Biti ob živce
Meaning: To be a nervous wreck.
Language: Slovenian
Literally: To have lost your nerves
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: In Slovene, to be ob something is to have lost it — biti ob denar is to be out of money, biti ob pamet to lose one's mind — so to be ob živce is to have run out of nerves altogether, with nothing left to hold you steady.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- Sukti galvą — To rack your brains.
- Ņemt kāju pār plecu — To hurry off at once.
- Nina püsti käima — To be snooty and arrogant.
- Namumuti ang mata — To wait in vain for a very long time.
- Makati ang paa — Restless and always wanting to go out.
- Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa — You cannot do everything alone.
More Slovenian idioms
- Iti rakom žvižgat — To go to ruin; to fall apart.
- Metati polena pod noge — To deliberately obstruct or sabotage someone.
From our tongue twisters
- Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien. — The classic French 'ch' / 's' tangler.
- Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. — A relentless run on the 'tr' sound.
- Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische, frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz. — The German 'f' / 'sch' staple.