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Hilarious Swedish Idioms

Idioms exist in every language and have their way of creating a challenge when you are learning a new language. With that said, idioms are also useful and tend to be hilarious, especially for those of us who are new to a language.

Here, we have put together a list of Swedish Idioms and their translations that hopefully will make you laugh your socks off!

  1. Tagga ner- In Sweden, people won’t ask you to “Cool down”, instead, they will tell you to “take your spikes down”
  2. Ingen fara på taket – “No danger on the roof!” is actually the Swedish way of saying “No worries”.
  3. Lätt som en plätt – In Sweden, when something is “effortless” is referred to as “easy as a pancake”.
  4. Du har satt din sista potatis –  Even though Swedes are known to avoid conflicts, they can reach a boiling point, too. But instead of saying “I have had enough of you!” they might say “You have planted your last potato!”.
  5. Smaken är som baken, delad – When people disagree with something they usually say “oh, it’s a matter of taste”. But your Swedish friend will probably say “taste is like a rarehind, divided.”.
  6. Har inte alla hästar hemma – When Swedes tell you that someone doesn’t have all their horses at home they are actually saying that that person isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
  7. Ana ugglor i mossen – In Sweden, if you suspect something isn’t quite right, you are “sensing owls in the swamp”.
  8. Tala om trollen – Trolls are common in Scandinavian folklore which makes “speak of the trolls” the Swedish answer to “Speak of the devil”.
  9. Skita i det blå skåpet – Instead of telling you that you have made a fool of yourself, a Swede will tell you that “you have taken a sh** in the blue cupboard”.
  10. Kasta pärlor åt svin – In Sweden, When you give away something meaningful which goes unappreciated you are “casting pearls to swines”.
  11. Skogstokig- Swedes are not furious, they are forest-crazy!
  12. Lägga benen på ryggen – In Sweden, you don’t run for it, you “put your legs on your back”.
  13. Lägg ägg!– “Lay eggs!” means “no way!” in Swedish.
  14. Pang på rödbetan – Last, but not least: In Sweden, one is not right to the point but “Boom on the beetroot”.

Do you have any funny or curious idioms in your language? Share them with us!