Similar idioms in other languages

[Unregistered]

I was talking to someone recently whose second language was English and they were trying to describe someone who was acting like a "Bull in a China Shop"

They used a phrase like "Elephant in a porcelain factory" (or similar) and later I was expressing my amusement at that to another non-English speaker and they said that that was very similar to the idiom used in their language (Polish).

I thought that I would do some research on how many similar idioms there were with similar meanings in other languages, any ideas as to where to start?

 

[CHOMAT]

French : Un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine ( China shop)

 

[Anglika]

To start you off on your research:

German Idioms
http://tinyurl.com/2x556p
Image: 2001 Japanese and English Idioms (2001 Idioms Series): Carol Akiyama,Nobuo Akiyama

 

[Wuisi]

Español: Como un elefante en una cacharrería.
There are a lot involving animals: Un burro en un garaje (a donkey in a mechanist's, that is absent-minded and oblivious), Un pavo en navidad (a turkey at Christmas, that is, afraid and suspicious), Un cerdo en un charco ( a pig in a pond, enjoying himself and happy as you can be); we even say 'Tienes el mismo cerebro que un caballo' (You have horse's brains, that is, just enough not to poo during a parade...) They are quite funny.

 

[murdochrules]

Same in Russian: Слон в посудной лавке = An elephant in china shop. I would be curious to know in which language it started, and why? Anyone was able to find the roots so far?

 

[Torben]

In danish: som en elefant i en glasbutik
----------- like an elephant in a glass store

 

[Tdol]

Do any of you use 'eat my hat'? Apparently, it occurs in some other languages.

 

[atlaisha]

What does it mean?

 

[Torben]

I'll eat my hat if I'm wrong = to do something impossible (eat a hat) if you are wrong.

"eat my hat" is a very common saying in danish. "aede min hat".

Got my own saying, about something that's very difficult:

"It's like, getting a camel through a keyhole" :shock:

 

[Tdol]

We say easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, which is from the Bible.

 

[Wuisi]

In Spain we don't eat our hats, 'we take it off' (expressing admiration or respect towards somebody), but 'we swallow our own words'. We have the one about the camel going through the eye of a needle, but 'encontrar una aguja en un pajar' (sth like to find a needle in a haystack) is more common.