Just like English and any other language, Swedish is full of fun expressions. One is, Det är ingen ko på isen! – There’s no cow on the ice! This quirky expression means, “No worries! It’s no problem!”

Not everyone says ingen ko på isen, but if you meet someone who does, that person will likely have a sweet Swedish charm.

Another expression, albeit of a different type, is till råga på allt – to put the icing on the cake. But what do we mean by this?

We use till råga på allt as a way of saying “in addition to everything we have already stated”. In summary, it’s pretty similar to how we say “And to put the icing on the cake, …” in English, after having listed some things that have happened. In most cases, it’s a way of expressing frustration with a number of inconvenient occurrences, but it can also be used positively.

Here’s an example of using the expression negatively:

Elin är på semester, så vi hade mycket mer att göra – och till råga på allt är jag förkyld!
Elin is on vacation, so we had a lot more to do – and to put the icing on the cake, I’ve got a cold!

But you don’t have to use it negatively – the expression can even be used with a positive meaning, often in a situation where you expect a negative outcome:

De tvingade mig inte att ha deras åsikter, de tvingade mig inte att läsa deras broschyr – och till råga på allt var de trevliga människor.
They didn’t force me to have their opinions, they didn’t make me read their brochure – and to put the icing on the cake, they were kind people.

And now you know how to put the icing on the cake in Swedish. 🙂