As important as it is to learn proper grammar in a new language, it’s equally important to keep up with how people actually speak. If you ask me, there’s no better form of colloquial speech than idioms. So, eager language-learning beavers, let’s jump in feet first, swing into action, and get waist deep in some idioms from around the world. (See how much fun idioms are?!)

Idioms are a lot of fun, so there’s no need to be as dumb as a wooden rooster (呆若木鸡   dāi ruò mù jī). This Chinese idiom describes the stupefied look on someone’s face when they are struck with fear or surprise. It comes from the story of a king who is fond of cock fighting. The king hires a man to train a cock for him, and when the cock finally arrives, it stands in the fighting arena unfazed, almost as if it was made of wood. Its opponent is terrified, and no other cock will face him.

That poor rooster probably had so many sleepless nights that he had a shrimp’s eye (Μάτι γαρίδα mati garida). This Greek idiom refers to insomnia—if you can’t sleep well, you sleep like a shrimp’s eye. Not surprisingly, the Greeks are big fans of seafood-related idioms, such as having crabs in your pocket (Έχω καβούρια στις τσέπες. Eho kavouria stis tsepes.), which means you are being stingy.

Animals play a prominent role in idioms in practically every language. In English, we smell a rat when we suspect someone isn’t being entirely truthful, while in Spanish, they would have a fly behind their ear (tener la mosca detrás de la oreja). When the Danes have a hunch that something is not quite right, they suspect there are owls in the bog (der er ugler i mosen).

While those idioms hinge on a belief or a feeling, sometimes we use idioms to express disbelief. Brazilians love the Portuguese idiom “My foot!” (O escambáu!) as a way of saying “Yeah right!” We have a similar expression in English that references another body part, if you catch my drift. Poles have their own amusing expression when they’re wondering what the point of something is. To ask what that has got to do with anything, they use the Polish idiom what’s a gingerbread got to do with a windmill? (Co ma piernik do wiatraka?)

Sometimes disbelief can turn in to frustration, for which the Italians have an excellent expression. We may know it as breaking something else that stars with “b”, but the Italians say to break the boxes (rompere le scatole). “Scatole” literally refers to a container, generally made out of cardboard. How did that become a euphemism for a male’s reproductive parts? No clue. But that’s why idioms are so great.

So get off your butt and stop waiting for something to thaw (attendre le dégel), as the French would say, and start learning some idioms in your language of choice!

What are some of your favorite idioms in the language(s) you’re learning?