So skaars soos hoendertande
Meaning: Extremely rare; almost non-existent.
Language: Afrikaans
Literally: As scarce as hen's teeth
Category: Animals
Origin: Hens have no teeth at all, so 'hen's teeth' pictures something practically impossible to find.
Equivalents in other languages
- Italian: Ogni morte di papa — literally: Every death of a pope
- English: Once in a blue moon — literally: Once in a blue moon
More idioms — Animals
- آستین کا سانپ (aasteen ka saanp) — A treacherous false friend.
- Il pleut comme vache qui pisse — It's pouring down — a crude, vivid way to say the rain is coming down extremely hard.
- sleep with the fishes — To be dead, with one's body disposed of in the ocean or a large body of water.
- straight from the horse's mouth — Information received directly from the original source, without intermediaries.
- thin the herd — To reduce the size of a group by removing members, typically the weakest or least product…
- donkey's ears — A very long time; ages.
More Afrikaans idioms
- 'n Halwe eier is beter as 'n leë dop — Half a loaf is better than none.
- Nou is die gort gaar — Now we're really in trouble.
- Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou — A sunshower — rain while the sun shines.
- Hy is van sy trollie af — He has lost his mind.
- Koeitjies en kalfies — Idle small talk.
- Bobbejaan agter die bult — To worry about troubles that may never come.
From our untranslatable words
- Duende — A mysterious quality in art or performance that moves you to your core — a dark, soulful,…
- Querencia — A place where you feel safe, grounded, and most fully yourself — a sanctuary from which y…
- Estrenar — The specific pleasure of wearing, using, or showing off something brand new for the very…