Norwegian Sayings... Sayings and idioms are part of what make languages fun, surprising and unique, and they often say a lot about the culture that they come from. Below are some of the best and strangest Norwegian sayings – sit down comfortably in the middle of the butter eye, bury your battle axes and write one or two of these behind your ear.
an empty bowl makes when you tap it). Å få blod på tannen Translation: To get blood on your tooth Meaning: To become inspired/driven to do something.
Å ha bein i nesa Translation: To have bones in your nose Meaning: To be determined and capable.
Å stå med skjegget i postkassa Translation: To stand with your beard in the post box Meaning: To have ended up in a bad situation, possibly scammed into it.
Jeg har en høne å plukke med deg Translation: I have a hen to pluck with you Meaning: To have an issue with someone that you want to discuss with them.
Man skal ikke skue hunden på hårene Translation: You shouldn’t judge the dog on its hairs Meaning: You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Å være født bak en brunost Translation: To be born behind a brown cheese Meaning: To be senseless.
Å skrive noe bak øret Translation: To write something behind the ear Meaning: To make a mental note of something.
Å snake rett fra leveren Translation: To speak directly from Å være midt i smørøyet the liver Translation: To be in the middle of the butter eye Meaning: To speak plainly/truthfully Meaning: To be in a great place (the smørøye is the lovely without sugar-coating. buttery hollow left by the melting scoop of butter atop a warm bowl of porridge such as risgrøt). Der er ugler i mosen Translation: There are owls in the bog Å koka bort i kålen Meaning: There is something secretive/sinister about a Translation: To boil away/into nothing in the cabbage situation. Meaning: When an idea or plan comes to nothing through waffling. It is thought to come from meat being reduced Å ta beina på nakken to nothing when cooked in cabbage stew for a long time. Translation: To put your legs on your neck Meaning: To run away from something. Å tråkke i salaten Translation: To step in the salad Å ha en finger med i spillet Meaning: To make a faux pas. Translation: To have a finger included in the game Meaning: To play a part in something (often sneaky). Å grave ned stridsøksen Translation: To bury the battle axe Det er helt Texas! Meaning: To bury the hatchet. And similarly… Translation: That’s completely Texas! Meaning: That’s crazy! (From associations Å røyke fredspipe with the Wild West from old Western Translation: To smoke a peace pipe movies.) Meaning: To make up with someone following a disagreement. Editor’s Note: My father used to say (in English) “I’m so Å være pling i bollen mad I can’t see the butter on the wall”. As a child I never Translation: To be a ping in the bowl Meaning: To be empty-headed (from the “ping”-like noise saw the butter either so I just assumed I was mad too! 12
