IdiomBody & Senses
Ukrainian
UkrainianДати драла (Daty drala)
Meaning: To run away fast.
Literally: To give a bolt
Example: “Побачивши собаку, кіт дав драла.” — When it saw the dog, the cat took to its heels.
English equivalent: To take to one's heels
Equivalents in other languages
French: Prendre ses jambes à son cou Literally: To take one's legs around one's neck
Hindi: नौ दो ग्यारह होना (nau do gyaarah hona) Literally: To become nine, two, eleven
Russian: Делать ноги (Delat' nogi) Literally: To make legs
Italian: battere i tacchi Literally: To beat one's heels
English: beat a hasty retreat- French: Prendre la tangente Literally: To take the tangent
- English: take to one's heels
Origin: Daty drala is to take to one's heels, to run away fast. The phrase is colloquial Ukrainian, shared with Russian дать драла, and the origin of drala is not documented.
More Ukrainian idioms
- Розбити глек (Rozbýty hlek) To fall out and ruin a friendship.
- Брати ноги в руки (Braty nohy v ruky) To hurry up and get moving quickly.
- Передати куті меду (Peredaty kuti medu) To overdo something well past the right measure.
- Як сніг на голову (Yak snih na holovu) Completely out of the blue; totally unexpected.
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