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.”

  • HappyRedditRefugee@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    Spanish, but only from my region:

    “You are worth dick”: You are worth nothing

    “You are not worth dick”: You are worth nothing

    So basically to be worth dick and not be worth dick is the same.

    We also have some variation like

    “You are [not] worth three trip strips of cock”: same meaning.

    A bonus, not related to genitalia:

    “Go get your hair brushed by a donkey”: Stop pestering / go fuck yourself.

    • Skyhighatrist@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      As an English speaker I would naturally interpret “You are worth dick” and “you are not worth dick” in the same way.

    • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
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      8 months ago

      Central America? Those kind of “click” for me if I retranslate them to Spanish with verga.

      The “basic” insult also works in Portuguese with “caralho”:

      • vale um caralho (worth a dick) = worth nothing
      • não vale um caralho (not worth a dick) = worth nothing

      “Go get your hair brushed by a donkey”: Stop pestering / go fuck yourself.

      This sound hilarious. How is it phrased in the original? “Anda que un burro vos cepille el pelo” or something like that?

      • HappyRedditRefugee@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        South america!

        I didn’t know that also works in Portugese!

        The original is: “Vaya a que lo peine un burro”. Bit of a hard translation and also is always formal (usted).

    • ALQ@lemmy.worldOP
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      8 months ago

      I think it’s hilarious how often different languages use genitalia in their idioms. These feel like they’d work really well, even in English.

    • emmanuel_car@kbin.social
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      8 months ago

      Oooh as a non native speaker, these are fun! Are the first two something like no vales polla or no vales ni polla?

      • HappyRedditRefugee@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        Quite close! But we use another word, polla is mainly use in spain.

        “[No] vales [ni] [tres tiras de] verga/mondá”

        But if you use ni you necesarly need the no at the begining of the sentence.

        Mondá is a slang word, very regional. Is also a bit more agressive.