ProverbCommunication
Russian origin
Russian originВ тихом омуте черти водятся (V tikhom omute cherti vodyatsya)
Meaning: Quiet people can hide surprising, even wild, natures.
Literally: Devils live in a still pool
Example: “Такая скромная девушка, а прыгнула с парашютом! В тихом омуте черти водятся.” — Such a shy girl, and she went skydiving! Still waters run deep.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 3 more languages
English: Still waters run deep
French: Il n'est pire eau que l'eau qui dort (literally: There is no worse water than sleeping water)
Spanish: Del agua mansa líbreme Dios (literally: God save me from still water)
Japanese: 能ある鷹は爪を隠す (Nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu) (literally: A talented hawk hides its talons)
German: Stille Wasser sind tief (literally: Still waters are deep)
Italian: Acqua cheta rompe i ponti (literally: Still water breaks bridges)
Dutch: Stille waters hebben diepe gronden (literally: Still waters have deep bottoms)
Polish: Cicha woda brzegi rwie (literally: Quiet water tears at its banks)
Origin: Folk belief placed water spirits and devils in deep still pools, the омут, where the water looks calmest.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Beloruchka Someone who dodges dirty or hard work — a person whose hands stay conspicuously clean.
- Zapoi A bender running for days, in which a person drops out of ordinary life entirely.
- Toska A dull ache of the soul; a great longing with nothing in particular to long for.
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