Mlatiti praznu slamu
Meaning: To engage in pointless talk or effort.
Language: Croatian
Literally: To thresh empty straw
Category: Nature
Origin: Beating straw that holds no grain pictures labor that yields absolutely nothing.
Equivalents in other languages
- Lithuanian: Pilstyti iš tuščio į kiaurą — literally: To pour from the empty into the leaky
- Arabic: يضرب في حديد بارد (yadrib fi hadid barid) — literally: To strike cold iron
More idioms — Nature
- Bacati drvlje i kamenje — To hurl furious abuse at someone.
- Prodavati maglu — To peddle empty promises and con people.
- Kam vietor, tam plášť — To turn with whoever holds power.
- Kā pliks pa nātrēm — In a frantic, painful hurry.
- Itaga mo sa bato — You can count on it absolutely.
- Hulog ng langit — A godsend; a great blessing.
More Croatian idioms
- Pasti s kruške — To be clueless and out of touch.
- Ići niz dlaku — To go smoothly and agreeably.
- Glavom kroz zid — To stubbornly attempt the impossible.
- Okrenuti ploču — To abruptly change your tune.
From our untranslatable words
- Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…
- Flâner — To wander a city slowly and aimlessly, savouring it with no destination in mind — the art…
- Retrouvailles — The joy of reuniting with someone after a long time apart.