Mennä metsään
Meaning: To go completely wrong.
Language: Finnish
Literally: To go into the forest
Category: Nature
Origin: Getting hopelessly lost in Finland's vast forests pictures an attempt that has gone badly astray.
Equivalents in other languages
- English: go pear-shaped — literally: to go pear-shaped
More idioms — Nature
- Házet flintu do žita — To give up prematurely.
- Havadan sudan konuşmak — To make idle small talk.
- آب از سرش گذشته (âb az sarash gozashte) — It is already too late to save the situation.
- Sambil menyelam minum air — To accomplish two things in one go.
- Air tenang menghanyutkan — Quiet people can run surprisingly deep.
- Að ganga með grasið í skónum — To be secretly in love or full of longing.
More Finnish idioms
- Olla pinna kireällä — To be on edge and short-tempered.
- Lyödä rahoiksi — To cash in; to profit handsomely.
- 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.
From our compliments & insults
- Tête de linotte — A scatterbrain who can't hold a thought.
- Courir sur le haricot — To get badly on someone's nerves.
- Tienes menos luces que un barco pirata — You're really not the brightest.