15 Popular Phrases From Different Countries That Shouldn’t Be Taken Literally

When we are in a foreign country, trying to understand the language with the help of an online translator can be confusing. Indeed, many phrases from everyday speech, which people around the world use to express their feelings and emotions, sometimes have a completely unexpected meaning.

O awesome.club found out the most popular expressions of residents of different countries and tried to explain their true meaning.

This recurring expression from Japan means that everyone can make a mistake, even a monkey is not safe from accidental falls from tall trees.

If in Latvia you hear that someone is trying to blow little ducks like soap bubbles, don’t think you are crazy. In this way, Latvians express their distrust of the interlocutor who begins to say inconsistencies or lies.

It’s like in Brazil, when we say “don’t give pearls to pigs” when trying to prove something to someone who can’t or doesn’t want to understand or appreciate it. The phrase about donkey and sponge cake has a similar meaning in Portugal.

Apparently, the behavior of Finnish cats inspired the inhabitants of the Land of a Thousand Lakes to invent this phrase. In fact, it speaks of the moment when a person wants to do or ask something but has to wait for a suitable occasion, like a hungry cat who wants to eat something hot but has to wait until the food has cooled down.

In fact, no one has seen a peacock dancing in the Indian jungle. This type of question is asked when someone doubts that they should do something if no one will see or appreciate it.

Among Swedes, the phrase about a shrimp sandwich means that a person does not have to worry about money and will get whatever he wants without any problems. Apparently, at one time, this type of sandwich was considered a sign of prosperity and social well-being.

The meaning of this Indonesian phrase that sounds so strange is similar to the Portuguese “killing two birds with one stone”, that is, doing two different things at the same time.

If everything in your life is excellent and luck accompanies you, in Ireland they will say that you are on top of that animal that not everyone associates directly with success.

The meaning of this Japanese expression is similar to the famous biblical phrase “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. The Japanese use it to describe those with whom any contact is dangerous, especially false teachers.

In Spain, if you hear that someone feels like an octopus in a garage, it doesn’t mean that the person behaves like an elephant in a crystal shop. The real interpretation of this phrase is completely different, it means that a person is not comfortable in a specific situation or place.

If someone in Romania tells you that you are trying to get them out of their watermelon, it means that the person is tactfully insinuating that you are pissing them off a lot.

If someone in Armenia suddenly makes you very nervous during a conversation, then tell the person not to go over your head anymore. She will understand you right away and most likely stop bothering you.

Apparently, there were many cases where Norwegian men tried to get other people’s envelopes out of the letterbox, but at the most inappropriate time the beard got caught in the space to pass the letters. They couldn’t escape anywhere, so they were caught at the crime scene. This typical phrase in Norway means that someone has been caught red-handed, “hands-on”.

When in Poland someone says they don’t want to do something anymore and want to get rid of all obligations, that is, washing their hands, use this funny phrase about the circus and the monkeys.

When the Germans do not understand something, they often mention in conversation a pig that apparently began to whistle.

What popular figurative phrases here in Brazil are difficult for foreigners to understand? Or what sentence did you find difficult to understand when you were traveling somewhere?