That poor rooster probably had so many sleepless nights that he had a shrimp\u2019s eye<\/b> (\u039c\u03ac\u03c4\u03b9\u00a0\u03b3\u03b1\u03c1\u03af\u03b4\u03b1 mati garida<\/i>). <\/b>This Greek idiom<\/a> refers to insomnia\u2014if you can\u2019t sleep well, you sleep like a shrimp\u2019s eye. Not surprisingly, the Greeks are big fans of seafood-related idioms, such as having crabs in your pocket (\u0388\u03c7\u03c9\u00a0\u03ba\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03cd\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u00a0\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03c2\u00a0\u03c4\u03c3\u03ad\u03c0\u03b5\u03c2. Eho kavouria stis tsepes<\/i>.)<\/b>, which means you are being stingy.<\/i><\/p>\n Animals play a prominent role in idioms in practically every language. In English, we smell a rat <\/b>when we suspect someone isn\u2019t being entirely truthful, while in Spanish<\/a>, they would have a fly behind their ear (tener la mosca detr\u00e1s de la oreja)<\/b>. When the Danes<\/a> have a hunch that something is not quite right, they suspect there are<\/b> owls in the bog (der er ugler i mosen).<\/b><\/p>\n While those idioms hinge on a belief or a feeling, sometimes we use idioms to express disbelief. Brazilians love the Portuguese idiom<\/a> \u201cMy foot!\u201d (O escamb\u00e1u!) <\/b>as a way of saying \u201cYeah right!\u201d 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\u2019re wondering what the point of something is. To ask what that has got to do with anything, they use the Polish idiom<\/a> what\u2019s a gingerbread got to do with a windmill? (Co ma piernik do wiatraka?)<\/b><\/p>\n 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 \u201cb\u201d, but the Italians<\/a> say to break the boxes (rompere le scatole). <\/b>\u201cScatole\u201d literally refers to a container, generally made out of cardboard. How did that become a euphemism for a male\u2019s reproductive parts? No clue. But that\u2019s why idioms are so great.<\/p>\n So get off your butt and stop waiting for something to thaw (attendre le d\u00e9gel)<\/b>, as the French<\/a> would say, and start learning some idioms in your language of choice!<\/p>\n What are some of your favorite idioms in the language(s) you\u2019re learning?<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As important as it is to learn proper grammar in a new language, it\u2019s equally important to keep up with how people actually speak. If you ask me, there\u2019s no better form of colloquial speech than idioms. So, eager language-learning beavers, let\u2019s jump in feet first, swing into action, and get waist deep in some…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2014\/04\/idioms_owl-350x265.jpg\")