IdiomDaily Life
Swedish
SwedishAtt smita från notan
Meaning: To dodge paying or shirk responsibility.
Literally: To slip away from the bill
Example: “Regeringen försöker smita från notan för det nya sjukhuset.” — The government is trying to dodge the bill for the new hospital.
Origin: Smita is to sneak away and notan the bill: slipping out of a restaurant before paying. Figuratively it is dodging the cost or the responsibility for something one has taken part in. No particular story lies behind it.
Equivalents in other languages
Russian: Ехать зайцем (Yekhat' zaytsem) Literally: To ride as a hare
Italian: Fare il portoghese Literally: To do the Portuguese
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