Weird@Wanderlust | 22 January 2021
14 strange phrases from around the world and what they mean
Why are old cows best left in the ditch? No, it's not a bad joke - it's one of many strange phrases from the four corners of the globe...
Why are old cows best left in the ditch? No, it's not a bad joke - it's one of many strange phrases from the four corners of the globe...
One of the most enjoyable aspects of learning a new language is picking up the idioms.
A language's funny little sayings are often steeped in local history and culture and explain the meaning of life and how to live it in a particular country.
Here are 14 explanations of peculiar idioms from around the world, which on closer inspection, are really quite wise…
Bringing up an old argument in Holland. Presumably, the argument, like an old cow, should be just left there.
Stuffing something up by insisting on correcting a minor flaw. The Japanese are not as pernickety as you thought.
Therefore there is no reason to panic, say the Swedes.
That is, pretend that you are innocent and have no idea what is going on. The Serbs, it seems, have trust issues with the English.
It's not my problem, say the Poles.
An old Arabic saying that comments on the inherent irony of life. Or perhaps a comment on the poor state of dental hygiene in some parts of the peninsula.
... is to flirt with someone in Latin America. Sounds terrifying.
Going to the toilet in Russia. Apparently, it was the only place the Czar wasn't carried to.
Giving special treatment to someone who doesn't need it, according to the Portuguese.
With their unapologetic love for meat, is it any wonder that the Germans regard living like a maggot in bacon as an enviable state of being?
Russian for 'I'm telling you the truth.' We'd rather they hang the noodles.
An old Arab saying that is the equivalent of a pot calling a kettle black – in other words, a hypocritical person.
In Spain, that's how you stand someone up.
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