Trentino dialect | Trentino Province of Trento, Italy

te sta come 'n fior su na recia

Standard Phrase USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(It fits you like a flower on the ear) • It's used ironically when someone does something that causes a bad consequence for him/herself. It's like saying "You brought it on yourself".

"Mama me son taiá! Ero drio a dugar coi curtei e me n'è cascá uno sul pie!" "Ben! Te sta come 'n fior su na recia!"

"Mum, I cut myself! I was playing with knives and one fell on my foot!" "Well! It fits you like a flower on the ear!"

Portuguese Brazil

borogodó

Slang USED In the past BY Older Generations

Irresistible personal attraction or seduction.

-"Aquele rapaz tem borogodó."

-"That boy has borogodó."

Norwegian Norway

grunker

Word USED On Rare Occasion BY Older Generations

(noun) • An old fashioned, archaic word meaning 'money'. Used by older people or by younger people ironically.

"Et øyeblikk, så skal jeg se om jeg har noen grunker til deg."

"One moment, let me see if I got some money for you."

Portuguese Brazil

vá plantar batatas

Idiom USED In the past BY Older Generations

(go plant potatoes) • It means “leave me alone!” or “go away!”

“Quer ficar comigo, gata?” “Não quero não! Vá plantar batatas!”

“Wanna hook up with me, sexy?” “No, I don’t want to! Go plant potatoes!”

Polish Poland

orka na ugorze

Idiom USED On Rare Occasion BY Older Generations

(ploughing a fallow field) • An extremely tedious and unsatisfying task.

"Uczenie tego dziecka dobrych manier to orka na ugorze."

"Teaching this kid good manners is like ploughing a fallow field."

Italian | Veneto Veneto, Italy

pesare i peri

Slang USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(weighing pears) • It is a dialectal form to describe when you are sleepy, with half-closed eyelids and cheeks hanging like pears.

"Come sta andando la conferenza? È interessante?" "No, è veramente noiosa, sono qui a pesare i peri!"

"How's the conference going? Is it interesting?" "No, it's really boring, I'm here weighing pears!"

English United States

Good night, Irene

Interjection USED In the past BY Older generations

(interj.) • An interjection showing disbelief, annoyance, or dismay. Often used as an alternative to "my god" or other somewhat more vulgar interjections. Originated from a song by Huddie Leadbetter called "Goodnight, Irene" (1933), which was about his frustration with a past relationship. Usage is becoming obsolete.

"Did you hear that John came home drunk again last night?" "Oh, good night Irene. He never learns."

Russian Russia

наставить рога

Expression USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(v.) • (to put horns on [somebody]) • To cheat on someone. Depictions of a stag-horned cheated-on man are often in jokes and caricatures relating to cheating.

"Он убил свою жену за то, что она наставила ему рога."

"He has killed his wife because she put horns on him."

Portuguese Brazil

enchendo os pacová

Expression USED Frequently BY Older Generations

(to fill the pacová) • To bore, annoy, or irritate someone.

"Você é muito irritante, para de encher os pacová!"

"You are so annoying, stop filling the pacová!"

English Southern States, United States

the devil's beating his wife

Expression USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

A phrase that means 'it is raining while not overcast, so the sun is still visible, and it is bright outside despite the rain'.

"Take a look out the window and tell me what the weather's like." "The devil's beating his wife." "Hopefully it'll clear up soon; I forgot my umbrella."

Portuguese Brazil

café de uma mão

Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Older Generations

(one-hand coffee) • A coffee for which you don't use your other hand to eat something. You are just drinking coffee, without eating at the same time.

"Não tem biscoito, será café de uma mão só."

"There is no cookie, it will be a one-hand coffee."

Spanish Spain

correveidile

Word USED On Rare Occasion BY Older Generations

(noun) • (gorunandsayit) • This word evolved from a sentence that was usually said very quick, until it became one single word. It's used to name a person who will tell a secret to everyone as quick as they know it.

''Seguro que ya se lo ha contado a todo el mundo, ¡vaya correveidile está hecho!''

"I'm sure he already told it to everyone. What a gorunandsayit guy!''

Spanish Argentina

más boludo que las palomas

Expression USED Very frequently BY Older Generations

(more stupid than pigeons) • Used to talk about someone who is very stupid. Often said after they do a silly thing, but it can also be used to simply describe them.

"Hoy Tomás me preguntó si los perros ponían huevos... ¡Es más boludo que las palomas!"

"Today Tomás asked me if dogs lay eggs... He's more stupid than pigeons!"

English English speaking countries

shrapnel

Word USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(n.) • Coins or loose change. Reference to coins being small pieces of metal, like shrapnel.

"Have you got enough shrapnel for the parking meter?"

Dutch Belgium

blaffende honden bijten niet

Expression USED On Occasion BY mainly older generations

(barking dogs don't bite) • Someone who's annoying or threatening usually doesn't do much after all.

"Hij dreigde ermee dat hij m'n gsm zou afpakken als ik niet stopte met sms'en" "Maak je maar geen zorgen, blaffende honden bijten meestal niet"

"He threatened to take my phone away if I wouldn't stop texting" "Don't you worry, barking dogs usually don't bite"

Norwegian Norway

hæla i taket og tenna i tapeten

Expression USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(heels on the ceiling and teeth in the wallpaper) • Expressing that something takes place in a lively mood, a great atmosphere, or at full speed; for instance a lively party that can seem a bit wild.

"Kom og bli med på festen! Her er det hæla i taket og tenna i tapeten!"

"Come join the party! It's wild!"

Norwegian Norway

griseflaks

Expression USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(n.) • (pig's luck) • Having great luck or being unrealistically lucky.

"Jammen bra du ikke skadet deg mer. Snakk om griseflaks!"

"A good thing you didn't hurt yourself more. Talk about pig's luck!"

Scots Scotland

many a mickle maks a muckle

Expression USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(many small things make a big thing) • Many little things add up to a big thing, usually talking about small savings of money adding up to a large amount.

"Look, I found some money, oh, it's only a penny" "Put it in your piggy bank, many a mickle maks a muckle!"

French French speaking countries

avoir les dents longues

Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Older Generations

(to have long teeth) • To be very ambitious and aim high, but in a pejorative way. You would do anything to reach your goal.

"Les soeurs de Cendrillon ont les dents longues et sont prêtes à tout pour se marier avec le prince."

"Cinderella's sisters have long teeth and they are willing to do anything in order to marry the prince."

Catalan Catalonia, Spain

la setmana dels tres dijous

Expression USED Frequently BY Older Generations

(the week of three Thursdays) • It is used when talking about something that won’t happen. A second possible ending to the expression is the rhyme "que la dotzena tindrà tretze ous" which means "when in a dozen eggs, there will be thirteen".

"Oí tant! Parlarem dels diners que vols que et deixi la setmana dels tres dijous."

"Yeah, yeah... we’ll talk about lending you money the week of the three Thursdays."