Common Icelandic idiomatic expressions with their literal and figurative meanings, one idiom per card. Front: the Icelandic word or phrase. Back: English meaning.
40 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Að kasta hnútum
- Literally 'to throw knots'; means to hurl snide insults at someone
- Að leggja árar í bát
- Literally 'to lay the oars in the boat'; means to give up
- Að taka til hendinni
- Literally 'to grab with the hand'; means to get to work, to pitch in
- Að vera með böggum hildar
- Literally 'to have Hildur's bundles'; means to be troubled or worried
- Að láta ekki deigan síga
- Literally 'to not let the dough sink'; means to not lose heart, to keep going
- Að fara á límingunum
- Literally 'to come apart at the glue'; means to lose one's temper
- Að slá tvær flugur í einu höggi
- Literally 'to hit two flies in one blow'; means to kill two birds with one stone
- Að hafa mörg járn í eldinum
- Literally 'to have many irons in the fire'; means to have several projects going at once
- Að vera úti á þekju
- Literally 'to be out on the roof'; means to be clueless, out of touch
- Að vaða í villu og svima
- Literally 'to wade in error and dizziness'; means to be greatly mistaken
- Að leggja eitthvað á hilluna
- Literally 'to put something on the shelf'; means to shelve or postpone a plan
- Að bera í bakkafullan lækinn
- Literally 'to carry to an already full stream'; means to do something pointless or redundant
- Að vera með allt á hreinu
- Literally 'to have everything clean'; means to have everything figured out
- Að gera úlfalda úr mýflugu
- Literally 'to make a camel out of a fly'; means to make a mountain out of a molehill
- Að skjóta sig í fótinn
- Literally 'to shoot oneself in the foot'; means to sabotage one's own effort
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