IdiomFood & Drink
Swedish
SwedishLägga rabarber på något
Meaning: To claim or grab something for yourself.
Literally: To lay rhubarb on something
Example: “Min bror lade rabarber på den bästa sängen direkt.” — My brother staked his claim to the best bed right away.
English equivalent: To stake a claim
Origin: Rabarber (rhubarb) is a playful distortion of embargo, as Swedish Wiktionary notes: lägga embargo på (to put an embargo on) became "to put rhubarb on." To lay rhubarb on something is to claim or seize it for oneself.
Equivalents in other languages
English: stake a claim
More Swedish idioms
- Att göra en pudel To make a public, groveling apology.
- Att ha tummen mitt i handen To be hopelessly clumsy; all thumbs.
- Nu är det kokta fläsket stekt Now we're really in trouble.
- Att kasta yxan i sjön To give up completely.
- Att ha en räv bakom örat To be cunning and sly.
- Att smita från notan To dodge paying or shirk responsibility.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Puente The day taken off to 'bridge' a midweek public holiday to the weekend, turning it into a…
- Vergüenza ajena The squirming embarrassment felt on behalf of another person, who may be entirely untroub…
- Magari One word doing the work of 'if only', 'I wish', 'perhaps' and 'you bet' — the tone decide…
Keep exploring