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медведь на ухо наступил

Meaning: To lack musical ability or have poor sense of pitch and rhythm.

Language: Russian

Literally: a bear stepped on one's ear

Category: Animals

Origin: Russian folklore where bears represented wild, uncontrolled forces; stepping on the ear symbolized disrupting musical sensitivity.

More idioms — Animals

  • att vara rädd som en hare — To be extremely fearful and jumpy, ready to flee at the slightest danger.
  • let the cat out of the bag — to reveal a secret inadvertently.
  • go belly up — to fail completely; to go bankrupt.
  • bark up the wrong tree — to pursue a wrong course; to blame the wrong person.
  • get your ducks in a row — to organize yourself; to prepare systematically.
  • in a pig's eye — absolutely not; never; expressing strong disagreement.

More Russian idioms

  • пускать пыль в глаза — To deceive or mislead someone, creating false impressions through trickery.
  • Ни пуха ни пера — Good luck — to which the ritual reply is 'To the devil!'.
  • Ехать зайцем — To ride a train or bus without paying.
  • После дождичка в четверг — Never — or certainly no time soon.
  • Кот наплакал — A laughably tiny amount.
  • Зарубить на носу — To remember something firmly, once and for all.

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