Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Serbian Idioms!

Do I need to explain? Idioms are such an interesting way to look into a culture or at least a language and often they're entertaining to non-native speakers, so here are a bunch of Serbian idioms:

Poznavati nešto kao svoj dzep -- to know something like your pocket = back of your hand
Zaprziti čorbu -- thicken the stew = stir the pot, mess in business not your own
Izmisliti toplu vodu -- reinvent hot water = don't or you cannot reinvent the wheel
Progledati nekome kroz prste --to look at someone through fingers = turn a blind eye
S neba pa u rebra -- from sky to ribs = out of the blue/suddenly
Propasti u zemlju -- fall into the earth = fall off the face of the earth
Mlad i zelen -- young and green = inexperienced
Bled kao krpa -- pale as a rag = white as a ghost
Nisam ja od juče -- I'm not from yesterday = I wasn't born yesterday
Nisam pao s kruške -- I didn't fall from a pear tree, same as previous
Dok trepneš okom -- in the blink of an eye
Dok kazeš piksla/keks -- until you (before you can) say ashtray/biscuits, same as previous
Ugasiti -- turn off the light = you're finished
Nosom para oblake -- one rips the clouds with one's nose = he/she is conceited
Zategnuti kaiš -- tighten one's belt
Španska sela -- Spanish village = indicates ignorance or obscurity, it's all Greek to me
Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe -- when grapes grow on willows, when pigs fly
Ravno do Kosova -- flat/equal as Kosovo = something that doesn't or no longer concerns you, getting a little political here...
Baciti se na knigu -- throw oneself on books = need to study
Zagrejati stolicu -- warm one's seat, same as the previous *I especially like this one, both parents and teachers use this to tell students to study
Visiti o koncu -- hanging by a thread
Pasti s nogu -- fall off one's legs = there's so much to do
Biti jednom nogom u grobu -- have one leg in the grave = foot for leg
U četiri oko -- in four eyes = in confidence, only you and I

2 comments:

  1. I love idioms!! These surprise me a bit how close they are to ours.

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  2. i love theese idioms and i learned some of them from this webasite even though im from serbia

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