
IdiomThe Absurd
Finnish
Ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa
Meaning: Someone isn't quite all there.
Literally: Not all the Moomins are in the valley
Example: “Hän maalasi autonsa ruudulliseksi; ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa.” — He painted his car in checks; he has a screw loose.
English equivalent: To have a screw loose
Origin: "Not all the Moomins are in the valley": from Tove Jansson's Moomin books (from 1945), whose family lives in Moomin Valley. The phrase is a modern Finnish way of saying someone is not quite all there, like English "not playing with a full deck." When it was first used is not documented.
Equivalents in other languages
Danish: At have rotter på loftet Literally: To have rats in the attic
French: Avoir une araignée au plafond Literally: To have a spider on the ceiling
German: eine Schraube locker haben Literally: To have a screw looseEnglish: have a screw loose
More Finnish idioms
- Maksaa maltaita To cost a fortune.
- Heittää lusikka nurkkaan To die.
- Olla pipo kireällä To be uptight, grumpy or in a foul mood.
- Päästä kuin koira veräjästä To escape consequences entirely; to get off scot-free.
- Olla kuin Ellun kanat To live a carefree, comfortable life.
- Vetää lonkalta To improvise; to wing it.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- 黑化肥发黑会挥发;灰化肥发灰会挥发。(Hēihuàféi fā hēi huì huīfā; huīhuàféi fā huī huì huīfā.) A 'hēi/huī/huì/fā' four-tone minefield — the tones alone change every meaning.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
- Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna. The same noun/verb homograph trap as the German version — vliegen does triple duty.
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