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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    9 months ago

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

    • p_cells@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

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

    • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

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

    • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
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      9 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”.

      • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
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        9 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)