IdiomBody & Senses
Icelandic
IcelandicAð leggja höfuðið í bleyti
Meaning: To sleep on a problem and think hard about it.
Literally: To put your head in soak
Example: “Ég þarf að leggja höfuðið í bleyti áður en ég svara tilboðinu.” — I need to sleep on it before I answer the offer.
English equivalent: To sleep on it
Equivalents in other languages
English: sleep on it
Origin: To put one's head to soak, like laundry or dried fish left in water to soften: thinking hard about a problem and letting it work. The phrase is everyday Icelandic and has no particular story behind it.
More Icelandic idioms
- Þetta reddast Things will work out fine in the end.
- Að ganga með grasið í skónum To pursue someone persistently, especially to court them.
- Rúsínan í pylsuendanum A pleasant, unexpected bonus at the very end.
- Að fara í geitarhús að leita ullar To seek something where it can't possibly be found.
- Að leggja árar í bát To give up and stop trying.
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