IdiomDaily Life
Danish
DanishAt tisse i bukserne for at holde varmen
Meaning: A quick fix that makes the problem worse soon after.
Literally: To pee in your pants to keep warm
Example: “At låne penge for at betale gæld er at tisse i bukserne for at holde varmen.” — Borrowing money to pay off debt only helps for a moment and then makes things worse.
Origin: Peeing in one's trousers to keep warm brings a moment of warmth followed by worse cold. The saying, shared with Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish, is used of short-sighted fixes that make a problem worse. No first use is documented.
More Danish idioms
- At save den gren over man selv sidder på To undermine your own position.
- At gå over åen efter vand To do something in a needlessly roundabout way.
- At trække det store læs To do the heavy lifting and carry the work.
- At træde i spinaten To put your foot in it; to blunder.
- At score kassen To make a big, easy profit.
- At slå koldt vand i blodet To calm down and keep a cool head.
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