blistering barnacles
Meaning: A comic exclamation of surprise or anger.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Blistering barnacles! Who ate all the biscuits?”
Category: Animals
Origin: The English translation of Captain Haddock's oath Mille milliards de mille sabords in Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin; the English versions of the comics were published from the 1950s.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Tonnerre de Brest ! — literally: Thunder of Brest!
More idioms — Animals
- a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush — It is better to keep what you have than risk it for something more uncertain.
- hightail it — To leave in a great hurry.
- you could have knocked me down with a feather — I was extremely surprised.
- like a rat in a trap — Trapped with no way to escape.
- like the cat that got the cream — Very pleased with oneself.
- strong as an ox — Very strong.
More English idioms
- let's hit the road — Let's leave; let's get going.
- gone with the wind — Gone forever, vanished without a trace.
- without fanfare — Quietly, without any publicity.
- a Herculean task — An extremely difficult job requiring huge effort.
- on the sidelines — Not taking an active part; left out.
- a stab in the back — A betrayal by someone one trusted.
From our untranslatable words
- Mono no aware — A bittersweet awareness of impermanence — the gentle sadness and appreciation that arise…
- Ikigai — The thing that makes you want to get out of bed — the intersection of what you love, what…
- Ma — The meaningful negative space between things — a deliberate pause in music, an empty room…