In English, we have our own quirky little idioms that will make no sense if taken literally. For example, sayings like: “he’s on fire,” “hitting the books,” or “being stabbed in the back.” They all have meaning to us here in the States and in other English speaking countries. Yet, if someone who was studying English heard these and wasn’t familiar with our idioms, well, they’d be rather confused. However; what if this situation was switched and we were confused? As students in America we need to take an extra language in order to graduate, but in some courses we don’t learn idioms of the language. This could then lead us to be confused if we ever visit the country we are studying. So, when learning a language, it may help to look at idioms in order to understand the local languages better. After doing some research, we found some idioms from other lands where English is not the primary spoken language.

Let our journey begin in the country known for love and fashion, France. The French language is one that has always been associated with an air of elegance and romance. But, what are their idioms like? Well, a great expression people would use to mean that they do not know the answer to something could be, “Donner sa langue au chat.” The phrase literally means, “To give one’s tongue to the cat,” a bit odd, but interesting once you look into the background of it. Cats, in the 19^th century, were believed to be the guardians of secrets, so if you were unable to answer and your cat could speak, it’d be able to give you the answer! Another sweet French expression is “Tomber dans les pommes,” or, in its literal translation, “To fall in the apples.” This idiom’s meaning is simply to faint. While the origin is uncertain, it’s most likely from a letter by George Sand (famous French writer) to Madame Dupin, where she says, “To be in the cooked apples” to express her extreme exhaustion. There are many more fantastic French idioms to be explained, but we will have to move on towards another country and lingo!

Now onto the country of passion with a language spread far and wide, Spain. The Spanish language is spoken in many countries and is known for being a suave and amazing language! Our first idiom for the stupendous Spanish language is, “Estar como una cabra.” Literally, the meaning is, “to be like a goat.” Now, this doesn’t mean to eat hay or grow horns, that’d be crazy. As a matter of fact, if you saw somebody grow horns or eat hay, you could describe it with this idiom. “Estar como una cabra,” is used to describe somebody that is doing something bizarre or acting out of the ordinary. Another great phrase to learn is, “Quedarse de piedra,” which literally means to, “Stay like a stone.” Figuratively, the phrase’s meaning is to be amazed. For example, one could say, “Me quedé de piedra cuando me dijo la historia.” (I was stunned when he told me the story.) While we can go through more of the splendid Spanish idioms, we must move onto to another land with another set of interesting idioms!

Next, is the country of tulips, biking, and windmills, The Netherlands! The Netherlands is a country filled with culture and breathtaking canals and country sides. A very common Dutch phrase is one with no actual explanation and a blurry origin. The idiom is, “Nu komt de aap uit de mouw,” the meaning of this little Dutch phrase would be, “Now the monkey comes out of the sleeve.” The phrase is used when the true meaning of a situation or true character of a person is revealed. A theory of the origin is within magic tricks and when a monkey would come out of a magician’s sleeve. Secondly, is a Dutch phrase that we have an equivalent to, “Een appeltje met iemand te schillen hebben.” The literal translation of this phrase is, “To have a little apple to peel with someone.” This idiom is equal to our expression, “To have a bone to pick with someone.” In which you are angry at someone and want to get revenge or have a problem with someone. All in all, the Dutch language is certainly a curious one with their idioms to match.

Finally, we come back to a language that is near and dear to our hearts, English! The English language is spoken internationally from the blazing country/continent of Australia to the cozy countries of the United Kingdom and Ireland. We know so many of own expressions and idioms but not everyone knows their origins. For example, the common phrase, “Turn a blind eye,” meaning to ignore the facts or reality, has a rather peculiar origin. The British Naval hero Horatio Nelson had one blind eye, which comes into key importance when Britain fought Denmark. In one battle, British forces signaled him to stop attacking a Danish fleet of ships; however, he held the telescope to his blind eye and simply stated, “I do not see a signal.” He attacked and emerged victorious. Another English idiom with a thought-provoking origin is, “Mad as a hatter.” Now, you may think you’re already aware of origin because of Lewis Caroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ – but, you’re wrong.  The expression comes from a 17^th to 18^th century disease that affected hat makers who used mercury for the felts of their hats.  This disease would cause one to be shy, irritable, and have tremors which made the person seem mad. Every English idiom has its own interesting, and possibly odd, origin that is usually linked with English history itself.

There are many more cultures with many more interesting idioms to explore! From the beautiful plains of Africa, vast deserts of the Middle East, the sky-scraping cities of Asia, and the quaint towns of Europe. There is such a variety of cultures and languages to learn with their own quirky phrases and expressions, like how the English language and American culture has their own. When you’re able to learn simple little details such as idioms, it makes learning a language more fun and it will aid you in real life situations in which you speak the language. It helps you express and describe ideas or sights in a creative and more expressive manor. Overall, the ability to speak another language is already amazing, knowing little details such as cultural references and idioms, makes it all that much better!

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