What's a fun idiom that you've learned recently?

[DaveAgain]

die kuh fliegen lassen > let the cow fly > celebrate/party

https://www.redensarten-index.de/suche. ... rianten_ou

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A Chinese saying, cited in a French language book:

Vous ne pouvez empêcher les oiseaux de tristesse de voler audessus de vos têtes, mais ne les laissez pas faire leur nid dans vos cheveux.
> You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but don't let them nest in your hair.
> don't dwell on your misfortunes.

[DaveAgain]

Der Teufel ist ein Eichhörnchen > the Devil is a squirrel > problems can come from unexpected sources, be careful.

https://www.redensarten-index.de/suche. ... rianten_ou

[DaveAgain]

Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden > to tie a bear on someone > tell someone an untrue story.

https://www.geo.de/geolino/redewendunge ... -aufbinden

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Das kommt mir spanisch vor > that seems spanish to me > that seems odd to me

https://www.geo.de/geolino/redewendunge ... anisch-vor

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einen langen Hals machen > to make a long neck > to want to see something, to be curious.

https://www.redensarten-index.de/suche. ... sp2=erl_ou

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la madeleine de Proust > Proust's madeleine > something/someone that evokes old memories

https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/f ... 1#locution

https://www.expressio.fr/expressions/un ... -de-proust

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den Teufel an die Wand malen > paint the devil on the wall > imagine the worst / be pessimistic.

https://www.redensarten-index.de/suche. ... rianten_ou

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Die Messe ist gelesen > the (catholic) Mass has been read > it's all over

[tastyonions]

In Greek:

πρέπει να αποδείξω ότι δεν είμαι ελέφαντας: to have to show how things really are, who one really is

The literal meaning is "to have to prove that one isn't an elephant."

[Dragon27]

In Russian we have a similar expression "доказать, что ты не верблюд" (to prove that you're not a camel), which is usually used when you have to disprove something that is obviously wrong (often, an accusation), or prove something self-evident, but which often involves considerable effort. Often associated with some kind of bureaucratic system that loves a lot of red tape (variation on the joke: "справка о том, что ты не верблюд" - a certificate, stating that you're not a camel).

What I find interesting is that the Russian word "верблюд" (camel) comes (through reconstructed Proto-Slavic "velьb(l)ǫdъ", cf. Polish "wielbłąd") from Gothic "ulbandus", which itself comes from Latin "elephantus" (from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας). That is not a coincidence, is it?

[tastyonions]

In Russian we have a similar expression "доказать, что ты не верблюд" (to prove that you're not a camel), which is usually used when you have to disprove something that is obviously wrong (often, an accusation), or prove something self-evident, but which often involves considerable effort. Often associated with some kind of bureaucratic system that loves a lot of red tape (variation on the joke: "справка о том, что ты не верблюд" - a certificate, stating that you're not a camel).

What I find interesting is that the Russian word "верблюд" (camel) comes (through reconstructed Proto-Slavic "velьb(l)ǫdъ", cf. Polish "wielbłąd") from Gothic "ulbandus", which itself comes from Latin "elephantus" (from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας). That is not a coincidence, is it?

Wow, that’s quite interesting indeed. The usage seems to be similar in Greek as well, where I saw it used to describe patients who had to “prove that they weren’t elephants” in order to access treatment.

[firedude750]

Just came across "tirer les vers du nez" which means literally to "pull the worms from someone's nose" lol

Idiomatically it means to pull the truth out of someone or to make them talk, similar to the English idiom "pulling teeth"

[tastyonions]

Some other good expressions with "tirer":

tirer les ficelles: to "pull the strings," manipulate from behind the scenes
tirer sur la corde: to push your luck, take advantage of someone's generosity or wear on their patience

Also "(trop) tirer sur la corde" can mean to wear oneself out with work or exercise, "burn the candle at both ends."

[firedude750]

Another French classic is "revenons à nos moutons" = Let's return to our sheep/let's get back to the task at hand

[vonPeterhof]

In Russian we have a similar expression "доказать, что ты не верблюд" (to prove that you're not a camel), which is usually used when you have to disprove something that is obviously wrong (often, an accusation), or prove something self-evident, but which often involves considerable effort. Often associated with some kind of bureaucratic system that loves a lot of red tape (variation on the joke: "справка о том, что ты не верблюд" - a certificate, stating that you're not a camel).

What I find interesting is that the Russian word "верблюд" (camel) comes (through reconstructed Proto-Slavic "velьb(l)ǫdъ", cf. Polish "wielbłąd") from Gothic "ulbandus", which itself comes from Latin "elephantus" (from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας). That is not a coincidence, is it?

Wow, that’s quite interesting indeed. The usage seems to be similar in Greek as well, where I saw it used to describe patients who had to “prove that they weren’t elephants” in order to access treatment.

I've always assumed that the Russian expression came from a specific Soviet joke: "A bear (or some other animal) is walking through the forest when suddenly a hare dashes past him at full speed. The bear catches up to the hare and asks him why he's running. 'Haven't you heard?' They're rounding up all the camels and skinning them alive!' The bear responds 'so what are you running away for? You're not a camel!' to which the hare replies 'Well I'd like to see you try and prove you're not a camel while being skinned alive!'"

But then, for all I know it may be that the expression actually predates the joke, or indeed that the joke long predates the Soviet era.