Language is full of colorful expressions that add humor and zest to conversations. Idioms, in particular, are fascinating because they don’t literally translate but carry deep cultural meanings. Some are poetic, some are wise, and some are simply silly!
Let’s explore 15 humorous idioms from around the globe.
- “To have a chicken die on your hands” (Chinese – 手上死鸡, shǒu shàng sǐ jī)
Meaning: To be stuck with a responsibility no one else wants.
Example: If your friend bails on the group project, you’re left with a “dead chicken on your hands.” - “To slide in on a shrimp sandwich” (Swedish – Glida in på en räkmacka)
Meaning: To achieve success effortlessly.
Example: Others don’t work, but they “slide in on a shrimp sandwich” through networking. - “Not my circus, not my monkeys” (Polish – Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy)
Meaning: It’s not my problem.
Example: Office politics? No way—”not my circus, not my monkeys!” - “To live like a maggot in bacon” (German – Leben wie die Made im Speck)
Meaning: To live luxuriously and comfortably.
Example: With a huge house and private chef, he “lives like a maggot in bacon.” - “To have a camel pass through your eye” (Arabic – يمر الجمل من عينك, yamurr aljamal min ‘aynak)
Meaning: Something nearly impossible.
Example: Scoring concert tickets last minute? That’s like having “a camel pass through your eye.” - “To have a monkey on your back” (English)
Meaning: To have a persistent problem or burden.
Example: Student loans are a real “monkey on my back.” - “To comb the giraffe” (French – Peigner la girafe)
Meaning: To do something completely useless.
Example: Rearranging your sock drawer again? You’re “combing the giraffe.” - “To hang noodles on someone’s ears” (Russian – Вешать лапшу на уши, veshat’ lapshu na ushi)
Meaning: To deceive or fool someone.
Example: Don’t believe his excuses—he’s just “hanging noodles on your ears!” - “To have a flying cow” (Portuguese – Ter uma vaca voando)
Meaning: To be extremely lucky.
Example: He won the lottery?! He must have “a flying cow” watching over him! - “To give someone a pumpkin” (Spanish – Dar calabazas a alguien)
Meaning: To reject someone romantically.
Example: He asked her out, but she “gave him a pumpkin.” - “To break your head” (Dutch – Je hoofd breken)
Meaning: To think very hard about something.
Example: I’ve been “breaking my head” over this math problem all day. - “To walk around hot porridge” (Finnish – Kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa)
Meaning: To avoid talking about something directly.
Example: Stop “walking around hot porridge” and just tell me the truth! - “Like an octopus in a garage” (Japanese – 車庫のタコ, shako no tako)
Meaning: To feel completely out of place—just like “a fish out of water.”
Example: In that fancy restaurant, I felt “like an octopus in a garage.” - “To have tomatoes on your eyes” (German – Tomaten auf den Augen haben)
Meaning: To overlook the obvious.
Example: The door was open all along—do you “have tomatoes on your eyes?” - “To peel the pineapple” (Indonesian – Mengupas nanas)
Meaning: To thoroughly address a complicated issue.
Example: The project is complicated, but we’ll “peel the pineapple” together.
Idioms add so much flavor and charm to languages, revealing humor and creativity across cultures. Know any amusing idioms from your language? Share them in the comments!
