The more you start digging into the endless world of idioms and expressions, the more confusing many of them seem. Or what do you make of today’s collection og shelves, eyes, apples and churchbells? Make perfect sense or totally confusing? Any similar expressions in your language?

Bita i det sura äpplet
Meaning: When you have to do something you really don’t want to, but there’s no way out of it.
Literally meaning: To bite into the sour apple
Example: Jag ville inte göra provet, men det var bara att bita i det sura äpplet. (I didn’t want to do the test, but I just had to do it, there was no way I couldn’t.)

Att visa var skåpet ska stå
Meaning: To take control and show how things should be done.
Literally meaning: To show where to put the cabinet
Example: Sverige låg under, men så visade äntligen Zlatan var skåpet ska stå. (Sweden was losing, but finally Zlatan showed them how things shall be done.)

Det var nära ögat
Meaning: When something almost happens, when it’s really really close
Literally meaning: It was close to the eye
Example: Vi krockade inte, men det var nära ögat (We didn’t crash, but it was really close.)

Hon/Han spottar inte i glaset
Meaning: Someone who likes to drink
Literally meaning: She/he doesn’t spit in the glass
Example: Jennie drack sex öl, hon spottar inte i glaset direkt. (Jennie drank six beers, she obviously likes to drink.)

Klockrent!
Meaning: Brilliant! Correct! Perfect!
Literally meaning: As clear/clean as a bell (referring to the sound of a church bell)
Example: Tack för tröjan, den var klockren! (Thank’s for the shirt, it was perfect!)

Att lägga någonting på hyllan
Meaning: To postpone something, take a break from something
Literally meaning: To put something on the shelf
Example: Jag hann inte med att spela fotboll så jag fick lägga den på hyllan ett tag (I didn’t have time to play football, so I had to take a break from it for a while.

Ute och cyklar
Meaning: To be completely wrong about something
Literally meaning: To be out cycling
Example: Göteborg är inte Sveriges huvudstad, nu är du ute och cyklar. (Gothenburg is not the capital of Sweden, you are completely wrong.

(Read Swedish odd expressions part I here and part II here, and as soon as I have conquered the brilliant Byki, I will gather them all in one big – and weird – idiom list, I promise! It was nära ögat I got the hang of it today, but I decided to lägga det på hyllan until tomorrow…)