swing the lead
Meaning: To avoid work, especially by pretending to be ill.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “He's not really sick; he's just swinging the lead.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: British slang from around the First World War, often explained by sailors who dawdled while taking depth soundings with a lead weight on a line, though that story is not confirmed.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Tirer au flanc — literally: To pull toward the flank / toward the backside
More idioms — Daily Life
- no sweat — No problem; that's easy.
- dumb as a box of rocks — Very stupid.
- without a penny to one's name — With no money at all.
- feed someone a line — To tell someone something untrue to deceive them.
- a smart aleck — An annoying person who shows off how clever they are.
- let things ride — To let a situation continue without interfering.
More English idioms
- get on someone's nerves — To annoy someone.
- a fat lot of good that does me — That is of no use to me at all.
- knock someone's socks off — To impress or amaze someone greatly.
- what have you been smoking? — Said to someone whose idea sounds crazy.
- throw one's weight around — To use one's power or importance in an overbearing way.
- don't push your luck — Don't risk ruining a good situation by asking for more.
From our compliments & insults
- 눈치가 없다 (nunchi ga eopda) — Hopelessly socially oblivious — can't pick up on emotional cues, awkward silences, or uns…
- حمار (ḥimār) — A stubborn fool — the donkey being the universal symbol of obstinacy in Arabic culture.
- Je bent een kanjer — You're a star — a champ and a wonderful person.