Idiomatic

Raining cats and dogs. A short fuse. Up a creek without a paddle. A piece of cake. Sometimes colorful, sometimes puzzling without backstory or explanation, these delightful turns of phrase enrich our language—whichever one it happens to be.

This month we celebrate idioms from languages around the world. We will assign you a random idiom. (Some may not be originally English—for the non-English idioms, we will give a translation along with the original.) How you use this idiom to create a fanwork is entirely up to you. You can request your prompt on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, the #monthly-challenges channel on our Discord, or by emailing the mods.

Many thanks to Zdenka for her clever work on this month's banner and stamps!

This challenge opened in September 2024 .

Prompts

Choose your prompt from the collection below.

View Prompts

English

• Barrel of monkeys

• Beyond the pale

• Out of this world

• Piece of cake

• Hot potato

• Once in a blue moon

• Over the moon

• Bed of roses

• Shrinking violet

• Beat a dead horse

• Bite the bullet

• Foaming at the mouth

• More than one way to skin a cat

• Wolf in sheep’s clothing

• Cakewalk

• When pigs fly

• Buy a pig in a poke

• Three-line whip

• Third wheel

• At sixes and sevens

• Whole nine yards

• Twenty-four seven (24-7)

• Spill the beans

• Kick the bucket

• Miss the boat

• Out of this world

• Salt of the earth

• All hat and no cattle

• Long in the tooth

• A three-dollar bill

• Chasing rainbows

• Red flag

• Feeling blue

• Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em

• Calm before the storm

• Out of the woods

• By hook or by crook

• Give someone enough rope

• Handle with kid gloves

• Keep your shirt on

• Happy as a pig in mud (yes, there’s a slightly more scatalogical version of this one…)

• Mad as a hatter

• Mad as a cut snake

• Devil’s advocate

• Shell out

• Tough cookie

• Couch potato

• Lead foot

• Sweet tooth

• Middle of nowhere

• Mend fences

• Throw good money after bad

• Green-eyed monster

• Call a spade a spade

• Beat around the bush

• Make light of

• Waiting in the wings

• Get to the bottom of

• Move heaven and earth

• Go to the ends of the earth

• Think the sun shines out of someone’s backside

• Extend an olive branch

• Talk the hind leg off a donkey

• Chew the fat

• Shoot the breeze

• Put a sock in it

• Pay the piper

• Cry wolf

• Spice things up

• Chicken out

• Catch one’s eye

• Can’t see the forest for the trees

• Make hay while the sun shines

• Kill two birds with one stone

• Hit the nail on the head

• Hit the road/trail

• Fight fire with fire

• Cost an arm and a leg

• Open Pandora’s box

• Skeleton in the closet

Irish

• Is dána gach madra i ndoras a thí féin (Every dog is bold in his own doorway)

• Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad uainn (Distant hills are green)

• Is binn béal ina thost (a quiet mouth is sweet)

• Is minic a bhris béal duine a shrón (A person’s mouth often broke his nose)

• Ni tir gan teanga (No land without a language)

French

• Jump from the cock to the donkey (Sauter du coq à l’âne.)

• Put your finger in your eye (se mettre le doigt dans l'œil)

• Give one’s tongue to the cat (donner sa langue au chat)

• Break someone’s feet (casser les pieds à quelqu'un)

• Pedal in the semolina (pédaler dans la semoule)

• Shave the eggs (tondre des œufs)

• Sugar the strawberries (sucrer les fraises)

• Cut the pear in two (couper la poire en deux)

• The carrots are cooked (Les carottes sont cuites!)

• To tell salads (Raconter des salades)

• Take care of your onions (occupe-toi de tes oignons)

• Put one’s grain of salt (mettre son grain de sel)

• Be milky soup (être soupe au lait)

• Smell of fir (sentir le sapin)

• Don’t push granny into the nettles (faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties)

• Be like a fish in water (Être comme un poisson dans l’eau)

• Another pair of arms (une autre paire de manches)

Spanish

• Contemplate the immortality of the crab (pensando en la inmortalidad del cangrejo)

• Not have hair on the tongue (No tener pelos en la lengua)

• Be like a goat (Estar como una cabra)

• Give someone pumpkins (Dar calabazas a alguien)

• Be on the moon (Estar en la luna)

• Put all the meat on the grill (Poner toda la carne en el asador)

• Look for the fifth leg of the cat (buscarle la quinta pata al gato)

Portuguese

• Push something with your belly (Empurrar com a barriga)

• Pay for the duck (Pagar o pato)

• Knock one’s boots off (Bater as botas)

• Burn one’s tongue (Queimar a língua)

• Speak through the elbows (Falar pelos cotovelos)

• Feed sponge cake to a donkey (Alimentar um burro a pão-de-ló)

• Bygone waters won’t turn the mill (Águas passadas não movem moinhos)

• Doing something on top of one’s knee (Fazer alguma coisa em cima do joelho)

• Take the horse out of the rain (tirar o cavalinho da chuva)

• Raining pocket knives (chover canivete) / even if it rains pocketknives (nem que chova canivete)

Italian

• Costs an eye from the head (costa un’occhio della testa)

• Doesn’t have hair on the tongue (non avera peli sulla lingua)

• Heart in throat (il cuore in gola)

• If one pope dies, you make another (morto un papa se ne fa un altro)

• Every death of the pope (Ogni morte di papa)

• Have a devil for each hair (avere un diavolo per capello)

• Between the anvil and the hammer (tra l’incudine e il martello)

• Take candles for lanterns (prendere lucciole per laterne)

• The lecture coming from the pulpit (da che pulpito viene la predica)

• Good as bread (buono come il pane)

• Hands in the dough (mani in pasta)

• Smooth like oil (liscio come l’olio)

• Everything makes broth (tutto fa brodo)

• Get lost in a glass of water (perdersi in un bicchier d’acqua)

• Hen-brain (cervello di gallina)

• Wooden head (testa di legno)

• Rabbit (coniglio)

• Have salt in a pumpkin (avere sale in zucca)

• Give time some time (dai tempo al tempo)

• Take the ball at the bounce (prendere la palla al balzo)

• Throw in the sponge (gettare la spugna)

• All the knots come to the comb (tutti i nodi vengono al pettine)

• I know my chickens (conosco i miei polli)

• Have short arms (avera le braccine corte)

• Understand ‘Rome’ for ‘tome’ (capire Roma per toma) *not a literal translation but it’s more in the spirit of it - I don’t think a lot of English speakers know toma cheese

• Cut the bull’s head (tagliare la testa al toro)

• Slap someone in the face with a fish (prendere qualcuno a pesci in faccia)

• It’s not the cowl that makes the monk (L’abito non fa il monaco)

German

• Make a monkey of oneself (sich zum Affen machen)

• Monkey theater/circus (Affentheater/Affenzirkus)

• Talk around the hot porridge (um den heissen Brei herumreden)

• Lose the thread (den Faden verlieren)

• Into the devil’s kitchen (in Teufels Küche kommen)

• Not the brightest candle on the cake (nicht die hellste Kerze auf der Torte)

• I only understand train station (Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof)

• Add one’s mustard (seinen Senf dazugeben)

• Praise the day before evening (den Tag vor dem Abend loben)

• Clear as dumpling broth (klar wie Klossbrühe)

• Salami tactic (Salamitaktik)

• In the salad (wir haben den Salat)

• In the bucket (im Eimer)

• Have a nose full (die Nase voll haben)

• A cat’s jump (Katzensprung)

• Where the fox and hare say good night (Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen)

• Slept like a stone (wie ein Stein geschlafen)

• Shooting at sparrows with cannons (mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schiessen)

• Tomatoes on the eyes (Tomaten auf die Augen)

• Throw money out the window (Geld aus dem Fenster werfen)

• Close the lid, the monkey’s dead (Klappe zu, Affe tot)

• A body in the cellar (eine Leiche im Keller)

• One hand washes the other (eine Hand wäscht die andere)

• Have a tomcat (einen Kater haben)

• Buy a cat in a sack (Kazte im Sack kaufen)

• It’s sausage to me (Das ist mir Wurst)

• Raven mother (Rabenmutter)

• Professional son (von Beruf Sohn)

• Set in a made nest (in gemachte Nest setzen)

• Everything has an end, only a sausage has two. (Es hat alles ein Ende, nur eine Wurst hat zwei.)

• Get on the cookie (auf den Keks gehen)

• Make the goat a gardener (den Bock zum Gärtner machen)

• Sort the sheep from the goats (die Böcke von den Schafen trennen)

• Kummerspeck (worry bacon/fat)

• The forest echoes what you shout (Wie du in den Wald hineinrufst, so schallt's heraus)

• Eggdance (Eiertanz)

• The yolk of the egg (das Gelbe vom Ei)

• Blue-eyed (Blauäugig)

• Many roads lead to Rome (viele Wege führen nach Rom)

• Sit in the same boat (im gleichen Boot sitzen)

• A hand of water under the keel (eine Handbreit Wasser unterm Kiel)

• Search for/find a hair in the soup (das Haar in der Suppe suchen/finden)

• The heart fell/slid into the pants (das Herz in die Hose rutschen/sinken)

• Take apart like a Christmas goose (ausnehmen wie eine Weihnachtsgans)

• Spring up like mushrooms from the ground (wie Pilze aus dem Boden)

• Bites the grass (Ins Gras beissen)

• Let’s speak plainly now. (Nun reden wir Deutsch.)

• Put it plainly (auf gut Deutsch)

• Who rests, rusts (Wer rastet, rostet)

Yiddish

• He’s considering whether a flea has a bellybutton (Er klert tsi a floy hot a pupik.)

• The furniture is missing in the attic (Es felt im mebl in dakhkamer.)

• Pay him for blowing his nose (Tsol im op far oysshnaytsn di noz.)

• Understanding is a snail (Der seykhl iz a krikher.)

• One word doesn’t stick to another (Es klept zikh nit a vort tsu a vort.)

• Pearls flow from his mouth ( Es shitn zikh perl fun zayn moyl.)

• She’s the proprietress of a head of cabbage (Zi iz a baleboste iber a heyptl kroyt.)

• She wants the saucer from heaven. (Zi vil dos telerl fun himl.)

• He’s making an elephant out of a fly. (Er makht fun a flig a helfand.)

• It’s as helpful as cupping a corpse. (Es helft vi a toytn bankes.)

• Don’t bang the teakettle at me! (Hak mir nit keyn tshaynik!)

• Go look for the wind in a field. (Gey zukh dem vint in feld.)

• A black cat has run between them. (Es iz durkhgelofn tsvishn zey a shvartse kats.)

• Don’t look for a notch in the saw. (Zukh nit keyn pgime af der zeg.)

Danish

• There are owls in the bog (Der er ugler i mosen.)

• Before the devil puts his shoes on (før fanden får sko på)

• Have a stick in your ear (At have en pind i øret)

Swedish

• There’s no cow on the ice (Det är ingen ko på isen)

• To slide in on a shrimp sandwich. (Att glida in på en räkmacka) starspray

• It fell between chairs (Det föll mellan stolarna)

• A cat among the ermines (en katt bland hermelinerna)

• Get paid for old cheese (få betalt för gammal ost)

• Planted one’s last potato (ha satt sin sista potatis)

• Now your fishes will be warmed (Nu ska du få dina fiskar värmda)

• If there’s room for the heart, there’s room for the butt (Finns det hjärterum så finns det stjärterum)

Finnish

• Donkey’s bridge (aasinsilta)

• A bear shot in the ass (Kuin perseeseen ammuttu karhu)

• Kick the emptiness (Potkaista tyhjää)

• Smile like a sun in Naantali (Hymyillä kuin Naantalin aurinko)

• Disappeared like a fart in the Sahara (Kadota kuin pieru Saharaan)

• Snow of the past winter (Menneen talven lumia)

• not riding a rabbit (ei olla jäniksen selässä)

• Take behind the sauna (Viedä saunan taakse)

• Let the frog out of the mouth (Päästää sammakko suusta)

• One’s nose was not wheezing long (ei kauan nokka tuhissut)

• Not see the forest from the trees (ei nähdä metsää puilta)

• The gloves are lost (hanskat hukassa)

• As sugar on the bottom (sokerina pohjalla)

• Run with one’s head as a third leg (juosta pää kolmantena jalkana)

• Weighs like a sin (Painaa kuin synti)

• Before the pig’s fart (Ennen sian pieremää)

• A chicken to pluck (kana kynittävänä)

• Like two berries (kuin kaksi marjaa)

• Moped starts doing wheelies (mopo alkaa keulia)

• There would be work for an axe (olis kirveellä töitä)

• The pot scolds the kettle (pata kattilaa soimaa)

• In the birch-bark month on the day of the goat (tuohikuussa pukinpäivänä)

• Put a pea up one’s nose (vetää herne nenään)

• Nine good things and ten beautiful things (yhdeksän hyvää ja kymmenen kaunista)

• Amazed like the cuckoo (äimän käkenä)

• Like the Ö at the end of the ABC book (Ö aapisen laidalla)

Icelandic

• Lay your head in water (Að leggja höfuðið í bleyti)

Polish

• A roll with butter (Bułka z masłem.)

• Did you fall from a Christmas tree? (Z choinki się urwałaś?)

• Don't call the wolf from the forest (Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu)

• Not my circus, not my monkeys (Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy)

• Where the devil says goodnight (Gdzie diabeł mówi dobranoc)

• Throw peas against a wall (Rzucać grochem o ścianę)

• Make bigos (Narobić bigosu)

• Flies up your nose (mieć muchy w nosie)

• Once in a Russian year (Raz na Ruski rok)

• Pour water (lać wodę)

Croatian

• Talk of the wolf (Mi o vuku)

Czech

• Throw your rifle in the rye (hodit flintu do žita)

Hungarian

• Give drinks to the mice (Miért itatod az egereket)

• The fence is not made of sausage (Nem kolbászból van a kerítés)

Russian

• Galloping across Europe (Галопом по Европам)

• The thief has a burning hat (На воре и шапка горит)

• You can sharpen an axe on top of his head (Хоть кол на голове теши)

• Sit in a puddle (сесть в лужу)

• Where crayfish hibernate (де раки зимуют)

• Ride as a hare (Ехать зайцем)

• Look truth in the eyes (смотреть правде в глаза)

• Look through one’s fingers (смотреть сквозь пальцы)

• Building sandcastles (строить замки из песка)

• Neither heard nor smelt (ни слуху, ни духу)

• With sleeves pulled down (спустя рукава)

Chinese

• Smoke from seven orifices (七窍生烟)

• Sea of people (人山人海)

• Frog in the well (井底之蛙)

• Playing a lute to a cow (对牛弹琴)

• Seeking fish from a tree (缘木求鱼)

• When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter (树倒猢狲散)

• Add oil (加油)

• Take your pants off to fart (脱裤子放屁)

• Like a cat (像一只猫)

• The clouds are burning (火云如烧)

• Eat vinegar (吃醋)

Korean

• You don’t know ‘giyeok’ even after putting down a sickle (낫놓고기역자도모른다)

Japanese

• Cat’s forehead (猫の額)

• Cat’s tongue (猫舌)

• Willing to borrow a cat’s paws (猫の手も借りたい)

• Little fish grinding their teeth (ごまめの歯ぎしり)

• Even monkeys fall out of trees (猿も木から落ちる)

• Packed like sushi (寿司詰め)

• The moon and a soft-shell turtle (月とすっぽん)

• Chewing on sand (砂を噛むよう)

• The window tribe (窓際族)

• Even if it rains, or if spears fall (雨が降ろうと、槍が降ろうと)

• Fall seven times, stand up eight (七転び八起き)

• Give a cat a gold coin (猫に小判)

• Can’t eat a painted cake (絵に描いた餅)

• Even cats and rice ladles (猫も杓子も)

• A frog in a well does not know the great sea (井の中の蛙大海を知らず)

• One day, one step (一日一歩)

• The cry of the crane (鶴の一声)

Indonesian

• While driving, drink water (Sambil menyelam, minum air)

Tagalog

• Makati ang paa (itchy feet)

Thai

• Frog under a coconut shell (กบในกะลาครอบ)

• Bamboo basket with a leaky bottom (กระเชอก้นรั่ว)

• Gourami fish finding water (กระดี่ได้น้ำ)

• Hard bones (กระดูกแข็ง)

• Panicking hare (กระต่ายตื่นตูม)

• Round as a lime (กลมเป็นลูกมะนาว)

• Stir water and make it cloudy (กวนน้ำให้ขุ่น)

• Start it, must weave it (ก่อแล้วต้องสาน)

• Bite one’s own tail (กัดหางตัวเอง)

• Eat boiled rice from the middle (กินข้าวต้มกระโจมกลาง)

• Eat a wasp nest (กินรังแตน)

• Ride an elephant to catch grasshoppers (ขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน)

Punjabi

• Eating chickpeas, burping almonds (ਖਾਣੇ ਛੋਲੇ, ਡਕਾਰ ਬਦਾਮ ਦੇ)

• Bathed and clean, yet flies are swarming (ਨਹਾਤੀ ਧੋਤੀ ਰਹਿ ਗਈ, ਮੂੰਹ ਤੇ ਮੱਖੀ ਬਾਈ ਗਈ)

• Comfortable with the horns, discomfited by the tail (ਸਿੰਗਾ ਨਾਲ ਦੋਸਤੀ, ਪੂਛਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਵੈਰ)

• I wasn’t invited, but I am the groom’s aunt (ਸੱਦੀ ਨਾ ਬੁਲਾਈ, ਮੈਂ ਲਾੜੇ ਦੀ ਤਾਈਂ)

• Enemies like a brick and a dog (ਇੱਟ ਕੁੱਤੇ ਦਾ ਵੈਰ ਹੋਣਾ)

• Possessing a comb even though one is bald (ਸਿਰੋਂ ਗੰਜੀ ਹਠ ਕਾਂਘਿਆ ਦਾ ਜੋੜਾ)

• Dogs bark, elephants pass by (ਕੁੱਤੇ ਭੌਂਕਦੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਨੇ, ਹਾਥੀ ਲੰਘ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਨੇ)

Awadhi

• It’s raining fire (अग्नि बरस रही है)

Marathi

• Herding goats from a camel (उंटावरून शेळ्या हाकणे)

• The baby’s feet are seen in the cradle (बाळाचे पाय पाळण्यात दिसतात)

• Sweeten bitter medicine (कडू औषध गोड करून सांगणे)

• Sharing one seed among seven people (एक तीळ सात जणांत वाटणे)

• Health is wealth (आरोग्य हेच ऐश्वर्य)

Hindi

• Talking to the wind (हवा से बातें करना)

• Rats running in my stomach (पेट में चूहे दौड़ना)

• Pieces of the same plate ( एक ही थाली के चट्टे बट्टे)

• Star of one’s eye (आँखों का तारा)

• Searching for the sky (आसमान ढूँढना)

• Shade in the sun (धूप में छाँव)

• It is written in fate (नसीब में लिखा है)

• You’re a radish from which field? (तुमकिसखेतकीमूलीहो)

• The grapes are sour (अंगूर खट्टे हैं)

• Know the price of flour and lentils (आटे दाल का भाव मालूम होना)

Gujarati

• To ride on embers (અંગારે ઉપર સવારે હોય)

• Put salt on a thorn (કાંટા ને માંઝળી વાળું)

• Can’t drown in a river of milk (દૂધની નદીમાં ડુબી ન ગમે)

• Tie a knot to a knot (ફાંટી ને ફાંટીડું)

• A place where you don’t want to spread a mat (પડા ને પસારી નાખીનાં થાં)

• Go to the other side of the river to fetch water (નદી પાર થઇને તડવા જવું)

Tamil

• Show water to someone (தண்ணீர் காட்டுதல்)

Arabic

• The world is hard and happy (الدنيا عُسر و يُسُر)

• We mentioned the cat and it came jumping (جبنا سيرة القط اجى ينط)

• Two-faced (صاحب وجهين)

• Fat and honey (سمن على عسل)

• A radio in one’s mouth (بالع راديو)

• Bury me (تقبرني)

• Repetition teaches the donkey (التكرار يعلّم الحمار)

• Stretch your legs as far as your blanket (على قد لحافك مد رجليك)

• The shroud has no pockets (الكفن مالوش جيوب)

• In his seventh sleep (في سابع نومه)

• His blood is heavy (دمه ثقيل)

• If you didn’t know the falcon, you’d roast it (اللي مايعرف الصقر يشويه)

• A zucchini bite (عضة كوساية)

• The tongue doesn’t have a bone (اللسان مافيهش عضم)

Hebrew

• placing one's hands under someone's thighs

• Lifting one’s eyes

• Coin of the tongue (מטבע לשון)

• Find charm in the eyes of (למצוא חן בעיני)

• What am I, a goat? (מה אני, עז)

• After the holidays (אחרי החגים)

• Bird of the soul (ציפור הנפש)

Igbo

• He has two tongues (O nwere ire abuo)

• Fire begets fire (Ọkụ na-eme ọkụ)

• Look for the black goat in daytime (Chọọ ewu ojii mgbe chi ka di)

• One tree does not make a forest (Otu osisi adighi eme oke ohia)