Idioms are fascinating and vibrant expressions that reflect the unique culture, history, and humor of the people who use them. While they may not always make literal sense, idioms allow us to understand how different cultures think, speak, and connect with one another through language. From the bustling streets of Tokyo to the quiet cafés of Paris, idioms offer a peek into daily life, values, and traditions around the globe.
In this post, we’re going on a journey around the world to explore idioms that are used in different countries and cultures. Some of these phrases might sound strange at first, but they all have rich meanings that help us communicate ideas more creatively. Whether you’re a language lover, a traveler, or someone who enjoys quirky expressions, you’ll find these idioms entertaining and enlightening. Each idiom comes with a clear meaning, an example sentence, and a few alternative ways to say it—so you can easily add them to your everyday conversations. Let’s explore how the world speaks in idioms!
Idioms of the World
1. When chickens have teeth (France)
Meaning: Something that will never happen.
In a Sentence: He’ll clean his room without being asked when chickens have teeth.
Other Ways to Say: Never going to happen, Not in this lifetime
2. Not my circus, not my monkeys (Poland)
Meaning: Not your responsibility or problem.
In a Sentence: I saw the drama at work, but I stayed out of it—not my circus, not my monkeys.
Other Ways to Say: Not my issue, Not my problem
3. To feed the donkey sponge cake (Portugal)
Meaning: To treat someone extremely well.
In a Sentence: He’s feeding the donkey sponge cake just to impress her.
Other Ways to Say: Pamper someone, Spoil someone
4. To slide in on a shrimp sandwich (Sweden)
Meaning: To get something without effort.
In a Sentence: She got the promotion without doing much—she really slid in on a shrimp sandwich.
Other Ways to Say: Got lucky, Didn’t work for it
5. Jumping from the cock to the donkey (France)
Meaning: To change topics randomly while talking.
In a Sentence: Talking to him is hard—he keeps jumping from the cock to the donkey.
Other Ways to Say: Switch topics, Talk without focus
6. The hen sees the snake’s feet and the snake sees the hen’s boobs (Thailand)
Meaning: Two people know each other’s secrets.
In a Sentence: Don’t try to fool her—they’re like the hen and the snake.
Other Ways to Say: Know each other’s dirt, No secrets between them
7. To have the midday demon (Russia)
Meaning: To feel restless or unsettled during the day.
In a Sentence: I had the midday demon and couldn’t sit still at work today.
Other Ways to Say: Feel uneasy, Can’t focus
8. Not all doughnuts come with a hole (Italy)
Meaning: Not everything turns out as expected.
In a Sentence: We planned a perfect trip, but it rained the whole time—not all doughnuts come with a hole.
Other Ways to Say: Things don’t always go as planned, Expect the unexpected
9. To have long teeth (Germany)
Meaning: To be reluctant or do something unwillingly.
In a Sentence: He went to the meeting with long teeth—you could tell he didn’t want to be there.
Other Ways to Say: Be reluctant, Drag your feet
10. To ride a donkey in the cold (Korea)
Meaning: To feel embarrassed or awkward.
In a Sentence: She looked like she was riding a donkey in the cold after slipping in front of the class.
Other Ways to Say: Awkward moment, Embarrassing situation
11. To wear a cat on your head (Japan)
Meaning: To pretend to be innocent or quiet when you’re not.
In a Sentence: Don’t believe him—he’s wearing a cat on his head during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Fake innocence, Pretend to be sweet
12. To walk around hot porridge (Czech Republic)
Meaning: To avoid talking about something directly.
In a Sentence: Stop walking around hot porridge and tell me what really happened.
Other Ways to Say: Avoid the subject, Beat around the bush
13. To hang noodles on someone’s ears (Russia)
Meaning: To tell lies or fool someone.
In a Sentence: He told me he was rich, but I think he’s just hanging noodles on my ears.
Other Ways to Say: Lie, Trick someone
14. As clear as dumpling broth (Vietnam)
Meaning: Something that is not clear at all.
In a Sentence: His explanation was as clear as dumpling broth—I’m still confused.
Other Ways to Say: Makes no sense, Very unclear
15. To dig water with a needle (India)
Meaning: To do something very hard or nearly impossible.
In a Sentence: Convincing him to change his mind is like digging water with a needle.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely difficult, Almost impossible
16. To have a potato in one’s throat (France)
Meaning: To speak unclearly or have a hoarse voice.
In a Sentence: After yelling at the concert all night, I had a potato in my throat this morning.
Other Ways to Say: Sound hoarse, Speak unclearly
17. To have a face like a wet weekend (United Kingdom)
Meaning: To look very sad or miserable.
In a Sentence: After losing her phone, she had a face like a wet weekend all day.
Other Ways to Say: Look gloomy, Seem very down
18. To find hair in the soup (Germany)
Meaning: To complain about a small detail.
In a Sentence: He always finds hair in the soup, even when things are nearly perfect.
Other Ways to Say: Nitpick, Complain unnecessarily
19. To break your fast with onions (Arabic)
Meaning: To start something in a bad or unlucky way.
In a Sentence: Forgetting my notebook on exam day felt like breaking my fast with onions.
Other Ways to Say: Bad beginning, Unlucky start
20. The camel cannot see its own hump (Somalia)
Meaning: People notice others’ flaws but not their own.
In a Sentence: He criticizes everyone’s work but never admits his mistakes—the camel cannot see its own hump.
Other Ways to Say: Blind to your faults, Hypocritical
21. To ride on someone’s hump (Nigeria)
Meaning: To take advantage of someone.
In a Sentence: He’s riding on her hump by making her do all the group work.
Other Ways to Say: Use someone unfairly, Take advantage
22. As useful as a chocolate teapot (Scotland)
Meaning: Completely useless.
In a Sentence: That broken umbrella was as useful as a chocolate teapot during the storm.
Other Ways to Say: Worthless, Doesn’t help at all
23. To swim in a glass of water (Argentina)
Meaning: To panic over something small.
In a Sentence: She’s swimming in a glass of water just because she lost one earring.
Other Ways to Say: Overreact, Panic too much
24. A monkey wearing a golden ring is still a monkey (Russia)
Meaning: Appearances don’t change who you are.
In a Sentence: He bought a fancy car, but a monkey wearing a golden ring is still a monkey.
Other Ways to Say: Looks can’t hide the truth, Still the same person
25. To be a cat’s nose (Japan)
Meaning: Something very small or cramped.
In a Sentence: That apartment was the size of a cat’s nose—barely enough room to stand.
Other Ways to Say: Tiny space, Very cramped
26. Even monkeys fall from trees (Japan)
Meaning: Everyone makes mistakes.
In a Sentence: Don’t worry about messing up— even monkeys fall from trees.
Other Ways to Say: No one is perfect, Everyone slips up
27. To have a head full of crickets (Spain)
Meaning: To have a lot of wild or unusual ideas.
In a Sentence: He’s got a head full of crickets—always talking about building a rocket in the backyard.
Other Ways to Say: Daydreamer, Lots of strange ideas
28. As if the moon asked for a light (Arabic)
Meaning: When someone already powerful asks for more.
In a Sentence: The billionaire asking for discounts is like the moon asking for a light.
Other Ways to Say: Already has enough, Greedy request
29. To reheat old cabbage (Italy)
Meaning: To bring up an old issue or relationship.
In a Sentence: Going back to your ex is just reheating old cabbage.
Other Ways to Say: Dig up the past, Revisit something stale
30. To tie a bear to someone (Russia)
Meaning: To play a prank or cause trouble.
In a Sentence: They tied a bear to me by giving me a fake winning lottery ticket.
Other Ways to Say: Prank someone, Cause chaos
31. To put water in your wine (France)
Meaning: To tone down or compromise.
In a Sentence: I had to put water in my wine and agree to a shorter vacation.
Other Ways to Say: Compromise, Soften your stance
32. To peel the onion (Spain)
Meaning: To go deeper into a complex issue.
In a Sentence: The detective kept peeling the onion until the truth came out.
Other Ways to Say: Get to the core, Dig deeper
33. To drop a clanger (United Kingdom)
Meaning: To make a big and embarrassing mistake.
In a Sentence: I dropped a clanger when I called her by the wrong name at the wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Make a blunder, Mess up
34. To think you’re the last Coca-Cola in the desert (Mexico)
Meaning: To think too highly of oneself.
In a Sentence: He acts like he’s the last Coca-Cola in the desert—so full of himself.
Other Ways to Say: Be arrogant, Think you’re special
35. To dig someone out of the snow (Norway)
Meaning: To help someone in a tough situation.
In a Sentence: She really dug me out of the snow when I forgot my wallet.
Other Ways to Say: Rescue, Help out
36. To have salt in your pumpkin (Italy)
Meaning: To be smart or sensible.
In a Sentence: You’ve got salt in your pumpkin—you handled that problem so well.
Other Ways to Say: Be clever, Be wise
37. To stop cooking while the soup is still boiling (Iran)
Meaning: To stop something before it’s finished.
In a Sentence: Don’t stop the project now—it’s like stopping cooking while the soup is still boiling.
Other Ways to Say: Give up too soon, Quit halfway
38. To have a wooden face (China)
Meaning: To show no emotion.
In a Sentence: Even when he heard the news, he had a wooden face and stayed silent.
Other Ways to Say: Stay expressionless, Not show feelings
39. To tie your heart to a chicken (Haiti)
Meaning: To fall in love too easily.
In a Sentence: She ties her heart to a chicken—every week it’s someone new.
Other Ways to Say: Fall quickly, Be too emotional
40. To look at the radish but not eat it (China)
Meaning: To desire something you can’t have.
In a Sentence: Staring at that new phone is like looking at the radish but not eating it.
Other Ways to Say: Tempted but denied, Long for something
41. To tie your goat (Uganda)
Meaning: To prepare ahead of time.
In a Sentence: I tied my goat early by packing everything the night before the trip.
Other Ways to Say: Be prepared, Plan ahead
42. To have a pig nose (Indonesia)
Meaning: To be shameless or rude.
In a Sentence: He cut in line and acted like it was normal—talk about having a pig nose.
Other Ways to Say: Be rude, Have no shame
43. To choke on a mosquito but swallow a camel (Arabic)
Meaning: To care about small things but ignore big ones.
In a Sentence: She complains about a typo but ignores the missing report—choking on a mosquito but swallowing a camel.
Other Ways to Say: Miss the big picture, Overfocus on details
44. To eat like a bird, poop like an elephant (India)
Meaning: To use up more than you take in.
In a Sentence: He eats like a bird and poops like an elephant with all his complaints.
Other Ways to Say: Take little, Waste a lot
45. To blow little ducks (Spain)
Meaning: To speak nonsense or babble.
In a Sentence: I stopped listening—he was just blowing little ducks the whole time.
Other Ways to Say: Talk nonsense, Babble on
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms:
- He looked miserable all day, like a face on a _______ weekend.
- She thinks she’s the last _______ in the desert just because she got a few compliments.
- When he said I had a pet tiger, I knew he was hanging _______ on my ears.
- That tiny apartment was the size of a _______ nose.
- Don’t worry—we all make mistakes, even _______ fall from trees.
- She helped me out when I forgot my keys—totally dug me out of the _______.
- His blank stare gave nothing away—he had a _______ face the whole time.
- Don’t drop a _______ during the presentation like you did last time.
- Starting the trip by missing the train was like breaking my fast with _______.
- I had to _______ my goat the night before so I wouldn’t be late for the exam.
Answers:
wet, Coca-Cola, noodles, cat’s, monkeys, snow, wooden, clanger, onions, tie
Conclusion
Idioms from around the world give us a glimpse into how different cultures express emotions, solve problems, and describe everyday life with creativity and humor. From cats on heads in Japan to golden-ring-wearing monkeys in Russia, each idiom carries its own charm and teaches us something unique about language.
By exploring and using these expressions, you can deepen your understanding of global communication and add some spice to your conversations. So next time you’re chatting with friends or learning a new language, try slipping in one of these phrases—you might just surprise someone with your world-wise words!
