IdiomNature
Swedish
Swedishdjungelns lag
Meaning: Survival of the fittest; a state of lawlessness where brutal competition and violence determine who succeeds.
Literally: The jungle's law
Example: “På rean gällde djungelns lag.” — At the sale it was the law of the jungle.
English equivalent: The law of the jungle
Equivalents in other languages
English: the law of the jungle
Origin: From Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1894), in which the animals live by "the Law of the Jungle," set out in his poem of that name. Kipling's law was a code of order, but the phrase came to mean the rule of the strongest, where anything goes.
More Swedish idioms
- reta gallfeber på To infuriate or enrage someone intensely.
- sätta käppar i hjulet To create obstacles or hindrances for someone or something.
- lägga vantarna på To get hold of something; to seize or obtain.
- vända kappan efter vinden To change one's allegiance or principles opportunistically depending on circumstances.
- inte göra en fluga förnär To be harmless and gentle, incapable of hurting even the smallest creature.
- styv i korken Overly self-confident and arrogant, carrying oneself with unwarranted swagger.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
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- Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid. A 'bl' / 'br' brain-twister.
- Trentatré trentini entrarono a Trento tutti e trentatré trotterellando. An unbroken stampede of 'tr' and 't'.
- 東京特許許可局 (Tōkyō tokkyo kyokakyoku) A machine-gun of 'kyo' / 'kyoku' sounds.
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