IdiomNature
Greek
GreekΤα έκανε θάλασσα
Meaning: He made a complete mess of it.
Literally: He turned it all into a sea
Example: “Του ζήτησα να οργανώσει το πάρτι και τα έκανε θάλασσα.” — I asked him to organize the party and he made a hash of it.
English equivalent: To make a hash of something
Origin: "He made it into a sea": he made a complete mess of things, as if everything had been flooded. The phrase is everyday modern Greek, and its origin is not documented.
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: Pisar na bola Literally: To step on the ball
Romanian: A o da în bară Literally: To hit it into the post
Spanish: No dar pie con bola Literally: To not give foot to ball
English: drop the ball- English: make a hash of something
More Greek idioms
- Μου άναψες τα λαμπάκια You made me furious.
- Τρώω κουτόχορτο To be gullible and easily fooled.
- Μου έφυγε το καφάσι I was utterly shocked.
- Άλλα λόγια ν' αγαπιόμαστε You're dodging the point or talking nonsense.
- Κάνω την πάπια To feign ignorance; to play dumb.
- Τρώω πόρτα To be refused entry or turned down flat.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
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- Librairie Actually means 'bookshop'. A library is une bibliothèque.
- Constipado Actually means 'having a head cold'. Estoy constipado = I have a cold.
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