IdiomDaily Life
Swedish
Swedishstyv i korken
Meaning: Overly self-confident and arrogant, carrying oneself with unwarranted swagger.
Literally: Stiff in the cork
Example: “Efter första vinsten blev han väldigt styv i korken.” — After his first win, he got too big for his britches.
English equivalent: Too big for one's britches
Equivalents in other languages
French: Avoir la grosse tête Literally: To have a big head- French: Avoir le melon Literally: To have the melon
Estonian: Nina püsti käima Literally: To walk with your nose up
Albanian: I rri gjel dikujt Literally: He stands like a rooster to someone
English: too big for one's britches- French: Se croire sorti de la cuisse de Jupiter Literally: To think oneself born from Jupiter's thigh
- French: Se croire le premier moutardier du pape Literally: To think oneself the pope's chief mustard-maker
- English: have a big head
Origin: SAOB records säker, styv or hög i korken (sure, stiff or high in the cork) from 1902, meaning cocky and stuck-up. Why the cork is not explained; it may be the head, pictured like the cork of a bottle held stiffly upright, but that is a guess.
More Swedish idioms
- som vatten på en gås Something that has no effect or makes no impression, sliding off harmlessly.
- lysa med lånta fjädrar To present oneself falsely by adopting the qualities, accomplishments, or possessions of…
- så till den milda grad To such an extent; to a remarkable or extreme degree, often used ironically.
- lika som bär Identical or nearly identical to each other in appearance or character.
- på hal is In a precarious or dangerous situation that one cannot control or easily escape.
- surt sa räven To claim that something undesirable was not worth having anyway, as a way of masking disa…
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