IdiomAnimalsSlovenian

Iti rakom žvižgat

Meaning: To go to ruin; to fall apart.

Literally: To go whistle to the crayfish

Example: “Po stečaju je tovarna šla rakom žvižgat.” — After the bankruptcy, the factory went to rack and ruin.

English equivalent: To go to rack and ruin

Origin: "To go whistling to the crayfish": to go to ruin, to be lost. Crayfish live at the bottom of rivers, so going to whistle to them is going under the water for good. The phrase is colloquial Slovene, and its origin is not documented.

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