“Make a hash of something”in other languages
Do something very badly.
English
Greek
Portuguese
Romanian
Spanish
EnglishGreekPortugueseRomanianSpanishSame idea, different pictures
Football is the favorite source. Brazilian Portuguese steps on the ball, pisar na bola, Romanian hits the post, a o da în bară, and Spanish can't get foot to ball, no dar pie con bola. English drop the ball comes from ball games too.
English make a hash of something goes to the kitchen: a hash is a dish of chopped-up leftovers. Greek goes to sea: τα έκανε θάλασσα, he turned it all into a sea.
More sayings in other languages
- Bow out
- Breathe down someone's neck
- Take the bull by the horns
- Burn one's bridges
- Butter someone up
- Butter wouldn't melt in someone's mouth
- By hook or by crook
- Call the shots
- Carry coals to Newcastle