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Author Topic: Swedish idioms  (Read 2044 times)

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Offline CyberusTopic starter

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Swedish idioms
« on: August 05, 2004, 03:45:36 PM »
I had this as a huge OT post on the 'Stupid Americans' thread.
So I moved it here...
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Taking it slightly OT, sorry :
Incidentally, I like to collect language links, and I saw this the other day. It will make a lot more sense to you, but I still find some little turns of phrase make me smile. Perhaps you can confirm some of the authenticity of these phrases...

I like this one:

Quote

I will lay the gloves on that girl
Jag ska lägga vantarna på den där flickan


And

Quote

I wan't the same salad as yesterday but I want mice in it, and I want the mice sliced....
    Swedish worldartist to a surprised waitress in a beverlyhills hotel restaurant.....She didn't know that mice means corn in swedish.....and he didn't know that she thought he wanted some sliced rodents......he couldn't believe she said she'd look in the garbage cans at the back of the kitchen......;)

Is that feasible?

And how about this one?
Quote

The who sings in the morning when he's hungry, comes in the hawkass before evening
Den som sjunger på fastande mage, kommer i hökrumpan före kväll


This one's good
Quote

close shoots no hare
nära skjuter ingen hare


Quote

In Sweden we always rape after dinner
I Sverige rapar vi alltid efter maten
    Or rather burp after dinner. Someone got nervous and got it all wrong

Shall we {bleep} in it?
Ska vi skita i det?
    Should we not bother with it?

Anyway, you get the idea....:-)

edit: Doh! It would help if I posted the link!

HERE


This one's great!
Quote

Whats the time? A quarter past the crack in the glass.
vad är klockan? Kvart över sprickan i glaset.


Ah man, I can't stop reading now...
"He has planted his last potato"
Han har satt sin sista potatis
   He's had it

Is there an obsession with fish?
"April, April your stupid herring, i can cheat you werever i want!
April, April din dumma sill. Jag kan lura dig vart jag vill!
    The english phrase of "April fool..."

"The nice fish!
Fina fisken!
    Excellent! Great!"

:-)
I like Amigas
 

Offline whabang

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Re: Swedish idioms
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2004, 03:58:09 PM »
Yes.
Most Scandinavians can read any Scandinavian text without any problems. There are a few differences in pronouncation and spelling, but it's basically the same language.

Placing your gloves on something: Marking it as yours.

Corn is called Majs (from maize) in Swedish, yes.

Never heard the hawk-arse proverb before, but the translation is somewhat correct.

"Nära skjuter ingen hare (på fortet? :-P)".
Commonly used proverb.
Better translation:
Close shots don't bring down any hare.

"Rap" is means burp in Swedish.
When used as a verb (to burp), you say att rapa.
There is never any 'e', unless you say "the burp", rapen.

Swedes always {bleep} in it. :lol:
Beating the dead horse since 2002.
 

Offline T_Bone

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Re: Swedish idioms
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2004, 03:59:16 PM »
What about the phrase "Like a fart in a mitten?" I heard that was a popular saying, is this true?
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Offline whabang

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Re: Swedish idioms
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2004, 06:34:18 PM »
Never heard it.
"Like a fart in space" is another thing, though.
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Offline Dan

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Re: Swedish idioms
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2004, 09:08:57 PM »
Quote

T_Bone wrote:
What about the phrase "Like a fart in a mitten?" I heard that was a popular saying, is this true?


I haven´t heard that but something similar.
"He ran around like a thumbfart."
"Han for runt som en tummafis"

Its probably refering to the same thing. That bubble of air that sometimes got trapped in the mittens when you was a kid.
It´s rather dialectal.
Apple did it right the first time, bring back the Newton!