猫舌
Meaning: Unable to handle hot food or drinks.
Language: Japanese
Literally: Cat tongue
Category: Animals
Origin: Cats famously refuse food until it cools; Edo-period Japanese pinned the trait on heat-sensitive humans, and the word stuck.
More idioms — Animals
- 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.
- Кот наплакал — A laughably tiny amount.
- De hond in de pot vinden — To arrive too late — the food, or the opportunity, is gone.
- Ana ugglor i mossen — To sense that something fishy is going on.
- 马马虎虎 — So-so; careless and only just passable.
More Japanese idioms
- 猫の額 — A very small space, especially of land.
- 腹が黒い — Scheming and malicious behind a friendly face.
- お茶を濁す — To dodge a question with a vague, evasive answer.
- 朝飯前 — A task so easy it can be done before eating.
- 二階から目薬 — A roundabout effort that has no real effect.
- 喉から手が出る — To want something so badly you can hardly bear it.
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