IdiomNature
Ukrainian
UkrainianЯк сніг на голову (Yak snih na holovu)
Meaning: Completely out of the blue; totally unexpected.
Literally: Like snow on the head
Example: “Родичі приїхали як сніг на голову.” — The relatives showed up out of the blue.
English equivalent: Out of the blue
Equivalents in other languages
English: out of the blue
French: De but en blanc Literally: From butt to white- French: Sans crier gare Literally: Without crying look-out
Origin: Like snow falling on one's head from a roof, without warning. The phrase is used of something completely unexpected, and is shared with Russian как снег на голову. No particular story lies behind it.
More Ukrainian idioms
- Дати драла (Daty drala) To run away fast.
- Розбити глек (Rozbýty hlek) To fall out and ruin a friendship.
- Брати ноги в руки (Braty nohy v ruky) To hurry up and get moving quickly.
- Передати куті меду (Peredaty kuti medu) To overdo something well past the right measure.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Mit sütsz, kis szűcs? Tán sós húst sütsz, kis szűcs? An 'sz / s / ts' sibilant duel — Hungarian's two close s-sounds collide in every word.
- Ibsens ripsbusker og andre buskvekster. An 'sb / sk / busk' cluster trap that jams the tongue between the bushes.
- Rødgrød med fløde. The legendary soft-d and rounded 'ø' test — the phrase Danes use to spot a non-native ins…
Keep exploring