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styv i korken

Meaning: Overly self-confident and arrogant, carrying oneself with unwarranted swagger.

Language: Swedish

Literally: stiff in the cork

Category: Daily Life

Origin: The image draws on a cork that stands rigidly upright, suggesting someone who holds themselves with exaggerated stiffness and pride.

More idioms — Daily Life

  • gå sitt öde till mötes — To face one's destiny, often implying a dramatic or fatal confrontation with what is fate…
  • komma till pass — To prove useful or convenient in a particular situation; to be exactly what is needed.
  • syna i sömmarna — To examine something with intense, often harsh scrutiny and criticism.
  • sätta någon på plats — To rebuke or humble someone by establishing proper order or respect.
  • högt spel — A risky venture or pursuit involving substantial stakes and danger.
  • ta sig friheten — To take a liberty or privilege that one has not been explicitly granted.

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.
  • lägga sig i — To insert oneself into a situation uninvited; to meddle or interfere.
  • på hal is — In a precarious or dangerous situation that one cannot control or easily escape.

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