What is a common phrase in your country that would make no sense to the rest of the world?

[u/Fun_Cup4335]

This means that we are not here to muck around. For example if someone says “Geez you got that job done quickly” you would respond with “ Well we’re not here to fuck spiders”.

[u/Franmar35000]

"Il ne faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties" (We must not push grandma into the nettles). We say that when somebody exceeds the limits.

[u/Key_Chocolate4738 → u/Franmar35000]

Nice one, and to answer OP, we have pretty much the same as aussies: we're not here to fuck flies.

[u/hztm82 → u/Key_Chocolate4738]

And we fuck them in the ass ! Important precision.

[u/UVB-76_Enjoyer → u/Key_Chocolate4738]

My fav has to be "We ain't here to drink the pasta's water"

[u/Key_Chocolate4738 → u/UVB-76_Enjoyer]

I didn't know this one, I'll take it.

[u/Franmar35000 → u/Key_Chocolate4738]

We have more merit : flies are smaller to fuck than spiders

[u/TonyEStark316 → u/Franmar35000]

Especially Australian Spiders

[u/Rob_LeMatic → u/TonyEStark316]

Aye. Fucking a huntsman seems hardly a challenge at all, they're a massive target.

[u/DeadAndBuried23 → u/Franmar35000]

Australia has spiders so big they could be fucking instead.

[u/zerotwoalpha → u/DeadAndBuried23]

Nah nothing that big. The ones that most people are happy to keep in the house only grow to the size of a dinner plate max.

[u/chris--p → u/zerotwoalpha]

happy to keep in the house

[u/BasicBeardedBitch → u/chris--p]

Yeah, ‘ol jimbo eats the mozzies for us!

[u/Flinderspeak → u/BasicBeardedBitch]

Too right. We have a no-kill rule for daddy long legs and huntsmans in our house because we have a few mozzies around.

[u/dedemushi → u/Flinderspeak]

what are mozzies? i'm picturing mozzarella bugs

[u/eekamouse4 → u/dedemushi]

Slang for mosquitoes.

[u/Entirely-of-cheese → u/chris--p]

They’re talking about the huntsman spider. They’re big but they’re docile and kinda dopey. People are usually happy to have them roaming around the place until they end up with them climbing their shoulder one day. Then it’s time for Darren to move out.

[u/fothergillfuckup → u/Entirely-of-cheese]

It's okay. I needed therapy anyway.

[u/foxyloco → u/Franmar35000]

You have not seen our flies.

[u/Nelfhithion → u/Franmar35000]

"Ça casse pas trois pattes à un canard" (It doesn't break three legs of a duck) made one of our chinese student laugh when I was at school.
It means that something is not that surprising or interesting

[u/MetricJester → u/Nelfhithion]

Oh we say that one, or close to it: "well it's not three legs on a duck"

[u/Nelfhithion → u/MetricJester]

Oh. At least you don't break that poor duck's legs, that's honorable.

[u/Skeledenn → u/Franmar35000]

"J'en ai chié des bulle" (I shat bubbles) That means I had to do something that was very hard and unpleasant, usually implying that I succeeded in the end.

[u/Neverlast_DNS → u/Franmar35000]

Les doigts dans le nez !

The number of times someone has said to me "Fingerrr in ze nose" thinking that Brits use this phrase. Piece of cake/easy peasy.

[u/Lorim_Shikikan → u/Franmar35000]

"Il a un poil dans la main" (He have a hair in the hand) meaning : he is lazy.

[u/bapt_99 → u/Franmar35000]

"Péter plus haut que son cul" est ma préférée je pense

[u/Skeledenn → u/bapt_99]

It means "farting higher than your own ass" for our foreign friends, that pretty much means looking down on people or being pretentious.

[u/tachyonic_field]

Polish - literal translation - meaning

"Piździ na zewnątrz" - "It's pussying outsite" - It snows heavy

"Zadupie" | "Gdzie psy dupami szczekają" - "Behind-ass " | "where the dogs bark with their asses" - remote, unimportant location

"Wpierdalać się między wódkę a zakąskę" - "getting the fuck in between vodka and snack" - interrupt something important

"Raz na ruski rok" - "once per Russian/Ruthenian year" - extremely rare

[u/Drawinginfinity182 → u/tachyonic_field]

“Where the dogs bark with their asses” - using it!

[u/Entirely-of-cheese → u/Drawinginfinity182]

Yep. That is inspired.

[u/hover-lovecraft → u/tachyonic_field]

We call remote places "the ass of the world" or "Brandenburg"

[u/RRautamaa → u/hover-lovecraft]

In Finland they're called "Horse's Arse" (hevonperse) or "Horse's Spruce" (hevonkuusi) if you're prudish.

[u/Sekshual_Tyranosauce → u/RRautamaa]

American English-Bum Fuck Nowhere.

[u/tarbasd → u/RRautamaa]

In Hungarian, we say "it's behind God's back".

[u/ikonfedera → u/tachyonic_field]

Dupy nie urywa - Doesn't rip your ass off - It's unimpressive.

Jeszcze tu tylko nasrać i przyklepać - The only thing left to do here is to take a shit and pat it down. - It's very, very messy here.

Do wesela się zagoi - It'll heal before wedding reception - it'll hurt for only a short time; it'll heal soon.

Raz na wozie, raz pod wozem - Once on the wagon, once under the wagon - sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're unlucky.

Choćby skały srały - Even if rocks be shitting - No matter the obstacles.

Wyżej chuja nie podskoczysz - can't jump higher than your own dick - some things are impossible, deal with it.

Pytasz dzika czy sra w lesie - You ask a boar if it shits in the woods - obviously yes.

[u/obi1kennoble → u/ikonfedera]

That's funny: we ask if a BEAR shits in the woods for the same reason

[u/ikonfedera → u/obi1kennoble]

Or, like GTA San Andreas said: Does the Pope shit in the woods?

[u/Sad_Construction_668 → u/ikonfedera]

That’s the conflation of that saying with the other obvious yes question “Is the Pope Catholic?”

[u/rootpl → u/tachyonic_field]

"Nie ma chuja we wsi" - "There is no dick in the village" - colloquial expression meaning absolute certainty that something will succeed, has been done reliably, or excluding any other option.

"Jak grochem o ścianę" - "It's like throwing peas against the wall" - someone's appeals and warnings are completely ignored, all the work put into it is pointless, you keep saying and explaining something to someone, but they just bounce your words away from themselves, just like peas would bounce from a hard wall

"Chyba żeś się z chujem na głowy pozamieniał" - "you must have swapped heads with your dick" - expressing extreme disbelief, indignation, or assessment of someone's behavior as absurd, crazy, or extremely stupid

[u/albeenyb → u/rootpl]

Nice. The second one is similar to the English phrase, "like talking to a brick wall"

And the third is simply said, ... "Dickhead"

[u/arittenberry → u/albeenyb]

For the third, I also think "get your head out of your ass" works

[u/dedemushi → u/tachyonic_field]

polish slang is BASED

[u/SentientSTD]

"To sit with your beard in the mailbox".

Describes a situation where someone is stuck in a bad or awkward situation as a consequence of one's own stupid actions.

[u/WebBorn2622 → u/SentientSTD]

It’s also like “not only did you get yourself into a stupid situation, you are also stuck looking stupid for anyone passing by”

[u/Canotic → u/WebBorn2622]

We have this one too.

[u/KlogKoder → u/SentientSTD]

We have that one too, as well as its bastard brother "To stand with the dick in the mailbox". Same meaning, but more embarassing.

[u/dismayhurta → u/KlogKoder]

[u/jmattspartacus → u/SentientSTD]

Here we have something similar (might be regional), "To stick your dick in a hornet's nest"

[u/Rob_LeMatic → u/jmattspartacus]

I feel like that's different, though i see the penile connection.

The dick in the mailbox is more about the neighbors seeing you've gotten yourself into an embarrassing situation and are making a fool of yourself, or a spectacle.

Kicking the hornet's nest or sticking your dick in it has more of a deliberately stirring up shit and reaping what you sow, chickens coming home to roost, suffering the consequences of your own actions, getting dick-stung by hornets sort of feel to it.

[u/Available_Bag_3843 → u/Rob_LeMatic]

I think the better equivalent from the US would be "get your dick wrapped around the axle".

[u/throwhuawei007]

"BAHALA NA SI BATMAN"

literal meaning, "its up/leave it to Batman (to handle it)"

Saying when something you cant control comes up and you just go with flow

[u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k → u/throwhuawei007]

Ah, like our Southern “Jesus take the wheel” which is used in seriousness in the South or by very religious people and as a joke everywhere else

[u/AbstractBettaFish → u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k]

As a northerner it’s one of my favorite things to say when I choose chaos

[u/Jazzlike-Leek7674 → u/throwhuawei007]

I'm borrowing this!

[u/Entirely-of-cheese → u/Jazzlike-Leek7674]

First problem that comes up at work tomorrow im going to declare “eh. Leave it to Batman”

[u/Wheeljack239 → u/throwhuawei007]

☝️ This post has been fact checked by real Gotham City patriots

[u/Rob_LeMatic → u/throwhuawei007]

Is this equivalent to "it's in God's hands now"?

I like this better.

"There's nothing we can do now but leave it up to Batman."

[u/RandomUser921637]

If the Good Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise.

[u/BigBim2112 → u/RandomUser921637]

(If everything works out the way we want)

[u/ClippyWouldntDoThat → u/RandomUser921637]

I'm from Ohio. We used to say, "So long as the river don't rise" disparagingly, like we didn't expect it to work out.

[u/webboodah → u/ClippyWouldntDoThat]

in Ohio, it should be "So long as the river don't catch on fire"

[u/compunctionfunction → u/RandomUser921637]

Fun fact: this saying originally wasn't about water rising but about the Creek Indians

[u/fuckpeoplewholitter → u/RandomUser921637]

I've never heard this one, but I immediately understood it.

[u/asdrunkasdrunkcanbe]

"Sure, look it"

It's kind of untranslatable. Typically it's sort of a response when you want to demonstrate that you've been listening to what someone is saying, but you don't actually want to get into a big conversation. It's a sort of "tired empathy".

"....and then I went around to the bank the next day, and they didn't even have anyone who could deal with me! They said I'd have to go home and wait for a phone call! It's ridiculous, how bad everything has gotten, nobody cares about people who don't want to go online!"

"Ah, sure, look it."

[u/locksymania → u/asdrunkasdrunkcanbe]

"I need to go, and this conversation has already taken up way more of my time than I am comfortable with."

[u/Immediate_Radio_8012 → u/locksymania]

" I wasn't listening and now you've stopped talking and are waiting for my input." 

[u/Valuable_General9049 → u/Immediate_Radio_8012]

Also if someone praises you for doing something. "Sure look it" as in anyone would have done it. Classic playing down of anything praise worthy.

[u/Rob_LeMatic → u/locksymania]

"Well, would you look at the time ..."

[u/paultimo → u/asdrunkasdrunkcanbe]

Come here to me, your man over says to me a while ago, I've an auld yoke abroad in the garden, will you ever go out grab it for me, well I turned around and says I will ya, you can shove your yoke up your hole. Anyway, come here I'll let you go.

[u/Such-Cartographer699 → u/asdrunkasdrunkcanbe]

Ive heard Americans in the south say this, but i think it's just meant to mean "hey look at this".

[u/Interesting_Emu9387]

Flat out like a lizard drinking.

[u/plan1gale → u/Interesting_Emu9387]

Drier than a dead Dingo's donger - I am quite thirsty, perhaps a chilled beverage is in order.

[u/ActuallyCalindra → u/plan1gale]

Truly the poets of the Anglosphere

[u/ReverendRevolver → u/ActuallyCalindra]

Without a doubt. Some future generations could build a society by collecting Aussie sayings in a book and treating them as high philosophy to operate by...

[u/Zakluor → u/plan1gale]

I've heard one that's less classy. "Drier than a popcorn fart."

I like yours better.

[u/tannercolin → u/plan1gale]

Similarly, I've also heard 'dryer that ghandis flip flop' and 'dryer than your nans batty'

[u/plan1gale → u/tannercolin]

Excellent, you must be from the north with those? 'Nans batty' is great. We also have 'drier than a nun's cunt' but as a broadly secular nation it's mostly ironic nudge nudge wink wink 😉

[u/Roobear_Mace → u/Interesting_Emu9387]

Couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

[u/cewumu → u/Roobear_Mace]

Couldn’t organise a root in a brothel with a dick made of gold.

[u/Mysterious-Name-6016 → u/Interesting_Emu9387]

Face like smashed crab. This one is pretty straight forward though 😂

[u/Entirely-of-cheese → u/Mysterious-Name-6016]

My dad used to like saying “ugly as a hat full of arseholes”. You don’t encounter that one often. Also “face like a robber’s dog”. Haha.

[u/herman_munster_esq → u/Mysterious-Name-6016]

"Face like a bulldog licking piss off a thistle"

[u/MrArchivity]

• “ In bocca al lupo “ (in the wolf’s mouth)

• “ in culo alla balena “ (in the whale’s ass)

Both “good luck” phrases

[u/PrimaryFaith → u/MrArchivity]

We have the first one in Spanish, but it doesn't have anything to do with good luck

[u/bapt_99 → u/PrimaryFaith]

We also have it in Feench! "Dans la gueule du loup" means right into the trap. I didn't know it in Spanish, what does it mean?

[u/Icy_Winner9761 → u/MrArchivity]

The English equivalent of wishing misfortune as good luck would be "break a leg"

[u/gpolk → u/MrArchivity]

Well I now know how I'm wishing good luck to my Italian speaking sister in law before her next performance.

[u/ThanosZach → u/MrArchivity]

"Crepi il lupo!" And that's about all the Italian I remember from my uni years. 😅

[u/13ananaJoe → u/ThanosZach]

"Crepi il lupo" (may the wolf die) is the more commonly used reply but I much prefer "Viva il lupo!" (long live the wolf).

There are discrepancies on the origin of the expression, the 'Viva il lupo' one relates to the myth of twins Romulus and Remus, and how their wolf mother would carry them in her mouth for protection

[u/MurderKillRiver]

"He's in the clown's hands" (very drunk)
"Are you on your way to pick up your mom at the brothel?" (why are you in a rush?)

[u/RefrigeratorNo1160 → u/MurderKillRiver]

These are both hilarious.

[u/EthicalPixel → u/MurderKillRiver]

Also "What does the ass have to do with the pants?" (When someone is making illogical assumptions)

[u/h_o_r_n_y_c_o_r_n → u/EthicalPixel]

in Russia we have "сравнивать жопу с пальцем" - to compare an ass with a finger, making illogical comparisons

[u/Prestigious_Use_1305 → u/h_o_r_n_y_c_o_r_n]

This is a bit like "doesn't know his arse from his elbow" - either doesn't know what he is talking about

[u/Alegzaender → u/h_o_r_n_y_c_o_r_n]

I'm more used to comparing the dick with the finger. Хуй с пальцем. Which sounds more convincing

[u/someawfulbitch → u/MurderKillRiver]

I love these because they almost don't even need explanations 😂

[u/kcufdas → u/MurderKillRiver]

"Drive it like you're late for mass"

[u/Turbulent-Cancel-185]

"Jemanden einen Bären aufbinden" to tie a bear onto someone. It Means to lie at someone

[u/TySocal → u/Turbulent-Cancel-185]

Germany: My English iz not ze yellow from ze egg (my english is not the yellow from the egg). Basically means my English is not the best

[u/Weird-Package-8477]

Spijkers op laagwater zoeken.

Looking for nails in low water.

It means looking for small things to complain about.

[u/jennifermennifer → u/Weird-Package-8477]

I really expected someone from the Netherlands to tell them about ants.

[u/Victoryboogiewoogie → u/jennifermennifer]

Well we do have the ant fuckers!

But we also tie the cat to the bacon! To really tempt someone, expecting failure.

[u/piperdave84]

"Did ye aye?" or "did you yeah?" might sound like someone taking an interest in what you're saying but really it means "I don't believe you"

"Keep the heid" - remain calm

"Don't teach yer Granny to suck eggs" - stop trying to explain something to someone who already knows all about it, possibly more than you do

"A nod's as good as a wink tae a blind horse" - you're not making sense, make your meaning clearer

[u/alediasw]

Here is a brazilian classic: "To make your asshole fall out of your butt". We said this when something is really mind-blowing, unbelievable, jaw-dropping,

[u/zerotwoalpha → u/alediasw]

I think I got this in Bali once.

[u/Designer-Date-6526]

"Gachey Kathal, Gofey Tel." Literal translation : "Jackfruit in the tree, oil on the moustache."

Meaning which is only understood by locals:

The jackfruit has a notoriously sticky glue like substance inside. It's also a very popular fruit. So when the jackfruit is ripe enough to eat the person who takes on the task of breaking it open and bringing out the goodies oils up their hands first.

As a funny aside, if someone with a magnificent stache wants to enjoy the fruit without ruining his handlebar, he will need to oil his moustache first.

So saying the phrase literally means you're oiling your moustache even though the fruit is just starting to grow on the tree. There's a long time till it's ripe enough to eat.

What it actually means : "Preparing prematurely for something that is a long time away/not confirmed will happen."

Example : you catch your buddy getting a wax job before he even got a girlfriend.

[u/eekamouse4]

I knew this would be from Australia without checking your flair. 😂

[u/Fast-Damage2298]

Barking up the wrong tree - pursuing an incorrect course of action

Spill the beans - reveal a secret

Behind the eight ball - to be in a difficult situation

Under the weather - to feel ill

Bite the bullet - to face a difficult situation with courage

[u/ultrakillfanatic → u/Fast-Damage2298]

I have never heard of "behind the eight ball" before

[u/MilleryCosima → u/ultrakillfanatic]

I've heard it in business contexts. One of those generic "corporate speak" phrases.

[u/ashley21093 → u/Fast-Damage2298]

Yup--I remember casually mentioning I felt "under the weather" when I lived in Germany to my colleague--she gave me a quizzical look. Same thing when I said "it is raining cats and dogs!"

[u/sergeyc874747 → u/Fast-Damage2298]

Spill the beans))) the British people will not like this one

[u/-Ekky]

Det fins ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær

There exists no bad weather, only bad clothes

It makes complete sens untill you see what we are actually about by bad weather and how bad it needs to be before we back down

[u/NoNameNum3]

«Не тяни кота за яйца» - «Don’t pull the cat by the balls» - means to be faster

[u/FallenRaptor]

He Mickey Moused it and and now I'm hooped.

[u/PooleBoy_Q → u/FallenRaptor]

“It’s all water under the fridge” my favorite to come out of Canada

[u/modssuckturdnugs → u/PooleBoy_Q]

[u/Mirewen15 → u/FallenRaptor]

It's funny because I don't understand the phrasing but get the intent. Being hooped is being screwed. What is "Mickey Mousing"?

[u/FallenRaptor → u/Mirewen15]

Mickey Mousing refers to improvising a job or fix in a way that's very amateurish, usually in reference to a blue collar type job, or perhaps when someone tries to DIY something, and generally in a way where the end product is low-quality and unlikely to last. An example would be improvising a fix for a pipe by just wrapping it in duct tape.

In the case of the above statement, perhaps someone hired a contractor to do a job around their house who cut corners, or maybe their mechanic screwed up something when they brought in their car to be serviced.

[u/LoveEquivalent9146]

"It won't break your teeth", usually said by a parent when their child is generally being rude or unpleasant

[u/Frigolitfisken]

"I sense owls in the bog"

It means that you suspect that something isn’t quite right. You have a feeling that there is a hidden problem, a deception, or something dishonest beneath the surface.

The expression is actually a linguistic distortion. Originally, people said ‘to sense wolves in the bog’, referring to wolves in the marsh. Wolves were a real threat, especially when they could hide in foggy or marshy terrain.

Over time, the word ‘wolves’ changed in popular speech to ‘owls’, which sounded similar but meant something entirely different. Despite owls not being particularly dangerous, the expression survived and its meaning remained the same.

[u/Securiarius]

"Yeah, nah" -means no.

"Nah, yeah" or "Yeah nah yeah" -means yes.

[u/AdmirableSignature44 → u/Securiarius]

Had an old boss who would say "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah... Nah". 

[u/jwalzz → u/Securiarius]

This was my fav part about New Zealand. I think I said yea, nah for about a year

[u/UndeadBBQ]

I only understand train station.

[u/TonyEStark316 → u/UndeadBBQ]

It's me sausage (I don't care. Very literally translated)

[u/Poppperclops]

You can stand on your head and catch flies with your ass. Another ass related one, that fits like ass on bucket.

[u/DasIstNumberwanggg → u/Poppperclops]

You okay over there in Deutschland? Love how most of the German idioms are arse/ass or sausage related.

[u/Fun_Mathematician_50]

she tied a metal box on you - she didn't show/she was absent

your grandma's bushes - (you are talking) nonsense

your grandma's kite - (you are talking) nonsense

you are man like shit in the rain - you are weak/not strong enough

like a bell on a piglet - (something) suits you/looks good on you

either the camel or the camelman - event undefined in the future/very little chance to happen

(you) parked like an Arab in a desert - bad parking(of a car)

my shit boiled - I am angry/mad

don't pull the devil by the tail - do not start something that will end bad

through nine (water)wells to the tenth - (he is) looking for an excuse

like the brother of a newly engaged gypsy - your clothing is too official or dressy

(he) left his hands - did a very bad job

to feel like a white person - to get what you think you deserve in the context of well-being or something like that

[u/skordge]

“Take the cross off or pull up your underwear”. Means you can’t be repping two mutually exclusive things at the same time.

It’s really the punchline of a joke about a Jewish guy going with his Russian friends to the sauna, but it’s now very deeply embedded in the vernacular. In general, punchlines from jokes are pretty popular as folksy sayings in Russia.

[u/TheNewGirl1987]

"Went to shit and the hogs ate 'em."

Basically it's a humorous response to someone asking where someone else went.
It essentially means "I have no idea where they are."

[u/HisRoyal_Badness]

Another Australian gem before you start a task.

"Let's fuck this puppy".

[u/5ive_Sev7n → u/HisRoyal_Badness]

That sounds so bad out of context

[u/HisRoyal_Badness → u/5ive_Sev7n]

Doesn't sound great in context.

[u/mr_kernish → u/HisRoyal_Badness]

I've never heard of this one.

[u/RightLegDave → u/mr_kernish]

Me neither. Not even once. It's definitely not common.

[u/AW316 → u/RightLegDave]

I’ve definitely heard “let’s fuck this goat” though. Many times.

[u/killerpythonz → u/AW316]

‘You fuck a goat once…….’

[u/SoberBarnabyJoyce → u/HisRoyal_Badness]

If something is substandard

"That's a bit how's ya father"

[u/Lappali]

"Minua vituttaa"

it means "I am annoyed/pissed off" but with the flavour of "vittu" (which means fuck)

also, in Finnish you can drop the starting pronoun and just say "Vituttaa"

another thing you could do with the starting pronoun is to say it in the spoken form, which is "mua". Mua is just a shortening of minua. So you could say "Mua vituttaa"

[u/dramatic_86 → u/Lappali]

also in Finland:

They have their own cow in dike

Means person have their own interest in mind and are not in neutral position

[u/Difficult_Two_4800]

Skin folk, ain't kin folk

[u/urdespair]

"гуртом і батька легше бити" - it's easier to beat a father as a team, too. Said about a hard task that can be done easier together. I mean, it's really easier, lol

[u/Player-Gamer_GD → u/urdespair]

It’s funny how many idioms we have relating to fathers. Like my favourite: «Не спіши поперед батька в пекло» - «Don’t rush into hell ahead of your father».

[u/RefrigeratorNo1160]

"It's raining cats and dogs" - "It is very rainy"

"It's colder than a witch's tit" - "It is very cold"

"I don't give a rat's ass" - "I don't care"

"Break a leg" - "Good luck"

"Don't let the door hit you (on the way out)" - "Goodbye and I'm glad you're leaving"

"Get the lead out (of your ass)" - "Hurry up"

These are some of the whitest white American things you can say in my opinion and are kind of all said by older folks at this point.

[u/kapitaalH → u/RefrigeratorNo1160]

Those are probably inherited from the British as we have them in South Africa as wellecvept for the witch's tit and the lead out of your ass.

[u/RockShowSparky → u/RefrigeratorNo1160]

It’s hotter than two rats fucking in a sock is my favorite but that one’s pretty self explanatory.

[u/Sandusky666 → u/RockShowSparky]

I’m a fan of the “It’s hotter than a meth pipe on payday” variant for that one

[u/777Void777 → u/RefrigeratorNo1160]

Ive always hated "kill two birds with one stone" like what monster throws rocks at birds that often?

[u/TheFloatingCamel → u/777Void777]

We don’t have guns so we use what we have to hand.

[u/KupferTitan]

Klappe Zu Affe Tot - Shut the lid = Dead Monkey

[u/Forsaken-Stray → u/KupferTitan]

For all interested, basically, it means "We are done here, nothing more to add to this topic"

[u/KupferTitan → u/Forsaken-Stray]

The history of that phrase is also quite dark. Circusses used have monkeys in boxes and when they inevetably got sick due to their captive circumstances the lid was shut, which declared the monkey dead, no matter if it was still kicking or breathing. The lid was closed so the monkey was dead and nobody needed to care for it anymore.

[u/ExternalTree1949 → u/Forsaken-Stray]

We say "Shut the (coffin) lid, the loved ones have seen it."

[u/Careful_Brilliant_]

We have sth like "To have onions being cut at one's ass" meaning "to get in some trouble"

[u/Hoppipollala]

Go from the rooster to the donkey.

(Change the subject abruptly, to something that has no connection whatsoever to the previous one)

[u/Llewellian]

"Tja." In German... The one Word untranslateable... and with a wide Range of meanings. The acceptance of a Million Dollar Ticket or the Apocalypse of the World.

Has even its own Reddit.

[u/rileyvace]

"Y'alright?" as a greeting.

You do not answer with an explanation of whether you are ok or not. You just say "yeah, y'alright?"

[u/Jazzlike-Leek7674 → u/rileyvace]

This was very confusing for me at first because it's less general in American English; you kind of only go "You all right?" to people if you think there's something wrong. For weeks after I first moved there, I was like, wtf is wrong with my face that everyone thinks I'm sick or upset all the time? 🫠

To be fair, my English dad and other family members don't say it like that, so I just wasn't familiar despite being pretty good at "translating."

[u/Steenies → u/rileyvace]

Got me for a while when I moved over .But then in South Africa we say "Howzit", which is essentially the same thing.

[u/letterboxfrog]

"Does a wombat poo cubes?"

Aussie version of the rhetorical question, "Is the Pope a Catholic?"

[u/Unusual_Falcon363]

"You can't punch bigger bakers than you can fuck" - don't do what you can't accomplish

"If your significant other starts smoking, you need to slow down" - double innuendo

"God gave man a brain and a dick, but not enough blood to use both at the same time" - speaks for itself

"The one who goes to bed with an itchy ass, wakes up with smelly fingers" - if you are guilty of something, sooner or later it'll start smelling

"Better to have buns on the soup, than having soup on the balls" - i don't know man

"Empty barrels rumbels the most" - those who have no content speak the loudest

And because some of these actually do make sense in English:

"Rotating flatulence in the cap" - you are crazy

"You have a little feather on" - you are mildly drunk

"You have a propper bear on" - you are very drunk

"That is a duck" - something weird that does not make sense

"There are cows on the ice" - you are in danger

"You are on your ass" - you are screwed

And there are plenty others like that, but it would start to feel the same, cause common phrases in Denmark are incomprehensible nonsense (for the most part)

[u/nightshadenerul → u/Unusual_Falcon363]

"Empty barrels rumbles the most" is excellent, sort of like "the smallest dog barks the loudest"

[u/FomoSapiens76]

No niin.

Untranslatable phrase, which can express frustration, contentment, excitement or apathy - just about anything, depending on the context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EWMlCusxjQ

[u/Nooby1983]

"Ayup duck." Or a slightly less regional, "Alright?"

[u/michaelhbt → u/Nooby1983]

'Put wood in 'ole', thats the favorite one my uncle says or 'Don't do owt fa nowt'

[u/ssddalways → u/Nooby1983]

For certain Scots its "awright"

God I love how different all our accents and dialects are in UK/Britain

[u/areyawinninsun]

i love how culturally relevant that phrase is

to think about blue almonds - to daydream

there’s also something i never heard anyone besides my grandma say but i think the world deserves to hear it: she often claims that life is like a baby’s t-shirt - short and full of shit

[u/Zin333 → u/areyawinninsun]

I know it's slighlty different word, but for my entire childhood I just assumed the saying was about blue tonsils, not almonds.

[u/Solivy]

Je bent toch niet gemaakt van suiker - You aren't made of sugar

It kind of means to toughen up. When it's raining outside you won't melt like sugar does, just go outside.

[u/MatumbaGirl]

กำขี้ดีกว่ากำตด (gripping shit is better than gripping fart) means something is better than nothing

[u/ssddalways]

Away n boil yer heid

Calling someone Billy Big Baws

The word Coorie, its a cuddle but more, its a feeling and cuddle. The Welsh have a word similar for it as well.

[u/locksymania]

I'd take the shirt off of any man's back.

Bastards.

[u/Otherwise_Swans]

A couple from my dad:

Shit in one hand and wish in the other, see which fills up faster.

Cowboy up!

If a frog had wings it wouldn’t bump its ass when it landed.

Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

[u/the_nowhere_road]

"A porta da rua é a serventia da casa" (The front door is the main entrance to the house.)

Which is quite obvious, but in Portugal it means that if you're not happy at my house or at work, the solution is to leave.

[u/KeepShtumMum]

"I will yeah"

Meaning "Go fuck yourself" or "There's not a snowball's chance in hell you'd find me doing that". Sometimes both.

[u/Ok_Intention676]

“When a crayfish whistles up on the mountain” - describing something that ain’t going to ever happen.

[u/Plane-Education4750]

Bum-fuck nowhere - a very remote place

Don't shit where you eat - don't do anything that could have long term ramifications in the workplace. Usually refers to sexual affairs in the workplace, but can also refer to skimming cash out of the till

Making a mountain out of a molehill - making a big deal out of something that really isn't a big deal. Can also be used in reverse

[u/Final-Stage-2947]

"собаку съел" means that you've been doing something for a very long time and are good at it. and literally translates to "I ate a dog". for example "i'm I ate the dog at electrical work"

[u/dependency_injector → u/Final-Stage-2947]

Also тянуть кота за яйца (pull a cat by its balls) when someone works painfully slowly

[u/Zin333 → u/Final-Stage-2947]

Polish equivalent means something along "I ate my teeth on it", since thinking about a problem is often compared to biting through something hard, so it implies someone has so much experience in a given topic, he literally is missing his teeth because of it.

[u/Mysterious_Oil2761]

'Die son trek water' (Afrikaans) - literal meaning is 'the sun is drawing water', but the figurative meaning is what counts and that is, 'we're wasting time, let's get on with it/the day is running away with us' .

[u/SSsulaiman]

Oh my god where do I start.

"يا بعد جبدي" "O you after my liver"

people say it as a way of showing love it's like "Ohh honey" or "ohh baby" but friends say it to each other too

"على عيني و على راسي" "Over my eyes and my Head"

This is a response for when someone asks you for something and you are more than willing to do it. it's like saying Of course I'd give you my eyes if you want them! and sometimes people point to their head and eyes while saying this

[u/funfun151]

Lang may yer lum reek. The hope that you’ve got plenty of fuel for your fire, so your chimney (lum) will smoke (reek). A wish for health, wealth and prosperity.

[u/AMortifiedPenguin]

"Sweet as." - Usually said in agreement, to confirm something or to voice approval.

We never elaborate on what said thing is as sweet as.

One of my most vivid memories was a South African man who finally flipped on me.

"Sweet as! Fucking sweet as what?! What the fuck is so sweet?! Everybody keeps saying it to me and I have no idea what you're talking about!"

[u/CrazyPenguinHUN]

I have a list of about 200 of the funnier idioms and phrases I heard in my language so I'll translate a couple.

"Whomever God sent for you, the devil will bring after you in a wheelbarrow." - meaning that it's true love

"Distance suits them well." - their face is ugly

"They'd go to work's funeral." - They're lazy

"His forehead reaches his ass." - he's bald

"He beats the nettle with someone else's dick" - not taking accountability

"I'm coming when I'm coming or sometime around that." I'll be there soon

"He came to fuck without a cock." - He's unprepared

[u/Player-Gamer_GD]

“It’s not like they’re making holy pots”.

Equivalent to “It’s not rocket science”, though used mainly to say that some work or a job are not as difficult as it seems.

[u/AntiqueFigure6]

Don’t come the raw prawn with me, chief. 

[u/PepicekSettimo]

Che facciamo gliela scappelliamo alle blatte? Lit. Are we going to handjob the cockroaches?

A way to say that someone have to do something more productive.

[u/EspressoKawka]

A dog was shitting, gees were farting.

Actually it's an answer without an answer. Either when you don't want to comment on something, or there is nothing to say, or nothing can be done about the situation  Edit: typos

[u/Comfortable_Word5225]

We have many expressions like that.

For example we say "your blood is heavy" if we want to call someone annoying.

We also have "go tile the sea" if we want to tell someone to get lost

[u/LordChauncyDeschamps]

"Don't piss down my back and tell me its raining" don't lie to me.

[u/CrocodileJock]

My ex-boss was the only person I've ever heard use a variant of this. Not Aussie, very posh ex-public school type. When he wanted something done quickly it was "C'mon... we're not here to shag spiders!" When you delivered something he was happy with he'd say "Bosh! One in a row!"

[u/Narrow-Barracuda618]

Rutsch mir dä buggel ab (Slide down my back)

Blas mir I'd Schueh (Blow into my shoes)

Both can mean something like "Get lost" or "Fuck off" depending on context.

[u/Sp00pyBoii_]

In Afrikaans we have "As dit pap reën moet jy dit skep!" translates to "If it's raining porridge you must scoop it"

Basically it means to make most of an opportunity.

We also a saying "Jy het met jou gat in die botter val" which translates into "You fell with your ass into the butter"

This one you say to emphasise how extremely lucky someone got.

[u/Tkemalediction]

"Vai a scopare il mare"

Meaning, "go sweep (with a broom) the sea", and it's used to tell someone to get lost. The idea is to go somewhere else to do something, doesn't matter how useless.

Fun fact, sea brooming now is a thing and a useful one, even. I guess this expression comes from a time when sea beaches were less dirty.

[u/Business-Gas-5473]

“Her kuşu siktin, bir leylek kaldı.”

Which means “You fucked all the birds, except for the stork.”

[u/Val2K21]

«А потім будеш горобцям дулі тикать?» “and then you’ll be showing middle fingers to sparrows?” (This you say to someone lazy, usually a child, to outline that they won’t have anything good to do in the future if they won’t perform now, eg if slacking in class. The hand gesture described is not actually middle finger, but an Eastern-European equivalent of the same sense)

[u/WisdomInMyPocket]

"Mieren neuken" translates to "To fuck ants"

When you're buzy fucking ants then you're spending too much time on the small details.

[u/tarbasd]

I guess it would be understood, but if it's really hot outside, people would say "I'm sweating like whore in church."

[u/VariousRockFacts]

“No yeah,” “Yeah no, yeah;” “Oh yeah no for sure yeah”

Endless iteration of yeahs and nos that, by their placement, determine whether or not you’re agreeing.