Funny idioms in different languages

In my last post I remained pretty local with the topic of Scottish slang. But there's a whole world out there with thousands of different ways people communicate. So, in this post I want to take you to a journey around the world where we will discover unique popular phrases together that make no sense to us but perfect sense to the people saying them.

1. The first train stop is France, where they say:

"Le petit Jésus en culotte de velours" 

which literally means

"It's the little baby jesus in velvet pants" 

This means that the wine is good. It's used for wine that is silky and delightful. (I can't believe I found a picture of baby Jesus wearing velvet trousers either).


2. Now we're going to take a mini boat ride from France to Greece, Mamammia style, where in Greece people say:

"Στο πούτσο μου λουλούδια και γύρω γύρω μέλισσες"

This literally means

"there are flowers and bees around my manhood"

When a Greek person says this to you, they are trying to tell you that they dont care. This is probably one of my favorite phrases.


3. Next we're going a little to the West side of Europe where in Spain people say:

"Estar en la edad del pavo"

Literally meaning

"To be in the age of turkey"

This phrase is used by Spaniards to explain that awkward stage of life we all know as being a teenager.

4. We're going to travel back to the south now where we find Italy in which the people say:

"Cavoli risaldati"

which says 

"Reheated cabbage"

This expression is used to represent a failed attempt of reviving a relationship. Much like how you cannot reheat a wilted cabbage. 

5. Finally, we're travelling all the way to the Middle East, where the Persians say:

"من کبد شما را می خورم"

which says 

"I would eat your liver"

Don't be alarmed if a Persian says to you they want to eat your liver. You should actually be flattered because this means I love you. The idea behind this phrase is that you love someone so much that you would do anything for them. 

Congratulations! You have completed this journey around the world with me and now we can go back home where we can put the kettle on.

If you found this post interesting, look out for my next post which will be about learning a language.

Saya