Yeah, It's not mine but that's a good one to.
For anyone wondering. "Cross on the ceiling" (sv. Kors i taket) is used to express surprise at someone unexpectedly doing something right.
I say "he crapped in the blue cupboard" quite a lot at work. In English of course.
Oh and I remembered "with your ass in the toaster" aka arslet i brödrosten. Basically when you've screwed up something and you're in a tight spot.
Yes!
This is the post I've been wanting to make for a long time.
Also, 'It fell between the chairs' is used in Norway too.
'To scare the Devil on flat ground', 'Å skremme Fanden på flat mark' means it could scare the hell/crap/bejesus/living daylights out of someone
We also have paint the devil on the wall in german :)
And I think our equivalent for crap boot is stinky boot (Stinkstiefel) for someone grumpy/unpleasant. Also, funnily enough we have a saying that's quite similar to the cow one "get the cow off the ice", meaning to solve a really difficult situation/problem.
I've seen posts like these were the sayings are actually complete bs so I came to the comments and I'm glad to see most, if not all, of these are actually used cause they're amazing
Absolutely. I have several international customers and I enjoy using these idioms translated to English. One of my customers is now asking me regularly if there is a cow on the ice. The only one of these I don't really use is owls in the swamp.
I like that the sentence structure is very similar to Afrikaans. I might be linking the wrong words here so help me out @mr_pigeonwizard.
.
At male fanden på væggen
-- duiwel op te verf
.
Smaken är som baken, delad.
Smaak is soos boude, verdeeld.
.
Att glida in på en räkmacka
Jy gly in op 'n garnaalbroodjie
.
Skitstövel
Skytstewel
.
Skjegget i postkassa/ Skägget i brevlådan
---- in poskas (posbus) / --- in briewelaai
.
Der er ugler i mosen
Daar is uile in moeras
.
Nu har du skitet i det blå skåpet
Nou het jy geskyt in die blou kabinet
.
Att falla mellan stolarna
Dit val tussen stoele
.
Ge tillbaka för gammal ost
Gee --- vir (muwwe kaas?)
.
När man talar om trollen
.
Is i magen / maven
Ys in maag
.
Låtsas som att det regnar
Maak soos/asof dit reën
.
Hvad er der på tapetet i dag?
Wat is daar op muurtapyt in dag (/vandag)?
.
Ingen ko på isen
Geen koei op ys
.
Du harr satt din sista potatis
Oh, a brain exercise on a Sunday morning, neat, so, from Scandinavian to Afrikaans it is, from top to bottom:
.
Om die hel aan die muur te verf
.
Die smaak is soos die boud, verdeel
.
Om in 'n garnale toebroodjie te skuif
.
Kak boot
.
Die baard in die posbus
.
Daar is uile in die moeras
.
Nou het jy die kak in die blou kas
.
Om tussen die stoele te val
.
Gee terug vir ou kaas
.
Praat van die duiwel
.
is in die maag
.
Maak asof dit reën
.
Wat is vandag op die agenda?
.
Geen koei op die ys nie
.
U het u laaste aartappel geplant
Interresting, I've heard there are similarities.
I once heard a story by a guy who went to the Netherlands back in the fifties. He was from Småland I think. It's county in Sweden with a peculiar dialekt. He claimed he could make himself understood and understood most things people said.
For anyone wondering. "Cross on the ceiling" (sv. Kors i taket) is used to express surprise at someone unexpectedly doing something right.
Oh and I remembered "with your ass in the toaster" aka arslet i brödrosten. Basically when you've screwed up something and you're in a tight spot.
Haha also arslet aw
The beard in the letterbox especially
This is the post I've been wanting to make for a long time.
Also, 'It fell between the chairs' is used in Norway too.
'To scare the Devil on flat ground', 'Å skremme Fanden på flat mark' means it could scare the hell/crap/bejesus/living daylights out of someone
And I think our equivalent for crap boot is stinky boot (Stinkstiefel) for someone grumpy/unpleasant. Also, funnily enough we have a saying that's quite similar to the cow one "get the cow off the ice", meaning to solve a really difficult situation/problem.
.
At male fanden på væggen
-- duiwel op te verf
.
Smaken är som baken, delad.
Smaak is soos boude, verdeeld.
.
Att glida in på en räkmacka
Jy gly in op 'n garnaalbroodjie
.
Skitstövel
Skytstewel
.
Skjegget i postkassa/ Skägget i brevlådan
---- in poskas (posbus) / --- in briewelaai
.
Der er ugler i mosen
Daar is uile in moeras
.
Nu har du skitet i det blå skåpet
Nou het jy geskyt in die blou kabinet
.
Att falla mellan stolarna
Dit val tussen stoele
.
Ge tillbaka för gammal ost
Gee --- vir (muwwe kaas?)
.
När man talar om trollen
.
Is i magen / maven
Ys in maag
.
Låtsas som att det regnar
Maak soos/asof dit reën
.
Hvad er der på tapetet i dag?
Wat is daar op muurtapyt in dag (/vandag)?
.
Ingen ko på isen
Geen koei op ys
.
Du harr satt din sista potatis
.
Om die hel aan die muur te verf
.
Die smaak is soos die boud, verdeel
.
Om in 'n garnale toebroodjie te skuif
.
Kak boot
.
Die baard in die posbus
.
Daar is uile in die moeras
.
Nou het jy die kak in die blou kas
.
Om tussen die stoele te val
.
Gee terug vir ou kaas
.
Praat van die duiwel
.
is in die maag
.
Maak asof dit reën
.
Wat is vandag op die agenda?
.
Geen koei op die ys nie
.
U het u laaste aartappel geplant
.
Now, if anything seems a bit off/wrong please do tell me
I once heard a story by a guy who went to the Netherlands back in the fifties. He was from Småland I think. It's county in Sweden with a peculiar dialekt. He claimed he could make himself understood and understood most things people said.