Swedish Idioms
A curated set of 67 idioms in Swedish — literal translations, real meanings, and where each one comes from.
- Det finns ingen ko på isen — There's nothing to worry about. Literally: There is no cow on the ice.
- Att glida in på en räkmacka — To have things handed to you without effort. Literally: To slide in on a shrimp sandwich.
- Att ha rent mjöl i påsen — To have a clean conscience; nothing to hide. Literally: To have clean flour in the bag.
- att köpa grisen i säcken — To make a purchase or agreement without inspecting or understanding what you're actually getting. Literally: to buy the pig in the sack.
- det är inte värt ett öre — Something is completely worthless or valueless. Literally: it is not worth an öre.
- att vara rädd som en hare — To be extremely fearful and jumpy, ready to flee at the slightest danger. Literally: to be afraid like a hare.
- Skägget i brevlådan — Caught red-handed in an awkward, embarrassing position. Literally: With your beard in the mailbox.
- Ana ugglor i mossen — To sense that something fishy is going on. Literally: To suspect owls in the bog.
- Lägga rabarber på något — To claim or grab something for yourself. Literally: To lay rhubarb on something.
- Nu har du satt din sista potatis — You've done your last misdeed; you're finished. Literally: Now you've planted your last potato.
- Att göra en pudel — To make a public, grovelling apology. Literally: To do a poodle.
- Att ha tummen mitt i handen — To be hopelessly clumsy; all thumbs. Literally: To have the thumb in the middle of the hand.
- Nu är det kokta fläsket stekt — Now we're really in trouble. Literally: Now the boiled pork is fried.
- Att kasta yxan i sjön — To give up completely. Literally: To throw the axe in the lake.
- Att ha en räv bakom örat — To be cunning and sly. Literally: To have a fox behind the ear.
- Att smita från notan — To dodge paying or shirk responsibility. Literally: To slip away from the bill.
- Att sätta sig på tvären — To be obstinate and refuse to cooperate. Literally: To sit down crosswise.
- ge järnet — Exert maximum effort; give one's all. Literally: give the iron.
- sitta med skägget i brevlådan — Be in a pickle or difficult predicament. Literally: sit with the beard in the mailbox.
- ta sig vatten över huvudet — Get in over one's head; take on more than one can manage. Literally: take oneself water over the head.
- under kniven — Undergoing surgery, or under intense pressure to perform. Literally: under the knife.
- fjällen falla från någons ögon — To suddenly understand something that was previously hidden or obscured. Literally: the scales fall from someone's eyes.
- en koloss på lerfötter — Something that appears powerful and impressive but rests on a fundamentally weak foundation and will collapse easily. Literally: a colossus on clay feet.
- köra med — To tease, bully, or push someone around. Literally: to drive with.
- sätta till alla klutar — To make a maximum effort or remove all restraints in pursuit of something. Literally: to set all the sails.
- falla till föga — To surrender one's position or resistance; to give in. Literally: to fall to meekness.
- inte spotta i glaset — To willingly accept and consume alcohol when offered; to enjoy drinking. Literally: not to spit in the glass.
- het på gröten — Overly eager or impatient, wanting something too urgently. Literally: hot on the porridge.
- kratta manegen — To prepare the ground or circumstances to make it easier for someone to accomplish a task. Literally: to rake the arena.
- kasta pärlor för svin — To offer something valuable to someone who cannot appreciate or will waste it. Literally: cast pearls before swine.
- lämna någon åt sitt öde — To abandon someone, leaving them to deal with consequences on their own. Literally: leave someone to their fate.
- jämna med marken — To completely destroy or demolish a building or structure. Literally: to level with the ground.
- med glimten i ögat — To say or do something in a joking or cheeky manner, with playful mischief rather than seriousness. Literally: with the glint in the eye.
- få bukt med — To overcome, resolve, or take control of a difficult problem or challenging situation. Literally: to get a loop around.
- få betalt för gammal ost — To be punished or retaliated against for a past wrong, to receive belated payback. Literally: to be paid for old cheese.
- tidens tand — The slow decay and wearing away of things through the passage of time, the gradual damage caused by age. Literally: time's tooth.
- spel för galleriet — To do something misleading or false primarily to impress or deceive an audience or group of observers. Literally: play for the gallery.
- inte ha en aning — To have no idea or understanding whatsoever about something. Literally: not have a notion.
- ha luktat krutrök — To be experienced in battle or conflict; to have been tested under fire. Literally: have smelled gunpowder.
- ingen ko på isen — There is no danger or immediate problem; the situation is safe. Literally: no cow on the ice.
- djungelns lag — Survival of the fittest; a state of lawlessness where brutal competition and violence determine who succeeds. Literally: the jungle's law.
- reta gallfeber på — To infuriate or enrage someone intensely. Literally: to tease gall-fever on.
- sätta käppar i hjulet — To create obstacles or hindrances for someone or something. Literally: to set sticks in the wheel.
- lägga vantarna på — To get hold of something; to seize or obtain. Literally: to lay mittens on.
- vända kappan efter vinden — To change one's allegiance or principles opportunistically depending on circumstances. Literally: to turn one's cloak according to the wind.
- gräva sin egen grav — To cause one's own ruin or downfall through foolish actions. Literally: to dig one's own grave.
- inte göra en fluga förnär — To be harmless and gentle, incapable of hurting even the smallest creature. Literally: not to do a fly any harm.
- styv i korken — Overly self-confident and arrogant, carrying oneself with unwarranted swagger. Literally: stiff in the cork.
- gå sitt öde till mötes — To face one's destiny, often implying a dramatic or fatal confrontation with what is fated to come. Literally: to go one's fate to meet.
- som vatten på en gås — Something that has no effect or makes no impression, sliding off harmlessly. Literally: like water on a goose.
- lysa med lånta fjädrar — To present oneself falsely by adopting the qualities, accomplishments, or possessions of others. Literally: to shine with borrowed feathers.
- så till den milda grad — To such an extent; to a remarkable or extreme degree, often used ironically. Literally: to such a mild degree.
- komma till pass — To prove useful or convenient in a particular situation; to be exactly what is needed. Literally: to come to use.
- lika som bär — Identical or nearly identical to each other in appearance or character. Literally: like as berries.
- syna i sömmarna — To examine something with intense, often harsh scrutiny and criticism. Literally: to see in the seams.
- lägga sig i — To insert oneself into a situation uninvited; to meddle or interfere. Literally: to lay oneself in.
- sätta någon på plats — To rebuke or humble someone by establishing proper order or respect. Literally: to set someone on place.
- på hal is — In a precarious or dangerous situation that one cannot control or easily escape. Literally: on slippery ice.
- högt spel — A risky venture or pursuit involving substantial stakes and danger. Literally: high game.
- ta sig friheten — To take a liberty or privilege that one has not been explicitly granted. Literally: to take oneself freedom.
- ta sig friheter — To act without appropriate restraint, especially to make inappropriate advances or impose oneself on another. Literally: to take oneself freedoms.
- sjunga på sista versen — To be near the end of one's life or near the end of something's existence. Literally: to sing on the last verse.
- surt sa räven — To claim that something undesirable was not worth having anyway, as a way of masking disappointment. Literally: sour said the fox.
- slåss mot väderkvarnar — To engage in a futile struggle against imaginary or trivial enemies. Literally: to fight against windmills.
- ha is i magen — To remain calm and composed under pressure, resisting the urge to act rashly. Literally: to have ice in the belly.
- bära eller brista — To succeed or fail; to endure the test or collapse under it. Literally: to bear or break.
- mitt på ljusan dag — In broad daylight; openly and obviously, not in secret. Literally: right in the bright day.
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