Att glida in på en räkmacka
Meaning: To have things handed to you without effort.
Language: Swedish
Literally: To slide in on a shrimp sandwich
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: The shrimp sandwich (räkmacka) at the center of this phrase carries real cultural weight in Sweden as a marker of small, indulgent luxury, distinct from the plain, everyday cheese sandwich (ostmacka). The open-faced shrimp sandwich itself entered Swedish food culture in the 1950s, popularized aboard the Öresund ferries between Sweden and Denmark, which served the Danish-style open sandwich as a fashionable treat; it quickly became a fixture of finer restaurant menus and special occasions rather than ordinary daily eating. "Gliding in on a shrimp sandwich," documented in this figurative sense since the 1970s, borrows that luxury association directly: arriving somewhere already comfortably seated on the good stuff, without having done any of the work that would normally be needed to earn a place there.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Att ha rent mjöl i påsen — To have a clean conscience; nothing to hide.
- Descascar o abacaxi — To solve a very difficult, thorny problem.
- Helaas, pindakaas — Too bad, nothing can be done about it.
- Σιγά τα λάχανα — Big deal! (extreme sarcasm)
- Ayıkla pirincin taşını — Deal with it yourself; it's your mess.
- Armut piş, ağzıma düş — Wanting everything handed to you without effort.
More Swedish idioms
- att köpa grisen i säcken — To make a purchase or agreement without inspecting or understanding what you're actually…
- det är inte värt ett öre — Something is completely worthless or valueless.
- att vara rädd som en hare — To be extremely fearful and jumpy, ready to flee at the slightest danger.
- Skägget i brevlådan — Caught red-handed in an awkward, embarrassing position.
- Ana ugglor i mossen — To sense that something fishy is going on.
- Lägga rabarber på något — To claim or grab something for yourself.
From our compliments & insults
- Je bent een kanjer — You're a star — a champ and a wonderful person.
- Золотые руки (Zolotye ruki) — You're wonderfully skilled with your hands — a true master at making and fixing things.
- Χρυσό μου (Chrysó mou) — My darling — a tender term of endearment.