Polish Poland

stara miłość nie rdzewieje

Proverb USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(old love doesn't rust) • Once you fell in love with someone, you'll always be fond of them, even if you haven't seen each other in a long time; It's easy to reignite the love for your past partners and crushes.

"Nie przeszkadza ci, że twoja żona idzie na imprezę, gdzie będzie jej były?" "Niby dlaczego? To stare dzieje." "Wiesz, jak to mówią: stara miłość nie rdzewieje..."

"Doesn't it bother you that your wife goes to the party where her ex will be?" "Why would it bother me? It's ancient history." "You know what they say: old love doesn't rust..."

Polish Poland

czarna magia

Expression USED Frequently BY Older Generations, my parents

(black magic) • It's is impossible / hard to decipher understand. Usually an humble admission that it is difficult for an individual to understand where a selected few may.

"Polityka to dla mnie jak czarna magia!"

"Politics are like black magic to me!"

Welsh Wales

Esgyrn Dafydd!

Expression USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(David’s bones!) • It is an expression people use to convey shock over the scale of what is happening/happened. Usually used if what is happening is a big deal.

-“Mae Mair wedi colli ei phyrs rhywle yn Llundain!” -“Esgyrn Dafydd! Does ganddi dim siawns i ffeindio fo ‘rwan!”

-“Mary has lost her purse somewhere in London!” -“David’s bones! She has got no chance to find it now!”

Moroccan Darija Morocco

Haq Sh'har

Reference USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

(the right of the month) • Euphemism for menstruation.

"Jaha Haq Sh'har mskina."

"Poor thing, she's on her period."

Spanish Argentina

por si las moscas

Expression USED Frequently BY Older Generations

(for if the flies) • This expression can be translated as "just in case".

"Está re nublado, llevá un paraguas por si las moscas."

"It's really cloudy, take an umbrella for if the flies."

French | Joual Québec, Canada

siffleux

Word USED On Occasion BY Older Generations, Countryside people

(n.) • (whistler) • Used to refer to a groundhog, mostly because of the sounds they make when angry (that sounds like a sharp whistle).

"J'ai fini par attraper le siffleux qui détruisait mon jardin !"

"I finally caught the whistler that was destroying my garden!"

Trentino dialect | Trentino Province of Trento, Italy

La morte mbriaga

Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Older Generations

It's used to indicate someone who looks sick, pale, and/or malnourished as if just a step away from fainting. You would say it directly only if you know the person very well; otherwise, it would be rude and offensive.

-"Oh vecio cosa t'elo successo? Te mpari la morte mbriaga!" -"Tasi valá... L'è do dì che no dormo!"

-"Oh man, what happened to you? You look like the drunk death!" -"Oh shut up... I haven't been able to sleep for two days!"

Trentino dialect | Trentino Province of Trento, Italy

Te sta come 'n fior su na recia

Standard Phrase USED On Occasion BY Older Generations

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."

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!"

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 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!"