Untranslatable

syn

* beak and nails

Expression USED In the past BY Novel authors

It's used to describe a fierce behaviour, specifically when defending someone's belongings or loved ones, like a mother bird would do for her younglings.

"La vieille dame se fit houspiller de part et d'autre au milieu de la foule pour ses propos. Elle se défendit bec et ongles et avait un contre-argument pour chacun des hurlements qui lui étaient proférés."

"The old lady was being harassed from all sides in the middle of the crowd for what she said. She defended tooth and nail and had a counter-argument for anything one yelled at her."

Submitted July 2020 by greysensei

Confirmed by 13 people

cool beans!

English Minnesota, United States

Expression USED In the past BY Almost Everyone

It's a way of saying that something is great.

"See you at my place at 3pm?" "Cool beans!"

Submitted July 2020 by giadafardin

Confirmed by 13 people

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#ClapForCarers

English United Kingdom

Hashtag USED In the past BY Most People

Hashtag used to express gratitude for NHS workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Refers to the act of clapping outside your house at 8pm on a Thursday night.

"A special #ClapForCarers will take place at 5pm today as we say happy birthday to our precious NHS."

Submitted July 2020 by annawarnaby

Confirmed by 11 people

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#YoMeQuedoEnCasa*

* #Iwillstayhome

Spanish Spanish speaking countries

Hashtag USED In the past BY Everyone

Hashtag used during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage people to follow the quarantine.

"#YoMeQuedoEnCasa ¿y tú?"

"#Iwillstayhome and you?"

Submitted July 2020 by giadafardin

Confirmed by 8 people

#iorestoacasa*

* #Iwillstayhome

Italian Italy

Hashtag USED In the past BY Some People

A hashtag created during the coronavirus crisis to encourage people to stay home and to follow social distancing rules.

"Oggi #iorestoacasa e dovreste farlo anche voi!"

"Today #Iwillstayhome and you should do so too!"

Submitted July 2020 by chiara

Confirmed by 11 people

got the morbs

English United Kingdom

Expression USED In the past BY Victorians in the 1880's

Used to describe temporary melancholia, coined from the word "morbid".

"I've got the morbs walking around this cemetery."

Submitted July 2020 by o11yw3bb

Confirmed by 2 people

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Quand les poules auront des dents*

* When chickens have teeth

French France

Expression USED In the past BY Older Generations

Hyperbolic figure of speech describing something so unlikely it would never happen. French equivalent of "when pigs fly".

"J'espère qu'un jour il réalisera qu'il faut nettoyer sa chambre..." "Ouais, quand les poules auront des dents..."

"I hope he will someday understand he needs to clean his room." "Yeah, when chickens have teeth..."

Submitted June 2020 by greysensei

Confirmed by 11 people

יורם*

* Yoram

Hebrew Israel

Slang USED In the past BY Almost Everyone

A nerd, a dork.

"דוד יושב וקורא סטטיסטיקות של יוטיוב. הוא כזה יורם!"

"David sits and reads YouTube statistics. He's such a Yoram!"

Submitted August 2020 by or

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vá plantar batatas*

* go plant potatoes

Portuguese Brazil

Idiom USED In the past BY Older Generations

This is an expression that more or less 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!”

Submitted November 2020 by anonymous

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när man talar om trollen så står de i farstun*

* when one speaks about the trolls they’re standing in the hallway

Swedish Sweden

Expression USED In the past BY Some People

Used when someone that you’ve recently talked about appears or something that you’ve talked about happens. The Swedish version of “speak of the devil and he shall appear”.

“Chefen och jag bråkade igår. Jag vill verkligen inte träffa henne idag.” *chefen kommer* ”När man talar om trollen...”

”The boss and I had a fight yesterday. I really don’t want to meet her today” *the boss arrives* “When one speaks about the trolls...”

Submitted November 2020 by mathildastenback