laks) so to say! Their temper even enable them to “swallow some camels” for us (Å svelge noen kameler) – this is when they chose to ignore something, often to keep the peace. Because they wouldn’t want to find themselves in a situation where they “have a hen to pluck with someone” (Jeg har en høne å plukke med noen) that is to say having a grievance that needs to be talked out. “Clichés” I hear you say?
To call the moose
Å rope på elgen
To throw up
Don’t judge the dog on its hairs
Man skal ikke skue hunden på hårene
Don’t judge a book by its cover
There are owls in the moss
Der er ugler i mosen
Something is off or not quite right
Buy the cat in a bag
Kjøpe katta i sekken
To buy something without looking at it properly
The matter is beef
Saken er biff
To settle a matter
Sweden
To do a frog
Göra en groda
To make an embarrassing mistake
“There’s no cow on the ice” (Det är ingen ko på isen) in Sweden, or in other words: there’s no need to worry. Even if you make an embarrassing mistake, dance strangely to respect traditions or “Do a frog” (Göra en groda), only God knows about it or in this particular case, “the cat knows” (Det vete katten). As long as you “howl with the wolves” (Tjuta med vargarna) and agree with the majority, you can rest assured you are covered!
To throw a goat’s eye at it
Att kasta ett getöga
To have a quick glance at something
To slide in on a shrimp sandwich
Att glida in på en räkmacka
Someone who didn’t have to work to get where they are
To have an unplucked goose with someone
Ha en gås oplockad med någon
To have an unfinished business with someone
You shouldn’t judge a dog by its fur
Man ska inte döma hunden efter håren
To judge a book by its cover
To sense owls in the marsh
Ana ugglor i mossen
To have suspicion that everything is not quite alright
Everyone knows the ape, but the ape knows nobody
Alla känner apan, apan känner ingen
To be worried of being known for strange behaviour
The wheel is still spinning but the hamster is dead
Hjulet snurrar men hamstern är död
To be daft
Don’t buy the pig in the bag
Köp inte grisen i säcken
To buy something without closely checking the product
You shouldn’t wake a bear that’s sleeping
Man ska inte väcka den björn som sover
To not reawaken old, half-forgotten arguments or grudges
To tear dog
att slita hund
To work your fingers to the bone
It knows the birds!
Det vete fåglarna!
Not to have the foggiest idea!
A turkey film
En kalkonfilm
A third-rate film
To be an ugly fish
Att vara en ful fisk
To be a nasty piece of work
To have a chicken memory
Att ha ett hönsminne
To have a memory like a sieve
To put ants in the head at some wolves
Att sätta myror i huvudet på någon vargatider
To give someone food for thought
A wolf winter
En vargavinter
A harsh winter
To not have all the hens at home
Att ha alla hönsen hemma
To be stupid
Now the boiled pork is fried
Nu är det kokta fläsket stekt
Now things are really, really bad
Finland
To be like a bear shot in the ass
Olla kuin perseeseen ammuttu karhu
To be pissed off
Our Finnish friends don’t like to think we could possibly portray them wearing “Rabbit pants” (Jänishousu) – they associate it with being coward. This tends to piss them off, which for them, is the same as being “like a bear shot in the ass” (Olla kuin perseeseen ammuttu karhu). So let’s avoid overcomplicate things and “shoot flies with a cannon” (Ampua tykillä kärpäsiä): without further ado, we now build “a bridge for the donkey” (Aasinsilta) to go from one topic to another. From one country to the next.
To have a foxtail under your armpits
Olla ketunhäntä kainalossa
To have ulterior motives
To end like the flight of a chicken
Loppua kuin kananlento
To end something quickly and unsuccessfully
To lift the cat up onto the table
Nostaa kissa pöydälle
To inspect something closely
To make a bull out of a fly
Tehdä kärpäsestä härkänen
To over-exagerate
To leave like a goldeneye from the birdhouse
Lähteä kuin telkkä pöntöstä
To leave fast
To be on a rabbit’s back
Olla jäniksen selässä
To describe a matter that is not urgent
To have a face like a bird of prey’s arse
Naama kuin petolinnut perse
To be ugly
Let me show you where the chicken pees from
Näytän sulle, mistä kana pissii
Let me show you how it’s done
Your own cow is in the ditch
Oma lehmä ojassa
Someone has an ulterior selfish motive behind an action
Denmark
It’s blowing half a pelican
Det blæser en halv pelican
It’s really windy
Denmark is a windy country. But not enough to scare birds: even very strong, the wind wouldn’t “blow half a pelican” (Det blæser en halv pelican). This is all for the best, as we wouldn’t want bad weather to “go in goat” (Gå i ged) that is to say to make a mess of things or even “go completely to fish” (Gå helt i fisk) – which would be completely wrong. All fine then, we calm down, we “just pat the horse” (Klap lige hesten), take it easy and move on.
A red prawn
En rød reje
A skint
To stand like herring in a barrel
Stå som sild i en tønde
To feel a bit squashed
To pass the monkey on
At sende aben videre
To pass on a problem to someone else
You’ve really shot the parrot
Du har virkeligt skudt papegøjen
You’ve been lucky
Is it the horse’s birthday?
Er det hestens fødselsdag?
To cut slices of rugbrød too thick
There is no cow on the ice
Der er ingen ko på isen
There is no problem
A toad in the throat
En tudse i halsen
To feel a need to clear your throat
To have a bear on
Have en bjørn på
To be tipsy/drunk
To see the giraffe
Se giraffen
To see somebody famous or important (to you)
To make a feather into five hens
En lille fjer kan blive til fem høns
To over-exagerate
To swallow a camel
Sluge en kamel
To accept something you don’t like
To have rats on the attic
Have rotter på loftet
To be crazy
A dog after something
En hund efter noget
A sucker for something
Summer birds in the stomach
Sommerfugle i maven
To be nervous and/or excited
Just pat the horse
Klap lige hesten
To calm down and take it easy
To crawl in a mousehole
Krybe i et musehul
To be embarrassed
So is that goat shaved
Så er den ged barberet
The work is done/the problem is solved
Netherlands – Belgium
As naked as a poodle
Poedelnaakt
To splash about in the bath
Ever heard of the naked run of Roskilde? All contestants there compete “as naked as a poodle” (Poedelnaakt). They run as fast as they can, tackling the job good and proper – or “washing a pig” (Het varkentje eens wassen) as they also say in the Netherlands. Don’t expect the winner to get rich – this is no competition to become a “sheep on dry land” (Schaapjes op het droge). But the reward may be enough to make the winner “as stoned as a shrimp” (Stoned als een garnaal). In a pure Dutch tradition, so to say.
Dog’s weather
Hondenweer
Bad weather
A monkey sandwich story
Een broodjeaapverhaal
An urban legend
To take the hare’s path
Het hazenpad kiezen
Scarper
Be as bald as nits
Zo kaal als de neten
To be bald
Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve!
Daar komt de aap uit de mouw!
Now is the moment of truth!
You can’t pluck feathers from a bald hen
Van een kale kip kan je geen veren plukken
You can’t get blood out of a stone
To be healthy as a fish
Zo gezond als een vis
To be healthy
Butter with the fish
Boter bij de vis
To pay for goods and services straight away
A man and a half and a horse’s head
Anderhalve man en een paardenkop
A sprinkling of people
This is no cat’s piss
Dat is geen kattenpis
It is a serious/important thing
To pay someone with monkey money
Iemand met apenmunt betalen
To fool someone with nice words
Purple crocodile
Paarse krokodil
Exaggerated bureaucracy
Many pigs make the slops sparse
Veel varkens maken de spoeling dun
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Germany – Austria – Switzerland
To have a tomcat
Ein Kater haben
To have a hangover
Berlin: “that’s where the bear dances” (Da steppt der Bär) or if you prefer, that’s where great parties take place. Some say it’s a “Monkey theatre” (Affentheater) criticising outrageous behaviour of party-people in the capital. Others will support that Berliner are a bit crazy and “have a bird” (Einen Vogel haben). But many will feel lucky for being there and “have the pig” of their life (Schwein haben) – that’s until the party is over and they end up with a hangover, or “a tomcat” (ein Kater).
To buy a cat in a sack
Die Katze im Sack kaufen
To buy something without inspecting it first
To swallow a toad
Eine Krote schluken
To make a concession grudingly
Well known as a colourful dog
Bekannt wie ein bunter Hund
Somebody’s well known
To make the goat the gardener
Den Bock zum Gärtner gemacht
To leave someone stupid in charge of an important matter
Where the hare and the fox say goodnight
Wo sich Hase und Fuchs gute Nacht sagen
In the middle of nowhere
Like a cow standing before a new gate
Wie die Kuh vorm neuen Tor dastehen
Confused, much like someone faced with a new situation
There’s the rabbit in the pepper!
Da liegt der Hase im Pfeffer!
That’s where the problem lies!
To bring a sheep into the dry
Eine Schäfchen ins Trockene bringen
To take advantage of your position
Under all pig
Unter aller Sau
Something beneath contempt
To tie a bear to someone
Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden
To deceive someone into accepting something false
Life is no pony farm
Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof
Life is not easy
Bird eat or die
Vogel friss oder stirb
A do or die situation
The fish starts stinking from the head
Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf her
Problems always start at the top
That’s where the dog’s buried
Da liegt der Hund begraben
That’s the heart of the matter
Who knows why the geese go barefoot
Wer weiß, warum die Gänse barfuß gehen
That’s just the way it is
Like a watered poodle
Wie ein begossener Pudel
Disheartened
It takes effort for the squirrel to feed itself
Mühsam ernährt sich das Eichhörnchen
Slowly but surely; it is possible to reach your goal
Italy
In the mouth of the wolf!
In bocca al lupo!
Good luck!
The Italians are said to be superstitious. You’ll often hear them say “In the mouth of the wolf!” (In bocca al lupo!) to wish you good luck – and depending on how close you are to them, they might even say: “In the ass of the whale!” (In culo alla balena!). Yes, they are superstitious lads, but also quite pious: making a big mistake in Italy is as bad as “confusing Saint Anthony with the pig” (Scambiare Sant’Antonio con il maiale). You really have to be a “silly goose” (Oca giuliva) to do such felony!
A rabbit
Un coniglio
A coward.
An owl
Una civetta
A flirt
To be drunk as a monkey
Ubriaco come una scimmia
To be (very) drunk
To treat someone with fishes in the face
Trattare a pesci in faccia
To treat someone disrespectfully
To run after the butterflies
Correre dietro alle farfalle
To waste time or chase an unachievable goal
To save goat and cabbage
Salvare capra e cavoli
To resolve a situation without having to compromise
We’re at the horse
Siamo a cavallo
We’ve nearly made it
Are you a tree cricket or an ant?
Sei una cicada o una formica?
Are you lazy or a hard-worker
Those who act like sheep get eaten by the wolf
Chi pecora si fa, il lupo se la mangia
To stand up for yourself and your opinions
To make someone see green rats
Far vedere I sorci Verdi
To crush someone with a humiliating defeat
Lucky as a dog in a church
Fortunato come un cane in chiesa
To be unlucky
To be a white fly
Essere una mosca bianca
To be different from all the others
Mirror for the larks
Specchietto per le allodole
A lure, a false attraction
Do not look into the mouth of a horse when you receive a gift
A caval donato non si guarda in bocca
Do not question a gift
There is no tripe for cats
Non c’e’ trippa per gatti
There is absolutely no hope that you’ll get what you want
Tell it to dogs and pigs
Dirlo ai cani e porci
To broadcast something
I know my [own] chickens
Conosco i miei polli
To behave in a predictable way
Crickets around the head
Non avere grilli per la testa
To not have strange ideas or habits
An old hen makes good stock
Gallina vecchia fa buon brodo
Experience is absolutely necessary
To spit or swallow the toad
Sputare o ingoiare il rospo
To spit it out
To put a flea in someone’s ear
Mi ha messo la pulce nell’orecchio
To make someone think about something
The wolf sheds its hair but not its vice
Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio
A person’s character will not change
Czechia
To pat a snake with bare feet
Dráždit hada bosou nohou
To walk into the lion’s den
A little bird, but also “the golden fly whispered to me” (Zlatá muška mi pošeptala) that you may consider walking into a lion’s den. But would you go as far as to “pat a snake with bare feet” (Dráždit hada bosou nohou)? The Czechs do! They draw bravery from their hard work, as the expression goes: “baked pigeons don’t fly into their mouth” (Pečení holubi nelítají do huby). This is mainly due to them not passively “sitting like a pigeon on a dome” (Sedět jako holub na báni).
To have a monkey
Mám opici
To have a hangover
To get up with the chickens
Vstávat se slepicemi
To get up at the crack of dawn
To kill two flies with one hit
Zabít dvě mouchy jednou ranou
To kill two birds with one stone
To buy a hare in a sack
Kupovat zajíce v pytli
To buy something without checking the quality first
To cast pearls before swine
Házet perly sviním
To try to educate someone uneducated
To go for something like a hen after a gob
Jít po něčem jako slepice za flusem
To go after something immediately, without hesitation
To look for a goat gate
Hledat kozí vrátka
To apologize for one’s imminent departure
Beetle in the head
Brouk v hlavě
To come to an end
It will not be my scapegoat
To nebude můj obětní beránek
To deny involvement or responsibility
A fish rots from its head
Ryba smrdí od hlavy
If something is wrong, chances are it started with the government or leaders
To go shooting sparrows with a cannon
Jít s kanónem na vrabce
To use significantly excessive force to carry out an action
Slovakia
He went on a dog’s thirties
Vyšiel na psí tridsiatok
To experience financial difficulties
You may not be very familiar with Slovak wisdom – so you may be confused to hear that “who has been bitten by a snake is afraid even of a worm” (Koho raz had uštipne, aj hlísty sa bojí) or, in other words, once bitten, twice shy. If you experience financial difficulties, you can say that you “went on a dog’s thirties” (Vyšiel na psí tridsiatok). You may as well lament that “it is a pity what the wolf eats” (I z čítaného vlk berie) and it would be to says that what a person tries to keep back through meanness is just as likely to be wasted anyway.
If you want to live with wolves you have to howl with them
Ak chceš s vlkmi žiť, musíš s nimi vyť
To conform by the norm of a group
Fresh as fish
Čerstvý ako rybička
To be brand new
A crow is sitting by crow, an equal is looking for another equal
Vrana k vrane sadá, rovný rovného si hľadá
Similar people tend to spend time with each other
Do not look at teeth of gifted horse
Darovanému koňovi na zuby nepozeraj
To not criticise gifts
Better sparrow in the hand than pigeon on the roof
Lepší vrabec v hrsti ako holub na streche
Something you have for certain now is of more value than something better you may get later
It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest
Mrcha vták, čo do vlastného hniezda nečistí
Don’t speak ill off yourself
Big fish eat little fish
Veľké ryby žerú malé
Powerful men devour the small men
The ox has forgotten that he had been a calf, too
Zabudol vôl, že teľaťom bol
To criticise someone else for a fault that you have yourself
Poland
To turn someone into a horse
Zrobić kogoś w konia
To cheat or deliberately mislead a person
Is it because of their language? Or their weird traditions? Poles can sometimes drive us crazy, or “get us a cat” (Dostać kota). They can as well “turn us into a horse” (Zrobić kogoś w konia) which is to deliberately mislead a person. But it’s maybe because, together, we “live like a cat with a dog” (Jak pies z kotem) and actually get along well with them. But by the time you realise it, it’s too late, “it’s after the birds” (Już po ptakach).
To have flies up your nose
Mieć muchy w nosie
To be really irritated and sulky
To divide the skin on the bear
Dzielić skórę na niedźwiedziu
To get prematurely excited about something that might not work out
To feel like a beaten dog
Czuć się jak zbity pies
To be absolutely exhausted
To have a snake in the pocket
Ma węża w kieszeni
A tight-fisted person
To scribble like a chicken with a claw
Bazgrze jak kura pazurem
A terrible handwriting
To turn the cat around by its tail
Odwracać kota ogonem
To present facts in a false or distorted light
To hang dogs on someone
Wieszać na kimś psy
To slander someone’s reputation
To eat a horse with hooves
Mógłby zjeść konia z kopytami
Very hungry
A white raven
Biały kruk
A very rare book
This goes together like an ox and a carriage
Pasować jak wół do karety
A terrible match
The horse would have laughed
Koń by się uśmiał
A reaction to something that doesn’t make sense
The Turkey was thinking about Sunday, but they chopped his head on Saturday
Indyk myślał o niedzieli, a w sobotę łeb mu ścięli
Do not focus too much on the future
Did an elephant stomp on your ear?
Słoń nastąpił ci na ucho?
You have no ear for music
Not my circus, not my monkeys
Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy
Not my problem
You can steal horses with him/her
Można z nim/nią konie kraść
This is a good, trustworthy person
He did me a bear’s service
Wyświadczył mi niedźwiedzią przysługę
A favour which ends up being more trouble than it was worth
Don’t call a wolf out of the woods
Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu
To invoke an outcome that is not wished for
Lithuania
To count the crows
Varnas skaičiuoti
To start daydreaming
The beauty of Lithuania is an invitation to poesy. The country is called The Land of the Storks after all. In Vilnius, you may find yourself “counting the crows” (Varnas skaičiuoti) – that is to say, daydreaming. Some will find it pointless “like a fifth leg for a dog” (Kaip šuniui penkta koja). But “a dog also adapts to being hanged” (Šuo ir kariamas pripranta): you can get used to anything. As long as you don’t “show the goats” (Rodyti ožius) and be stubborn, you’ll always be welcome in the country!
To be drunk as a bee
Bitelė
To be very drunk
Instead of the black horse
Už juodą arklį
To work hard
Cat patting leads to hump raising
Katė glostoma kuprą kelią
To display too much affection or desperation which repels your friends
The bear is in the forest, but the sting is already being cut
Meška girioje, o skūrą jau rėžia
Don’t sell the skin till you have caught the bear
Latvia
To blow little ducks
Pūst pīlītes
To talk nonsense or to lie
You think that Latvians are some kind of weirdos? Don’t talk nonsense, or as they say there “blow little ducks” (Pūst pīlītes)! In Latvia, “a crow will not pick out the eyes of another crow” (Vārna vārnai acī neknābj) – people are calm and harmless. You’ll have to wait for a long time before meeting a mean Latvian – it might even never happen or only “when an owl’s tail blooms” (Kad pūcei aste ziedēs)…
A trip to the polar bears
Ceļojums pie baltajiem lāčiem
To be exiled to Siberia
That which is inside a teddy bear’s belly
Kas lācītim vēderā
The inner workings of something
To try to catch two bunnies at once will end up in not catching any
Divus zaķus reizē ķerdams nevienu nenoķersi
You must not run after two hares at the same time
The bird that does not love its own nest is silly
Dumjš tas putns, kam sava ligzda nav mīļa
Don’t speak ill off yourself and the groups you belong to
Like a dog on a haystack
Suns uz siena kaudzes
Gentleness achieves more than violence
Estonia
To play badger
Mäkra mängima
To cause trouble
In Estonia, where winters are “cold like in a wolf’s barn” (Külm kui hundilaut), you shall eat well and heartily if you want to survive the season and become “strong like a bear cub” (Kange nagu karupoeg). Now, it is obvious and “clear even to the hedgehog” (Siililegi selge) that you shall “drink like a calf ” as well (Jooma nagu vasikas) that is to say an enormous quantity of liquid. And if you don’t “play badger” (Mäkra mängima) and cause trouble, you’ll pass winter without a hitch!
To make an elephant out of a gnat
Sääsest elevanti tegema
To over-exagerate
Cat concert
Kassikontsert
Unbearably bad singing; a very loud and unpleasant sound
At the speed of a monkey
Ahvikiirusel
Very fast
An old fish
Vana kala
Someone with a lot of experience
To lie like an old white horse
Valetab nagu vana valge hobune
To be a big liar
Like a goat between two haystacks
Nagu kits kahe heinakuhja vahel
A person who can’t choose between two (equal) opportunities
Like a little bird on a branch
Nagu linnuke oksa peal
Free of any worries or troubles
Like water on the back of a goose
Nagu hane selga vesi
Without any effect whatsoever
Blood took the woodpecker’s son up the tree
Veri viis rähnipoja puu otsa
You can’t ignore where you come from
Before that the rabbit will sneeze three times
Enne aevastab jänes kolm korda
Never
Belarus
To eat a dog on something
Cобаку съесть на чём-либо (Cobaku sʺestʹ na čëm-libo)
To gain experience and acquire skills
Don’t panic! In Belarus nobody eats dogs, we promise. They say they “eat a dog on something” (Cобаку съесть на чём-либо – Cobaku sʺestʹ na čëm-libo) bu it’s to describe someone who is gaining experience and acquiring skills in a certain activity. If you are more a cat‘s person, don’t also take literally the phrase “cats are scratching on my soul” (Кошки на душе скребут –Koški na duše skrebut): it means – in a very poetic way – to feel sad or anxious!
To toil like a horse
Пахать как лошадь (Pahatʹ kak lošadʹ)
To work hard
Shorter than a sparrow’s nose
Короче воробьиного носа (Koroche vorob’inogo nosa)
Extremely small; of short duration
Let’s return to our sheep
Вернёмся к нашим баранам (Vernëmsja k našim baranam)
Let’s get back to what we were saying
You won’t get around it on a crooked goat
На кривой козе не объедешь (Na krivoj koze ne obʺedešʹ)
It’s difficult to approach someone
The chickens aren’t pecking the money
Денег куры не клюют (Deneg kury ne kljujut)
A lot of money
The wolf is fed by the legs
Волка ноги кормят (Volka nogi kormjat)
To make efforts to get anything done
Ukraine
To plant a pig on someone
Підсунути свиню (Pidsunuty svynyu)
To do a vile thing to someone
Don’t mess up with Ukrainians or they will “plant a pig on you” (Підсунути свиню –Pidsunuty svynyu) that is to say, do a vile thing. This only to teach you a lesson, or in other words, to “show you where the crayfish is wintering” (Показати де раки зимують – Pokazaty de raky zymuyutʹ). Now you can’t say that you were not warned! Next time you’re in Kiev, think about what you’re saying as “a word is not a sparrow…” (Слово не горобець… – Slovo ne horobetsʹ…)
To talk about the wolf
Про вовка промовка (Pro vovka pomovka)
When someone you have been talking about suddenly appears
To eat a dog at something
Собаку з’їсти (so-bA-ku zjIs-ty)
To be a dab hand at something
A white crow
Біла ворона (Bila vorona)
Someone who stands out of a group
Mute as a fish
Німий як риба (Nimyy yak ryba)
A reserved, uncommunicative person
As calm as a boa
Спокійний як удав (spo-kIj-nyj jak u-dAv)
As cool as a cucumber
Like a cat cried
Як кіт наплакав (jak kit na-pLA-kav)
A drop in the ocean
Kill two hares with one shot
Вбити двох зайців одним пострілом (vbY-ty dvokh zaj-tsiv od-nym po-stri-lom)
Kill two birds with one stone
Romania – Moldova
To stare like a calf at a new gate
A se uita ca vițelul la poarta nouă
To be confused
There are so many ways to get confused in Romania, just “like the calf staring at a new gate” (A se uita ca vițelul la poarta nouă) or the “cat looking in the calendar” (A se uita ca mâța-n calendar). But fear not, one day, you’ll feel brave enough, get to the bottom of things and manage to “break the cat in half” (A rupe pisica-n două). Just be patient, that may as well be “at the horses’ Easter” (La Pastele cailor) that is to say in a very far future.
To cut leaves for the dogs
A tăia frunză la câini
To be lazy, to waste time
To walk around with the painted crow
Umbli cu cioara vopsita
To try to fool someone
To turn a mosquito into a stallion
A face din tantar armasar
To over-exagerate
To cross like the goose through the water
A trece ca gasca prin apa
To learn nothing from an experience
To walk the bear
A plimba ursul
To go away, to leave one alone
To make it of sheep
Ai făcut-o de oaie
To mess up, to make a blunder
To have parrot
A avea papagal
To talk much, in a convincing and persuasive way
To feel with the fly on the cap
A se simți cu musca pe căciulă
To feel guilty
To stare like the crow at the bone
Ca cioara la ciolan
To be confused
To keep quiet like the pig in a corn field
Tace ca porcu-n păpușoi
To keep quiet
To be caught with the cat in the bag
A fi prins cu mata-n sac
To be caught red handed
To leap like a frog into the concrete
Se arunca ca broasca-n beton
To jump the gun
Like a donkey in the mist
Ca magarul in ceata
To disappear when you’re most needed
The TV has fleas!
Televizorul are purici
There’s static on the TV
The cat won’t drink vinegar anymore
Nu mai bea mâța oțet
Someone tricked once will be very careful next time around
The gentle cat scratches badly
Mâța blândă zgârie rău
Seemingly inoffensive people not hesitating to take a stand if someone crosses the line
Hungary
As happy as a monkey about his tail
Örül, mint majom a farkának
Very happy; jumping for joy
Did you know that Hungary was full of monkeys? Figuratively we mean… Whenever they are very happy, Hungarians say they are “as happy as a monkey about his tail” (Örül, mint majom a farkának). When they don’t know what’s coming next, they whisper: “the monkey will now jump in the water” (Most ugrik a majom a vízbe). And that’s not it: Hungarians can also “monkey” (majomkodik) sometimes. It means to act unnaturally or to fool around.
A cat oops
Macskajaj
A hangover
A bird
Madár
Someone who is easy to deceive, a fool
To have a piglet
Malaca van
To get lucky
To tie the dog to the post
Köti az ebet a karóhoz
To stick to your position
To make an elephant out of a flea
Bolhából elefántot csinál kif
To over-exagerate
May the goose kick it
A niech to gęś kopnie
Screw it, to hell with it
You can’t make bacon out of a dog
Kutyaból nem lesz szalonna
A leopard can’t change its spots
It is below the bottom/ass of a frog
A béka feneke/segge alatt van
The quality of something is very bad
As rare as the white raven
Ritka, mint a fehér holló
Extremely rare
Even a blind chicken finds one grain
Vak tyúk is talál szemet
Anyone might get a great result
The owl tells the sparrow that it has a big head
Bagoly mondja verébnek, hogy nagyfejű
To judge someone for their faults while ignoring the same fault in yourself
A lying man is caught faster than a limping dog
A hazug embert hamarabb utolérik, mint a sánta kutyát
A liar will be caught very fast
A dog’s broken bone will soon be healed
Ebcsont beforr
To heal rapidly
One is a dog, the other is a hound
Egyik kutya, másik eb
The two things are the same
If it’s a goose, it should be fat
Ha lúd, legyen kövér
To experience something to the fullest.
Why are you giving drinks to the mice?
Miért itatod az egereket?
Why are you crying? (Usually said to little children)
The magpie wants a lot, but its tail can’t carry it all
Sokat akar a szarka, de nem bírja a farka
To try to do more than you are capable of
Horse dick!
Lófasz!
Bullshit!
Slovenia
To go whistling to the crab
Iti rakom žvižgat
To die, to fall through, to decay
You never die in Slovenia – you simply “go whistling to the crab” (Iti rakom žvižgat). The Slovenes’ longevity may be due to their carefree lives as they tend “to live like a birdie on a branch” (Živeti kot ptiček na veji). Promise: we are not over-exagerating it and “making an elephant from a fly” (Narediti iz muhe slona). We know our stuff and what a purpose of speaking is – or as Slovenes say, we “know where a dog puts its paw in” (Vedeti kam pes taco moli).
To lie as a dog runs
Lagati kot pes teče
To lie often, without any restraints
To grin like a roast cat
Režati se kot pečen maček
To laugh very much
To go to sleep with chickens
Hoditi spat s kurami
To go to bed early
To feel like a fish out of water
Počutiti se kot riba na suhem
To feel uncomfortable
To be like a dog and cat
Biti kot pes in mačka
To hate each other, to argue
To be on a horse
Biti na konju
To achieve a goal
To call the reindeers
Kličemo jelene
To throw up
To have a cat
Imam mačka
To have a hangover
To have a tiger
Imam tigra
To have a very bad hangover
To sleep like a rabbit
Spati kot zajec
To sleep lightly
To be on the dog
On je na psu
To be broke
Roosters breakfast
Petelinji zajtrk
Morning sex
Let the mother hen kick you
Naj te koklja brcne
Go to hell!
Croatia
To sing like an elephant farted in your ear
Pjevaš kao da ti je slon prdnuo u uho
To have no musical ability at all
Ever heard a Croatian song? Us neither. But do not think it’s because Croatians have no musical ability at all and “sing like an elephant farted in their ear” (Pjevaš kao da ti je slon prdnuo u uho). No, it’s just because it’s an impossible quest to find a nice song – just like searching for “the balls of a swan” (Muda labudova). Are we clichés? Probably! But it’s not a good reason to be so angry at us and wanting “to beat us like an ox in a cabbage field” (Prebit ću te k’o vola u kupusu).
To look like a calf staring at a colored door
Gleda kao tele u šarena vrata
To look completely baffled
The crows have drunk his brain
Vrane su mu popile mozak
He is crazy
The owl mocked the tit
Rugala se sova sjenici
Out of sight, out of mind
The hills shook, a mouse was born
Tresla se brda, rodio se miš
To poke fun at someone who is making a big deal out of nothing
Old hen, good soup
Stara koka, dobra juha
An older woman might have more appeal
The pussycat will come to the tiny door
Doće maca na vratanca
What goes around comes around
A wolf changes his coat but not his attitude
Vuk dlaku mijenja ali ćud nikada
You don’t fundamentally change throughout your life
Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro – Kosovo
To make a donkey out of a mosquito
Praviti od komarca magarca
To over-exagerate
In the Balkans, you shall better “trust yourself and your horse!” (Uzdaj se u se i u svoje kljuse!) – believe us, you’ll need trust to navigate the Serbian, Montenegrin, Bosnian and Kosovar societies. Some locals you’ll meet may indeed try to “make a donkey out of a mosquito” (Praviti od komarca magarca) to impress you. But you are not so gullible and definitely not “like a fly without a head” (Kao muha bez glave), that is to say a stupid frenzy without a plan…
To be a real workhorse
Raditi kao konj
To work very hard
To sing like a nightingale
Pevati kao slavuj
To sing beautifully
To fight like cats and dogs
Živeti kao pas i mačka
To quarrel constantly
The first kittens are always thrown into the water
Prvi mačići se bacaju u vodu
To justify first mistakes, the bad beginning
Albania
To kill all the flies that come around you
Ai i vrau gjithë mizat që i vinin rrotull
To not make a clear choice about something
If you are not familiar with Albanian sayings yet, these will make you shine in society! If you are hesitant and can’t make a clear decision about something, simply say that you are “killing all the flies that come around you” (Ai i vrau gjithë mizat që i vinin rrotull). Are you suspicious? say that “there is no forest without pigs” (Nuk ka pyll pa derra) – it’s much better than ‘where there’s smoke there’s fire’. Something very hard to believe? It’s “a cock and bull story” (Përralle me mbret)!
Mention the dog, get the stick ready
Përmend qenin, bëj gati shkopin
To be ready for consequences
If you have a bird in your hand, hold it.
E ke zogun në dorë, mbaje
Don’t let your opportunities go away
To have the memory of the elephant
Të kesh kujtesën e elefantit
To have a good memory
To sleep like a lamb
Të flesh si një qengj
To sleep deeply
To shed crocodile tears
Qan me lot krokodili
To pretend you feel sad
Bulgaria – North Macedonia
A hungry bear doesn’t dance
Гладна мечка, хоро не играе (Gladna mechka horo ne igrae)
Nothing is for free
Nothing is for free in Bulgaria! Do not expect anything from a person if you don’t give them something in return – that’s why “a hungry bear doesn’t dance” (Гладна мечка, хоро не играе – Gladna mechka horo ne igrae)! Oh, and if someone is “reading the horse gospel” for you (Чета конско евангелие –Da chetesh konsko evangelie), he is most likely scolding you for doing something wrong. Does it worry you? Or in other words, are you “deep in thought like a fat pig before Christmas” (Умислил се като свиня по коледа – Umislil se kato svinja po koleda). You should!
To try to beat a bear with a stick
Взел клечка да бие мечка (Vzel klečka da bie mečka)
To be unprepared
To eat like a bear but work like a bug
Яде като мечка, работи като буболечка (Jade kato mečka, raboti kato bubolečka)
To be lazy
To make an elephant out of a fly
От мухата прави слон (Ot muhata pravi slon)
To over-exagerate
They are sticking to him like flies on honey
Лепят му се като мухи на мед (Lepjat mu se kato muhi na med)
To be a playboy
Where the crabs go hibernating
Къде зимуват раците (Kŭde zimuvat ratsite)
To teach someone a lesson
In a cuckoo summer
На куково лято (Na kukovo ljato)
When pigs fly
A white elephant
бял слон (byal slon)
A burdensome possession that creates more trouble than it is worth
Every frog should know its puddle
Всека жаба да си знае гьола (Vseka žaba da si znae gьola)
To know your place
The frog saw that the ox was getting metal hooves, so she lifted her foot, too
Видяла жабата, че коват вола и тя вдигнала крак (Vidjala žabata, če podkovavat konja i tja vdignala krak)
To tell someone who is out of place
Greece – Cyprus
To do the duck
κάνει τη πάπια (káni ti pápia)
To not mention something in order to avoid being blamed for it
It is a special art and know-how to be pretending in Greece and on the Island of love. For instance, you “do the duck” (κάνει τη πάπια – káni ti pápia) when you avoid mentioning something so as not to be blamed for it. You also “act like a dead bug” (Κανε τον ψοφιο κοριο – Kane ton psofio korio) when you pretend nothing happened. And you play the “innocent pigeon” (Αθώα περιστερά – Athoa peristera) when you claim to be innocent… See? Pretending as never been as easy as in Greek!
To carry owls to Athens
γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας κομίζειν (glafkas eis Athínas komízein)
To do something that is useless or not needed
To swat flies
βαρἀει μὐγες (varaei myges)
To do nothing
To shit one’s donkey
θα σου χέσω το γάιδαρο (tha sou chéso to gáidaro)
A threat when you’re really angry with someone
A black and spidery day
μαύρη μέρα κι άραχνη (mávri méra ki árakhni)
To have a bad day
A cat with horseshoes
Γάτα με πέταλα (Gáta me pétala)
A very capable and skillful man
Neither cat nor damage
Ούτε γάτα ούτε ζημιά (Oúte gáta oúte zimiá)
Something bad which happened but without importance
The camel doesn’t see his own hump
Η καμήλα δε βλέπει την καμπούρα της (I kamíla de vlépei tin kampoúra tis)
To point out other people’s faults but failing to see ours.
The donkey calling the rooster big headed
Είπε ο γάιδαρος τον πετεινό κεφάλα (Eípe o gáidaros ton peteinó kefála)
The pot calling the kettle black
Turkey – Cyprus
What does a donkey know about compote?
Eşek hoşaftan ne anlar?
To offer something valuable to someone who is unaware of its value
Turks are not famous for their existentialism – but they do surprise us with their fundamental question: “what does a donkey know about compote?” (Eşek hoşaftan ne anlar?). Think twice before offering something valuable to someone who is completely unaware of its value. They also go through difficult or unpleasant situations by “scaring the horses with fragile cups” (Fincancı katırlarını ürkütmek). Do these idioms drive you crazy and make you “lose the goats” (Keçileri Kaçırmak) as for us?
To be crawling with ants
Karincalanmak
To have pins and needles
To make a camel out of a flea
Pireyi deve yapmak
To over-exagerate
To catch a bird with the mouth
Ağızla kuş tutmak
To not tolerate the acts of someone even if he does miracles
To catch a mouse ever since becoming a cat
Kedi olalı bir fare tutmak
To finally be able to do something significant
Like a giraffe in winter
Zemheri zürafası gibi
To wear thin clothes during winter
Fish fleshed
Balık etli
A curvy person
The broth of the rabbit
Tavşanın suyunun suyu
The distance between two points
A hungry dog will break through a bakery
Aç köpek fırın deler
A starving person can do impossible things
A sunken fish goes sideways
Battı balık yan gider
The worst-case scenario has already happened
When the fish climbs the tree
Balık kavağa çıkınca
Never
The one’s whose guide is a crow can not take out his nose from shit
Kılavuzu karga olanın burnu boktan çıkmaz.
Blind leading the blind
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