Lyödä rahoiksi

Meaning: To cash in; to profit handsomely.

Literally: To strike it into money

Example: “Hän löi talon myynnin rahoiksi juuri ennen hintojen laskua.” — He made a killing selling the house just before prices fell.

English equivalent: To make a killing

Origin: Lyödä rahaksi is to turn something into cash: to sell it or profit from it. The phrase is colloquial Finnish for cashing in, and has no particular story behind it.

Equivalents in other languages

French: Faire ses choux gras Literally: To make one's cabbages fat
Danish: At score kassen Literally: To score the cash box
English: make a killing

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More Finnish idioms

Ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa Someone isn't quite all there.
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.

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Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

Fame Actually means 'hunger'. Ho fame = I'm hungry. For fame (renown), say fama.
Vaso Actually means 'a drinking glass'. A vase (for flowers) is un jarrón or florero.
Pasta Actually means 'folder' or 'briefcase'. Pasta (the food) is massa.

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