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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!"

Confirmed by 2 people

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Arabic Egypt

يتكلم هندي

Idiom USED Very frequently BY Almost Everyone

(Speak(s) Hindi) • Use this expression for somebody who either speaks unintelligibly or talks nonsense. You can construct a question using this idiom to mock the addressee's inability to understand what you're saying.

"فهمت الدرس؟"- "ولا أي كلمة"- "!هو أنا بتكلم هندي؟"_

A: "Did you understand the lesson?" B: "No. Not a single word of it." A: "Was I speaking Hindi?!"

Italian Italy

Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio

Proverb USED On Rare Occasion BY Some People

(The wolf looses its fur but not its vice) • This proverb describes that it’s very difficult to get rid of a bad habit.

“Perché vi siete lasciati?” “Mi ha di nuovo tradito!” “Te l’ho detto, il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio!”

“Why did you break up?” “She cheated on me again!” “I told you already, the wolf looses its fur but not its vice!”

Confirmed by 4 people

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Greek Greece

Όσα βλέπει η πεθερά

Expression USED On Occasion BY Everyone

(What the mother-in-law sees) • When you only clean parts of your house that other people can see. It can also be used in a more abstract way, when you you only do parts of a task so others can see that you're working.

"Τακτοποιούσα το σπίτι για τους καλεσμένους μου μόνο όσα βλέπει η πεθερά, τα άπλυτα τα πέταξα στη ντουλάπα!"

"I was tidying my house for my guests, only what the mother-in-law can see, I threw my dirty laundry in the closet!"

Confirmed by 2 people

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Portuguese Brazil

coroa

Slang USED Frequently BY Young People

(crown) • A word generally used by young people to refer to older people, especially the elderly ones. Also used to refer to someone's or their own parents.

"Eu vim sentado ao lado de um coroa no ônibus." "Vi seus coroas ontem numa loja."

"I came sitting next to a crown (old guy) at the bus." "I saw your crowns (parents) yesterday at a store."

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Romanian Dobrogea (especially in Constanța), Romania

şau

Slang USED Frequently BY Young People

It means "dude".

"Ce mai faci, şaule?"

"What's up, dude?"

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Italian Italy

acqua in bocca

Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone

(water in the mouth) • To keep quiet. If you have your mouth full of water, you cannot talk!

"Mi raccomando, acqua in bocca!"

"But remember, water in the mouth!"

Confirmed by 3 people

Swedish Sweden

tala om trollen

Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone

(speaking of trolls) • When someone who has just been mentioned enters a room.

"Jag hörde att Liam skaffat en hund." *Liam kommer in i rummet* "När man talar om trollen!"

"I heard Liam has got himself a dog." *Liam walks into the room* "When you're talking about the trolls!"

Confirmed by 3 people

French France

un avion de chasse

Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone

(fighter plane) • Used to describe someone that is very beautiful or attractive.

"Woah, la nouvelle serveuse est un avion de chasse!"

"Wow, the new waitress is a fighter plane!"

Italian Italy

perdersi in un bicchiere d’acqua

Expression USED Frequently BY Everybody

(to lose oneself in a glass of water) • To make a problem look bigger than it is.

"È proprio imbranato, si perde in un bicchiere d’acqua."

"He’s so clumsy, he loses himself in a glass of water."

Italian Italy

l'acqua cheta rovina i ponti

Proverb USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone

(calm water ruins the bridges) • Referring to the erosive power of water, it's used to describe people that come across as quiet, but they do their work without being noticed (the work having a negative connotation).

"Hai sentito che ha combinato Luca? É riuscito a fregare tutti! Chi lo avrebbe mai detto!" "Eh, l'acqua cheta rovina i ponti!"

"Have you heard about Luca? He screwed everybody! Who could have possibly told!" "Eh, calm water ruins the bridges!"

Romanian Romania

pe apa Sîmbetei

Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone

(on Saturday's water) • It's used when something has gone wrong or has been wasted.

"Ai reusit să faci prăjitura la care lucrai azi? "Nu, aluatul nu s-a umflat suficient si s-a dus pe apa s Sîmbetei."

"Did you manage to make the cookies you were working on today?" "No, the dough didn't rise enough and it went on Saturday's water"

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Romanian Romania

nu sunt în apele mele

Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone

(I'm not in my waters) • It's used when we say that we aren't feeling like ourselves / feeling unwell.

"hei, te simti bine? Pari a fi abatut." "Nu sunt in apele mele."

"Hey, are you feeling well? You seem sad." "I'm not in my waters."

Confirmed by 2 people

German German speaking countries

nah am Wasser gebaut

Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

(built close to the water) • Somebody who cries easily.

"Susi ist nah am Wasser gebaut - sie weint bei jedem Film."

"Susi is built close to the water - she cries during every movie."

Confirmed by 3 people

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French France

La poêle qui se moque du chaudron

Expression USED On Occasion BY Everyone

(The pan mocking the cauldron) • Used to point out hypocrisy towards another in a joking manner.

-"Il est vraiment pas doué de ses mains." -"C'est la poêle qui se moque du chaudron !"

-"He's really not good with his hands." -"It's the pan mocking the cauldron!"

English English speaking countries

to be over the moon

Expression USED On Occasion BY Some People, 30+

To be really happy about something.

I got the job I really wanted, and I am over the moon about it!

Confirmed by 4 people

Czech Czechia

nejneobhospodařovanější

Word USED On Rare Occasion BY Students

It is the adjective referring to something that is the least taken care of, mostly in the sense of farmland. "Hospodářství" means several things, amongst which is a "farm".

"To pole je nejneobhospodařovanější ze všech."

"This farm field is the least taken care of."

Slovak Slovakia

nech mu je zem ľahká

Idiom USED On Occasion BY Everybody

(let the earth be light for him ) • This expression is used when someone dies. People use it to say they hope s/he rests in peace.

"Včera večer zomrel po ťažkom boji s rakovinou. Nech mu je zem ľahká."

"He died yesterday evening after a difficult battle with cancer. Let the earth be light for him."

Confirmed by 2 people

Slovenian Slovenia

zeleni prsti

Expression USED On Occasion BY The Moon and me, from today on

(green fingers) • To be obsessed with plants.

"Sosed ima zelene prste. V hiši ima približno 100 rastlin."

"The neighbor has green fingers. He has about 100 plants in the house."

Confirmed by 2 people

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Afrikaans South Africa

Die aap is uit die mou

Expression USED Frequently BY south africans

(the monkey is out of the sleeve) • Used when a long kept secret becomes known/comes out.

Die paartjie kuier al 'n lang tyd bymekaar, maar niemand het dit geweet tot nou nie. Die aap is uit die mou!

The couple have been seeing each other for a long time, but no one knew about it. The monkey is out of the sleeve!