Much like we associate “D’oh!” with Homer Simpson or “Good grief!” with Charlie Brown, the exclamation “Bah, humbug!” is forever intertwined with Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. But the word “humbug” existed prior to the work of fiction in which it was popularized, and furthermore, Scrooge’s grumpy message is often misinterpreted.
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The word “bah” has been used since the early 19th century as “an expression of contempt or disagreement.” But “humbug” was coined around 50 years earlier. (If you’re doing the math, “humbug” was 1750s slang, “bah” was from the 1810s, and Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843.) “Humbug” originally meant “a hoax; a jesting or befooling trick,” and was commonly used around that time to describe a sham or other misleading event.
When Scrooge shouts, “Bah, humbug!,” you might think he holds feelings of hatred toward Christmas. While that could certainly be argued, his use of the word “humbug” in the mid-19th century suggests something far more specific. Scrooge is using “humbug” to imply that Christmas is a sham, where people are tricked into feeling cheerful and giving away their hard-earned money. He’s using “humbug” not to express disdain, but rather to warn others that Christmas is a well-fabricated lie where people embrace false joy. If you’re familiar with the story of A Christmas Carol (the Muppets’ version is my favorite), you know that the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future bring around Old Ebenezer to change his beliefs and share in the joys of the Christmas season.
Outside of Dickens’ Christmas tale, “humbug” was a favorite word of showman P.T. Barnum, one of the founders of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. In 1865, Barnum wrote Humbugs of the World — a book where he argued against those who criticized his circus as, well, humbug. Barnum said that the term “consists in putting on glittering appearances … to insure success.” In essence, he was arguing that something can’t be a sham if people get their money’s worth.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
For those of us who like to gloss over details sometimes, nothing will ever beat Elaine Benes’ patented phrase “yada yada yada,” but “et cetera” is a close second. From Latin, “et cetera” means “and the other things, the rest,” and it’s often used at the end of lists to imply there are more entries than those explicitly enumerated. But rather than wrap this edition up quickly by closing with “et cetera” now, let’s take a closer look at the phrase’s origins and meaning.
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Though we most often see them together in English, both et and cetera are Latin words on their own. Et means “and,” while cetera is the plural form of ceterus, meaning “the other… which remains.” Today, you’re likely to see the term written as two words, (incorrectly) as a single “etcetera,” or as an abbreviated “etc.”
The abbreviation of “etc.” is so common today that someone is likely to understand its usage even without knowing the full phrase, but there is an earlier abbreviation that has fallen out of use. Going back to the 15th century, there are writings that use the abbreviation “&c.” (The first symbol is the ampersand, which means “and.”) This particular usage was extended to formal letter writing, as it was common to use “&c.” later in the letter to replace the title of the person to whom the letter was addressed. Though far less common today, there’s evidence of people writing “&c.” as late as the 1970s.
You may also come across the Latin abbreviation et al., short for et alii (masculine), et aliae (feminine), or et alia (neuter), but this isn’t a substitution for “et cetera.” The Latin phrase translates to “and others.” Despite similarities to “et cetera,” et al. is mainly used as a substitute for multiple names strictly in a bibliographical context. You’re likely to see et al. in written works with many citations. We hope that helps you sort through your Latin phrases, abbreviations, lists, etc.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
Discover how the colors red, green, and yellow became the universal signals for stop, go, and caution, as we trace the origins back to 19th-century railroads and the science of light.
It’s common knowledge that green means “go,” red means “stop,” and blue means you’d better pull over and hope for a warning this time. But before motor vehicles existed and the rules of the road were established, the relationship between “green” and “go” didn’t exist. This connection was established in the 1840s, when British railroads adopted a new color-coded warning system to alert train conductors. Over the next century, it evolved into the green, yellow, and red traffic-light system still used today.
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If we look to nature, we can find answers as to why the color red was originally selected by railroad operators to convey a message of dire warning. According to a physicist, red shades are seen most clearly through fog and smoke and the eye’s receptors for red are located in the center, which will produce the sharpest image, making it a natural choice for the warning. Red also has the longest wavelength of any of the colors found in the rainbow, meaning that the human eye can see it from a far greater distance than other colors. Because of these scientific factors, red was the obvious choice for “stop,” as it allowed for plenty of time for a train to slow down.
Green, however, was initially chosen for a different purpose than “go.” If a train conductor saw a green light, it meant “proceed with caution,” whereas a plain white light meant “full steam ahead.” But various accidents made it clear that plain white wasn’t the best choice. There are stories of conductors who mistook the white stars in the sky and other lights unconnected to the train line as a sign to proceed, causing many possibly avoidable mishaps. In time, plain white lights were eliminated from the warning system entirely and green was reassigned to mean “go.”
In terms of visible light, green falls roughly halfway on the spectrum between red and violet. That means it’s still visible from afar, though not quite as far away as red. This makes green the ideal color for “go,” as a driver can still see it from down the road, but there’s no need for extra time to stop or react quickly. Yellow and orange fall between red and green in terms of visible wavelength, making those colors the perfect choice for alerting people to proceed with caution.
In 1935, the Federal Highway Administration standardized the three-color system for traffic lights across the country to lessen intersection confusion. That act helped hammer home the idea that green means “go” and red means “stop,” which remains a widely accepted truth today.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
“Winter” means different things around the United States. Folks in New England can almost guarantee they’ll have a white Christmas, while Floridians might see a few flurries on a day or two in January. On the West Coast, in Los Angeles, temperatures might not even dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit most days. As regions across the country experience winter weather very differently, they also have special language for their regional winter weather occurrences. Texas has a “blue norther,” for example, and the Northeast might experience a “bomb cyclone.” The Pacific Northwest, meanwhile, is home to “Alberta clippers” and “chinook winds.” Wherever it’s located, winter weather around the United States has proved to be interesting or intense enough to deserve its own jargon.
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Alberta Clipper
We’re kicking off by bending the rules — this low-pressure system is named after the western Canadian province of Alberta, but the storms are known to make their way into the U.S. An Alberta clipper is a winter storm that generally moves southward from Alberta into the U.S., by way of the Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes regions. It’s characterized by light snow, strong winds, and extremely cold temperatures. If the storm forms farther east in Canada, it’s sometimes called a “Saskatchewan screamer,” after the province of Saskatchewan.
Blue Norther (Texas Norther)
Blue northers are common occurrences for Texans during wintertime. These cold fronts cause a rapid drop in temperatures across the Southern Plains, often accompanied by icy precipitation. The name likely stems from the idea that these fronts are followed by a period of blue skies. Texas’ worst blue norther on record happened in 1899 when temperatures dropped to 23 below zero in the panhandle of the state. Some Texans also call this weather event a “blue whistler,” while in Oklahoma, it’s a “blue darter” or “blue blizzard.”
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Bomb Cyclone
This massive low-pressure system brings with it blizzards, severe thunderstorms, and heavy precipitation. For a winter cyclone to become a bomb, its central pressure must decrease by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. This process of rapid intensification is called “bombogenesis,” a term coined in the 1980s that combines “bomb” with “cyclogenesis,” a meteorological term for storm formation. Bomb cyclones are most common along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., and cause strong winds, storm surge, coastal flooding, and major snowfall.
Chinook
The Chinookan peoples include several groups of Indigenous peoples from the Pacific Northwest, and the word “chinook” has been adopted to refer to a type of helicopter, a variety of salmon, and a warm winter wind. In the Salish language, chinookmeans “snow eater,” which is exactly what these winds do. A chinook is a warm winter wind that blows down the Rocky Mountains (in the U.S. and stretching up into Canada) onto the eastern slopes and prairies, melting the snow. Usually, chinook winds are welcome because they give locals a break from the cold, harsh winters.
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Nor’easter
Nor’easters are powerful storms that primarily impact the Northeastern U.S. during the winter, but they can happen anytime from September through April. The name comes from the fact that the winds blow in from the northeast. These incredibly strong storms can bring high winds and heavy snowfall. In fact, some of the most famous storms in U.S. history have been nor’easters, such as the Storm of the Century (also called the Blizzard of 1993). As nor’easters intensify along the Atlantic coast, they reach maximum strength in New England and Canada, sometimes causing devastating impacts to major cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
Polar Vortex
As its name suggests, a polar vortex is a low-pressure winter system that originates near the North or South Pole. Polar vortexes exist at the poles year-round but strengthen during the winter. Northern areas of the U.S. may experience a polar vortex when the vortex at the North Pole expands, sending very cold air southward with the jet stream. These cold surges sometimes result in dangerously low temperatures, and can impact vast portions of the country.
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Scutch
A scutch is a light dusting of snow, also called a “flurry.” “Scutch” is used mostly by Delawareans, but this charming term has been used in English to mean “a slight layer or thin coating” or “a sprinkling” since the early 20th century. The term likely came from Scotland originally.
“Skiff” is another word for a light snowfall, and it’s used especially in the Midwest. It likely came from the Scottish verb “skiff,” meaning “to lightly move across a surface barely touching it.”
Snow Squall
A snow squall is an intense but usually short period of moderate to intense snowfall, known for low visibility and poor travel conditions. While these types of storms aren’t new, this term wasn’t used in official weather warnings until 2018. Because of their short duration (usually less than 30 minutes), they can also be called a “flash freeze.” Squalls differ from blizzards in that blizzards impact a wider area and usually last longer. The word “squall” came into English in the early 18th century as a nautical term meaning “a sudden, violent gust of wind.”
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
Chilly temperatures, throngs of holiday shoppers, and festive family meals can only mean one thing: The winter season, or should we say, wintertide, is upon us. “Wintertide” is a 12th-century word synonymous with “wintertime,” though “wintertide” is probably seen only in literature now. Of course, this isn’t the only archaic winter-season word that’s been lost to the history books. Check out some of these antiquated words for gift-giving, cold weather, and even overeating, to elevate your winter repertoire.
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Algid
The next time you’re walking in the snow, use the word “algid” to describe how you’re feeling — cold. This 17th-century word was documented in Henry Cockeram’s The English Dictionarie of 1623, meaning “chill with cold.” It can be used as a synonym for “frigid” or “arctic,” and it comes from the Latin word algēre, meaning “to feel cold.” However, this once-wintry word is more closely linked with the medical field today. Doctors use “algid” to describe a person with cold, clammy skin and low blood pressure.
Crapulence
While it looks like it should be a rude word, “crapulence” is actually a perfectly cromulent term for holiday parties. This archaic adjective describes a lack of restraint while eating or drinking that ultimately causes headache or illness. (Remind anyone of an extravagant holiday party?) It’s been part of English since the mid-17th century and came from the Latin wordcrapula, meaning “excessive drinking.”
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Ninguid
Millions of people will experience this every winter. “Ninguid” (or “ningid”) means “where much snow is.” It was published in Thomas Blount’s Glossographia in 1661, but it’s unclear when it was first coined. The Latin root nivalis, meaning “snow,” also gives us the adjective “nival,” describing “a place of perpetual snow,” often very high elevations or northern regions.
Apricity
Most people can appreciate the feeling of the sun on their face during a cold winter day, and “apricity” describes exactly that. Though it’s no longer in most modern dictionaries, it was likely first recorded in Henry Cockeram’s dictionary in the early 17th century. Its entry reads: “Apricitie: The warmness of the Sunne in winter.” It was created from the Latin termapricitas, meaning “sunniness” or “sunshine.” It’s closely related to “apricate,” another old-fashioned term that means “to bask in the sun.”
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Doniferous
One of the hallmarks of the holiday season is gift-giving. Though this word is not found in many dictionaries today, “doniferous,” meaning “gift-bearing,” was in use centuries ago. We know it was printed in a 1677 early English dictionary by Elisha Coles.
Brumal
If something is related to winter, it’s “brumal.” The 16th-century word is seen in early English dictionaries, including Cockeram’s, where it meant “of or belonging to winter.” It’s rarely used today, but is still included in some modern dictionaries as an adjective for “indicative of winter.” It can be seen throughout history and literature, such as in Frederick William Wallace’s 1920 book, The Viking Blood, in the line, “On a brumalNovember day, the Sarmania was to sail on her first trip under the Sutton house-flag.” The word comes from the Latin adjectivebrumalis (bruma means “winter”).
Many people have a tradition of generosity and giving to charity during the winter season. There are various words for this, but a popular term in the past was “alms,” a noun denoting money, food, or other donations given to those in need. It’s been around since at least 1000 CE, when it was used in Middle English as “almes.” It was derived from the Greek eleēmosýnē, meaning “compassion.”
Frore
This synonym for “frozen” dates back to the 13th century as an alteration of “froren” in Middle English. It came from the Old English word frēosan, meaning “to freeze.” Irish fantasy writer Lord Dunsany used “frore” in his 1912 short-story collection, The Book of Wonder, in the line, “Her beauty was as still sunsets of bitter evenings when all the world is frore, a wonder and a chill.”
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
Last year, I was able to snag last-minute tickets to Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, allowing me the incredible opportunity to see the legend perform his classic hits. The setlist included the ballad “Candle in the Wind,” originally written for the late Marilyn Monroe and later reimagined after the tragic death of Princess Diana. The lyrics (written by John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin) feature the line, “And it seems to me you lived your life / Like a candle in the wind,” elegantly comparing the fragility and brilliance of the women’s lives to a candle’s flickering glow. Taupin’s use of the word “like” to establish a clear comparison is the hallmark of a simile, a literary device that makes comparisons using “like” or “as.”
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Similes and metaphors are figures of speech with similar jobs — drawing connections between two objects while adding clarity or emotional impact — but they employ different methods to make that connection. Similes make explicit comparisons using the words “like” or “as,” whereas metaphors make implicit links by asserting that one thing is another. Choosing which type of expression to use significantly impacts tone and meaning.
“He swims like a fish” and “She is as sharp as a tack” are similes (we could also call them “clichés, but they serve well for examples) that convey excellent swimming skills and intelligence, respectively. The words “like” and “as” are imperative to these expressions. Without them, the phrases “He is a fish” and “She is a tack” are nonsensical.
In contrast, metaphors draw connections by declaring something is something else. “The world is your oyster” is a classic example that suggests you can do whatever you want in life. But metaphors and similes aren’t always interchangeable. Turning this saying into a simile — “The world is like your oyster” — removes the idiomatic power of the metaphor. Similarly, the metaphor, “You are my sunshine,” carries depth that the simile, “You are like my sunshine,” does not.
To better understand the distinction between the two figures of speech, let’s explore their etymology. “Metaphor” comes from the Greek metaphora, which means “a transfer.” Think of how metaphors transfer meaning from one object to another. On the other hand, “simile” comes from the Latin term similis, which means “like, resembling, of the same kind.” It’s this connection of similarities that creates a good simile. The richness of any language, including English, is enhanced by figures of speech. By understanding why and how to use them, you can paint a more colorful picture with your words.
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
Have you ever stumbled across a word and thought, “Surely this must be a typo — or maybe an odd Shakespearean flourish”? Take this line in George Orwell’sAnimal Farm: “When they thought of all this, their tiredness forsook them and they gambolled round and round the windmill, uttering cries of triumph.” Here, the verb “gambolled” (“to run or jump playfully”) is somewhat unusual but still follows the regular past tense “-ed” pattern. The real head-scratcher is the irregular verb “forsook,” the past tense of “forsake” (meaning “abandon or renounce”). Irregular verbs aren’t just spelled differently — they’re representative of an interesting linguistic journey.
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Most English verbs are regular. You can more or less slap an “-ed” on the end of these verbs, and they become past tense. “Danced,” “jumped,” “laughed,” and “loved” follow this predictable conjugation pattern. But irregular verbs, such as “forsake,” don’t adhere to specific rules about past tense conjugation. Instead, they change in quirky and often unpredictable ways, including the seemingly random “forsook,” making mastery tricky.
Here’s the catch: Irregular verbs are extremely important to know. Although they account for only about 3% of the language, the 10 most-used English verbs are irregular. Consider the top five: “be,” “have,” “do,” “go,” and “say.” Their past tense forms don’t follow any regular pattern: “was,” “had,” “did,” “went,” and “said.” While these verbs have solidified their importance in our language, lesser-used irregular verbs run the risk of going extinct, according to some linguists.
Irregular verbs are remnants of older conjugation rules that died out over centuries. A group of Harvard linguists have a “frequency theory” — if an irregular verb is used infrequently, it will eventually be overtaken by an “-ed” version, keeping in line with the natural evolution of the language. This shift has already happened to some verbs, including “creep.” While the past tense “crept” was the norm for centuries, “creeped” has been gaining ground in popularity since the 1970s. In fact, of the 177 irregular verbs that existed around 1,200 years ago, 145 made it to Middle English, and 98 survived into modern-day English. The Harvard linguists have their eyes on “wed,” which they predict could become “wedded,” as in, “They wedded in December.”
Will more irregular verbs eventually align with the “-ed” rule? It’s hard to say. Some might argue that simplifying past tense verbs would make English easier to learn. But this simplification comes with the cost of losing the charm of irregular verbs. Personally, I’m not ready to forsake irregular verbs just yet.
Featured image credit: Lamai Prasitsuwan/ Shutterstock
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
5 Words That Meant Something Completely Different 50 Years Ago
In 1974, a “tablet” was a slab of stone and a “meme” didn’t even exist – here’s how five everyday words have completely changed their meaning over the past five decades.
The world was very different in 1974. In the U.S., Barbra Streisand was at the top of the pop charts, supermarkets had just introduced barcode scanners, and chicken tenders were considered a cutting-edge culinary innovation. Society has evolved a great deal since those days, and that includes the world of etymology. In some cases, the meaning of a word 50 years ago may be completely different from its modern-day definition. Here are a few words whose usage has drastically changed over the last five decades.
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Tablet
The term “tablet” has a centuries-old definition of “a flat slab of stone, clay, or wood, used especially for an inscription.” The English word dates to the 1300s, though ancient civilizations were using tablets long before; it comes from the Latin tabula (with the same meaning). But today, when you say the word “tablet,” you’re likely referring to a “small portable computer,” such as an iPad. This technological meaning can be traced to 2002, when Microsoft unveiled its Windows XP Tablet — the first major product sold explicitly as a tablet. The term has gained wider use throughout the personal computing industry in the two decades since, and is now synonymous with handheld touchscreen computers.
Meme
Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins coined the word “meme” in 1976 to describe a “cultural element or behavioural trait whose transmission… is considered as analogous to the inheritance of a gene.” Essentially, it was used in reference to ideas or cultural behaviors that were passed down from generation to generation, akin to human genetics. But in 1998, amid the rise of internet culture, “meme” came to take on a new, more specific meaning. People used the term to refer to funny images and videos that gained widespread popularity across the internet. Today, “meme” is almost never used in its original context.
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Catfish
“Catfish” was coined in the early 17th century to refer to a type of fish with long barbels around its mouth that look like a cat’s whiskers. The word maintained this sole meaning until the 2000s, when it gained a usage in the world of online dating. The 2010 documentary Catfish popularized the term in the public lexicon. The film followed an individual who developed a fictitious online persona in order to lure someone into a romantic relationship. The term “catfish” reflects the idea of a burgeoning and exciting online romantic relationship, because the species is traditionally used by fishermen to keep other fish alert and engaged. But many people who watched the documentary viewed the act of “catfishing” as deeply off-putting and harmful, and the term developed a highly negative connotation.
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Text
In use since the late 1300s, the word “text” has been defined in a multitude of ways. One definition is “written or printed words, typically forming a connected piece of work.” Another meaning refers explicitly to books of Scripture in the Bible, and yet another use is to describe the words of a song. But in the 1990s, “text” became shorthand for “text message,” referring to short, text-based electronic communication. As mobile phones became more common, so did use of the word “text” in this technological context. By 1998, “texting” had become a verb of its own, describing the act of sending electronic text-based messages over the phone.
Telling somebody to “take a chill pill” — i.e., telling them to relax — dates to the 1980s. Yet as far back as the early 15th century, the verb “chill” meant “to grow or become cold.” In 1979, the Sugarhill Gang helped alter that meaning forever with the release of their popular hip-hop track “Rapper’s Delight.” This song featured the lyrics, “Now there’s a time to laugh, a time to cry / A time to live and a time to die / A time to break and a time to chill / To act civilized or act real ill.” The track helped solidify the new meaning of “chill” as the act of calming down and taking it easy.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism. He is also a freelance comedy writer, devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
How Do You Make Your Last Name Plural on a Holiday Card?
Are you about to commit a holiday faux pas with your family’s greeting cards? Before you add that apostrophe to your last name, learn the simple rules that will save you from this common grammatical mistake.
Happy holidays from the Jones’s! Or is it the Jones’? Or the Jones? There are specific guidelines to using the apostrophe punctuation mark, yet it still stumps the most diligent grammar students from time to time. The main purposes of the apostrophe are: 1) to show possession, 2) to omit letters or numbers, and 3) to pluralize singular letters or numbers.
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We’ll address the correct ways to use apostrophes in other editions, but this time of year brings one of the most egregious misuses of the punctuation mark: names and signing holiday cards.
The only reason apostrophes are added to nouns is to show possession; they should never be used for plurality. A last name is a proper noun. So, on your greeting cards, get rid of those apostrophes. You want to sign those cards “From, the Freemans” or “With Love, the Joneses.”
The rules for making last names plural are straightforward, though they vary depending on how the name ends. For most names, simply add an “s”: the Taylors, the Chens. For names ending in “ch,” “s,” “sh,” “x,” or “z,” add “es”: the Churches, the Lewises, the Ashes, the Foxes, the Gonzalezes.
Use an apostrophe only if you are demonstrating possession. And in that case, add it after the “s” for plural proper nouns. (You don’t need an additional “s” after the apostrophe.) For example, “The Freemans’ light display this year is impressive” (not “The Freeman’s light display” or “The Freemans’s light display”). Similarly, if a singular proper noun ends in an “s,” the common guidance for possession is to add just the apostrophe. (“Alexis’ mailbox is too full to fit any cards.”)
The confusion over apostrophes and pluralization isn’t limited to holiday cards, of course — it appears on welcome mats, mailboxes, and custom home décor all year round. You’ve probably seen signs reading “The Cohen’s House” or “Welcome to the Garcia’s.” While these look decorative, they’re technically incorrect unless referring to a single Cohen or Garcia (and then the resident would be referring to themself in the third person). The correct versions would be “The Cohens’ House” or “Welcome to the Garcias’.”
Featured image credit: Antonio Suarez Vega/ Shutterstock
Jennifer A. Freeman is the Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily. When she's not searching for a perfect synonym or reaching "Genius" level on Spelling Bee, she's playing with her Welsh Terrier in Greenville, SC.
Idioms add flavor to our everyday conversations in unexpected ways. Discover how cultures around the world infuse their languages with humor through idioms.
Language barriers are a funny thing. Consider the phrase “quit cold turkey.” You might casually use this idiom to tell a friend you’re done drinking coffee, and they’ll nod in understanding. But try explaining that to a non-English speaker, and they’re likely to wonder what deli meat has to do with your caffeine habit. This is the nature of idioms: They’re dependent on cultural nuances and easily lost in translation. But English isn’t the only language with these seemingly nonsensical expressions. Let’s discover some funny foreign-language idioms from around the globe.
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Swedish: “To slide on a shrimp sandwich.”
Sliding around on a seafood sandwich paints a vivid picture in English, but this idiom is part of everyday Swedish conversation. The saying “Aatt glida på en räkmacka” loosely means “to have things happen easily.” It’s similar to the English expression “to be handed something on a silver platter.” The Swedish expression makes more sense when put into context: A räkmacka is a prawn sandwich, an easily obtained staple of Swedish cafes. The idiom is so popular that it retains its meaning when shortened, as in, “It was no prawn sandwich,” implying it wasn’t easy.
Spanish: “To be like a goat.”
Goats are known for being playful and unpredictable, and in Spanish culture, that sentiment is kicked up a notch. Goats are deemed silly and wild, so if you’re como una cabra — “like a goat” — you must be doing something a little bonkers. Suppose Madrid just scored the winning goal, and your friend climbs onto a table to dance. You might say, “¡Estás como una cabra!” which would be similar to saying, “You’re nuts!” This expression affectionately highlights eccentricity without harshness, celebrating the joy of being a little outlandish.
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Italian: “Having slices of salami on your eyes.”
“Avere le fette di salame sugli occhi” is a quintessentially Italian way of suggesting someone is oblivious to something. This cheeky expression can also be used if someone is absent-minded or can’t see the truth before them, as if the metaphorical salami has been pulled over their eyes. There are other variations of this saying, such as “Avere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto,” which has the same connotations but playfully claims someone’s eyes are “wrapped in ham.”
Japanese: “Buddhist prayer in a horse’s ears.”
This idiom is also a Japanese proverb: “Uma no mimi ni nenbutsu” (“馬の耳に念仏”). It translates to “saying Buddhist prayers into the ears of a horse.” Obviously, a horse can’t understand Buddhist prayers, let alone meaningful human language or spiritual concepts, so this saying captures the frustration and futility of talking to someone who isn’t receptive, reminding us that communication is a two-way street. It’s comparable to the English idiom “talking to a brick wall.”
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Russian: “To hang noodles on one’s ears.”
What sounds like a neat party trick is actually a Russian idiom to describe the art of skillfully deceiving someone: “Vveshat’ lapshu na ushi” (“вешать лапшу на уши”). The quirky imagery conveys the idea of gullibility and the cleverness involved in tricking another person. The origins of the idiom are debated, but one enduring theory developed from an older saying that used the Russian verb oblaposhit (облапошить), meaning “to cheat,” which sounds similar to the word лапша (“noodles”). Still, it might have evolved arbitrarily from the idea of someone hanging noodles as if to distract or confuse another person.
French: “To comb the giraffe.”
The French have a unique way of calling out busy work or pointless tasks: The phrase “peigner la girafe” (“to comb the giraffe”) means “to do something useless.” For instance, if your manager tasks you with arranging and rearranging inconsequential files all day, you’re combing the giraffe. The origin of this idiom highlights the absurdity and futility of performing an impractical task. Not only are giraffes too tall to comb easily, but they also have a unique coat that doesn’t require much grooming, yielding little to no results.
If you’re conversing with a German speaker and they tell you, “Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof,” you’ve lost them. This idiom translates to “I only understand the train station” and is a classic expression of confusion in German. It’s similar to the English idiom “It’s all Greek to me.” The origin of this phrase isn’t certain, but anecdotal evidence points to World War I, when homesick soldiers often discussed the end of the war and the trains that would take them home.
Rachel is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. When she's not writing, you can find her wandering through a museum, exploring a new city, or advocating the importance of the Oxford comma.
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