Ana ugglor i mossen
Meaning: To sense that something fishy is going on.
Language: Swedish
Literally: To suspect owls in the bog
Category: Animals
Origin: From Danish 'ulver i mosen' — wolves in the marsh; Swedes misheard wolves as owls, and the harmless birds inherited the menace.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Il y a anguille sous roche — literally: There is an eel under the rock
- Hindi: दाल में कुछ काला है (daal mein kuchh kaalaa hai) — literally: There is something black in the lentils
- Malay: Ada udang di sebalik batu — literally: There's a shrimp behind the rock
More idioms — Animals
- 马马虎虎 (Mǎmǎhūhū) — So-so; careless and only just passable.
- 拍马屁 (pāi mǎpì) — To flatter or suck up to someone.
- At have rotter på loftet — To be a little crazy.
- Päästä kuin koira veräjästä — To escape consequences entirely; to get off scot-free.
- Dělat z komára velblouda — To blow something tiny wildly out of proportion.
- Egyik kutya, másik eb — Two things are exactly the same; six of one, half a dozen of the other.
More Swedish idioms
- Lägga rabarber på något — To claim or grab something for yourself.
- Nu har du satt din sista potatis — You've done your last misdeed; you're finished.
- Att göra en pudel — To make a public, groveling apology.
- Att ha tummen mitt i handen — To be hopelessly clumsy; all thumbs.
- Nu är det kokta fläsket stekt — Now we're really in trouble.
- Att kasta yxan i sjön — To give up completely.
From our tongue twisters
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. — A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.
- Zehn zahme Ziegen ziehen zehn Zentner Zucker zum Zoo. — A sustained 'z' / 'ts' drill — every word starts with the same affricate.
- Wenn Fliegen hinter Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen Fliegen nach. — Fliegen means 'flies' (insects), 'to fly', and 'flying' — all at once, relentlessly.