this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024
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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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[–] Scrof@sopuli.xyz 15 points 8 months ago (5 children)

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

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 5 points 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 4 points 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 3 points 8 months ago

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

[–] Quazatron@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Portuguese: "Dia de S. Nunca à tarde" meaning "day of saint Never, after noon."

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 2 points 8 months ago

Portuguese has a plethora of expressions like that:

  • trinta e um de fevereiro (the 31st of February)
  • na semana com duas quintas (in the week with two Thursdays)
  • nem que a vaca tussa (not even if the cow coughed)
  • quando galinha tiver dente (when chickens get teeth)
  • nem a pau (not even by [being beaten with a] wood[en rod or stick])
  • nem fodendo (not even fucking)
  • nem aqui, nem lá na China (neither here, nor in China)
[–] ABCDE@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

When pigs fly.