I figure something like "wolf in sheep's clothing" is universal across Europe but I'm curious if there are phrases which are basically the same in English or other languages but involve a different animal, e.g. in Czech we don't call a test subject guinea pig or lab rat, we say test rabbit (pokusný králík).
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If something is biblical like ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ you can pretty much assume that it is the same in all of the European languages because the Bible has had a huge impact on language development as it has been the first book that was widely printed and read etc. in the various languages.
In fables, the fox is the clever animal. If you have a good idea, you might humorously call yourself a fox.
You can also sarcastically use “wow you’re such a fox” in German to mean “no shit Sherlock”.
A clever plan might be called *foxed out* (ausgefuchst).
> test rabbit (pokusný králík).
Same over here, “pokusni kunić”. However, there’s another lab animal, used in different context: when someone’s seeing white mice (“vidi bijele miševe”), it means they’re drunk like a skunk (heh, another animal phrase), or in delirium.
In English we say that someone “drinks like a fish” and generally mean booze.
I know in italian you drink like a camel but that is just water.
🇦🇹
We also use test rabbit – Versuchskaninchen
The english bull in a china shop is an elefant in the chinashop (Elefant im Porzellanladen)
Ants in your pants are bumblebees in your bum (Hummeln im Hintern)
Watch like a hawk is watch (as in babysitting not looking ) like a gundog (wie ein Schießhund aufpassen) even though I haven’t heard that being used very often
The anglos kill to birds with one stone, us Germanians two flies with one slap and the Ancient Romans two boars with one thicket trap.
We also say poskusni zajček (test rabbit).
I don’t know which are shared or more local, but here are some examples:
Zvit kot lisica (twisted/clever as a fox).
Počasen kot polž (slow as a snail).
Trmast kot bik/osel (stubborn as a bull/donkey).
Svoboden kot ptica (free as a bird).
Važen kot petelin (cocky as a cock?).
In Dutch, you can say “now the monkey comes out of the sleeve!”, meaning “now the truth is coming out” 🦧
Swedish (and Danish with different spelling):
>”det är ingen ko på isen så länge rumpan är i land” (*there is no cow on the ice as long as the buttock is on land*).
>(idiomatic) the coast is clear; (there is) no immediate danger
[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ingen_ko_p%C3%A5_isen](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ingen_ko_p%C3%A5_isen)
“Making a mountain out of a molehill”
Becomes in Dutch:
“Making an elephant out of a mosquito” (van een mug een olifant maken)
in dutch we say it is a proof rabbit (proef konijn)
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Hedgog’s eyes! it means Oh my gosh or maybe Cheesus.
H.e. = Ježkovy voči sounds similar to Ježíši! =Jesus!
“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” in German is “a sparrow in the hand is better than a pigeon on the rooftop” (der Spatz in der Hand ist besser als die Taube auf dem Dach)
In German, we say “sehen, wie der Hase läuft” which literally means to see how the hare is running. It means to understand how a situation unfolds. I think there are multiple equivalents in English: to see how the wind blows; which way the cat jumps; and my favourite one: That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
What’s your language’s version of this idiom?
When something is suspicious we say there is a locked up cat (hay gato encerrado). When somebody is trying to fool you, they are giving you a cat instead of a hare (gato por liebre).
And of course we all know that if somebody gifts you a horse, you shouldn’t look at their teeth (meaning you shouldn’t criticize presents).
Every Spanish knows is better to have a bird in your hand than a hundred flying (you should value what you have and dont overvalue what you dont)
It is also vital to dont sell the bears skin before even hunting it.
Catalans know pretty well that whoever doesnt have a job brushes their cats hair. (Meaning idle people find odd ocupations).
You should be aware of falling in love with people like the dog of the gardener, who doesnt eat but doesnt let you eat either (people who dont want to be with you but dont want to let you go either)
When somebody breaks up with you, we eagerly remind you there are lots of fish in the sea.
And you shouldnt relax at the end of a big challenge, because, as we say, the tail is still part of the bull.
Following with tails, sometimes in life is better to be the tail of a lion than the head of a mouse (meaning is better to be on a secondary role in a big organization than the leader of a poor entrerprise).
And that is all I can think about now, but there are plenty more
The fox 100 and the fox cub 101. Or, another idiom, he’s catching birds in the air.
When you buy something without really knowing what it is or if it even works, you buy a cat in a sack here in germany.
also, bad weather is dogs weather.
hmmm
cão guarda, which is the name of the dogs that work with the police, can be used to refer to somebody that is protecting very rigidly a property.
gato pardo can be used to describe someone that leaves their house at night, but it is usually connected to crime.
we also se lab rat, rato de laboratório
oooo we have the expression: burro a olhar para um palácio (donkey looking at a palace) to represent someone that is looking really admiredly at someone or a building and stops, like if they cannot think about anything else for a sencond. It´s used as a comparison: Estás tão pasmado com a arquitetura deste castelo que pareces um burro a olhar para um palácio- You are so astonished with the arquitecture of this castle that you look like a donkey looking at a palace.
burro de carga-
workhorse, according to google ahaha But we say donkey, instead of horse. And we use it negatively, to emphasize someone carrying too many things. (i did ctrl v, so this is why my font is different)
andar às cavalitas- it is the same as doing piggyback with kids, but we say cavalitas which is similar to our word for horse, cavalo.
Ter um olho no burro e outro no cigano (To have an eye on the donkey and another on the romany person), i heard it being used in a protective way. Not just to protect your things, but also that the world is a bad place where you cannot trust ppl, bc they may be toxic to you.
Ser mau como a cobra (to be bad like a snake)
A galinha da vizinha é mais gorda do que a minha (The hen of the female neighbour is more fat than mine). Means that you (or whoever you are adressing this to) is JEALOUS.
estar em pulgas (to be in fleas) means that you are excited for something that is going to happen.
i researched and we have “lobo com pele de cordeiro”, wof with skin of male sheep.
estar com a pulga atrás da orelha (to be with the flea behind the ear) means that you are suspicious about something.
estar às moscas- to be in flies- is a caracterization of a place that you´d think has some ppl in it, but is completely empty.7
és burro- you are a donkey. means that you are dumb
Macacos me mordam- Monkeys, bite me. It is used when you are surprised, both positively and negatively
Don’t count your chickens until they hatch in Italian is”non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco”- don’t say cat until you have it in the bag.
In Sweden we have an expression that goes something like “Det där är inte kattskit.” which translates into “That’s not cat shit.” and it basically means that something is pretty good.
In Danish if we are really opposed to something, we say “10 vilde heste kunne ikke få mig til” – 10 wild horses could not make me do it
We also say “man skal ikke sælge skindet gør bjørnen er skudt” – don’t sell the fur before you have shot the bear. Meaning you should not be taking a good result of something for granted before you have seen it unfold.
We don’t have the wolf in sheep’s clothing one, but we do have a similar one, with the same meaning: a wolf in lamb skin (lobo em pele de cordeiro).
When someone is trying to trick you, they want to “sell you cat for hare” (vender gato por lebre).
If someone wants to do something but you don’t want them to do it, you tell them to “take their horse from under the rain” (tirar o cavalinho da chuva). Don’t even think about it!
When you’re doing something, and you get to the toughest part, that’s when “the pig twists it’s tail” (agora é que a porca torce o rabo). And “giving pearls to pigs” (dar pérolas a porcos) means giving something to someone who can’t appreciate it’s worth.
When something is impossible, it won’t happen, “not even if the cow coughs” (nem que a vaca tussa).
When someone messes up and you’re mad at them, you say that “the donkey is by the cabbages” (já temos a burra nas couves). And when “the donkey/ bull is starring at a palace” (burro/ boi a olhar para um palácio), then someone completely clueless about what’s going on. “Feeding a donkey sponge cake” (alimentar um burro a pão de ló) means you’re giving something to someone who doesn’t deserve it. If you “have the donkey tied up” (ter o burro amarrado), then you’re mad.
“One doesn’t look at the teeth of a gifted horse” (a cavalo dado não se olha o dente) – it’s rude to judge people’s gifts. And a “horse dose” (dose the cavalo) is a huge dose, portion or serving.
If you “have a flea behind your ear” (ter a pulga atrás da orelha), then you’re suspicious. But if you “are in fleas” (estar em pulgas), you’re excited. And if an establishment is “left to the flies” (estar às moscas) it is empty, without clientele.
If you “have the memory of an elephant” (ter memória de elefante) you have a good memory. But if you “have the memory of a fish” (ter memória de peixe), you have a bad memory.
If you “go to sleep with the chickens” (ir deitar-se com as galinhas), you are going to bed early.
If you are a “silly cockroach” (barata tonta), you are disoriented or lost.
If you “pay the duck” (pagar o pato), you’re paying/ covering for someone else.
To “kill two rabbits with one stickblow” (matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada) is equivalent to the English “kill two birds with one stone”. But you must also remember that “it’s better to have one bird on your hand than two flying away” (mais vale um pássaro na mão do que dois a voar) – don’t be greedy.
When you “grab the bull by the horns” (agarrar o touro pelos cornos), you face your problems head-on.
“Whomever doesn’t have a dog, hunts with a cat” (quem não tem cão, caça com gato) – you must do with what you have. And “if you’re scared, get a dog” (quem tem medo compra um cão) – you must find solutions to your problems.
“At night, all cats are black” (à noite todos os gatos são pardos) – a situation where it’s hard to distinguish different things or people.
If you “think you’re a racing mackerel” (armado em carapau de corrida), you think you’re better than everyone else. “Thinking you’re a river turtle” (armado aos cágados) and “thinking your a cuckoo” (armado aos cucos) mean the same.
And if “the ant has phlegm” (já a formiga tem catarro), you’re contesting someone’s opinion because they’re young or inexperienced, and they don’t know what they’re talking about.
“Every monkey on it’s branch” (cada macaco no seu galho) means to worry about your own life and let other people live theirs however they want to.
To “cry crocodile tears” (chorar lágrimas de crocodilo) is to fake sadness, that someone’s sadness or regret is false.
And if you “took a lobster” (levar uma lagosta), you got punched.
I’m sure there are plenty more, but these are plenty enough
“Pulling an owl onto a globe” – to falsify or manipulate facts in order to justify your point of view
I don’t know if there is an english version (or any version actually) of “to fuck hedgehog in the back”.
For example when we were kids, our grandma would look after us. If we would misbehave or be menaces in any way, she would always yell/threaten “Jebat ćete ježa u leđa kad vam ćaća dođe!”/”You will fuck hedgehog in the back when your father comes home!”. Sometimes I would hear her murmuring it to herself as she would walk away looool
So yes, if there is an uncovience awaiting for you, you will fuck hedgehog in the back in Croatian. Or if it already happened then you already fucked the hedgehog in the back.
Please do let me know if you have something similar!
An old kids’ expression akin to “made you look” is “så glor aben”, which roughly translates to “then the monkey stares”.
Something of an undetermined colour is «del color d’un gos com fuig», of de colour of a dog as it runs away. In a similar post I learnt in Portuguese they say something similar but with a donkey instead of a dog.