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.”

  • Scrof@sopuli.xyz
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    8 months ago

    Russian, my favourite one: when a crayfish whistles on a mountain. Means never gonna happen.

    • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
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      8 months ago

      You reminded me one in Latin in the same spirit: kalendis graecis, or “in the Greek calends”.

      Calends were the first day of the month in the Roman calendar, there was no Greek equivalent, so that meant simply “never”.

    • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      “Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift” (I think my pig is whistling) - in German that means “I can’t believe it”.

    • p_cells@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Or you can say “after a rainfall on thursday” which means the same thing, never gonna happen.