Czech idioms

A collection of idiomatic expressions in Czech with English equivalents and translations.

Idioms English versions
Je to pro mne španĕlská vesnice It's all Greek to me
(lit. "it's a Spanish village to me")
Padají trakaře It's raining cats and dogs
(lit. "it's raining wheelbarrows")
Šplouchá mu na maják A sandwich short of a picnic
(lit. "it's splashing on his lighthouse")
Zaplatit majlant To cost and arm and leg
(lit: "to pay Mailand" - Mailand is a German name for Milan, which was known for its richness in Middle Ages)
Je to to samé v bledě modrém To be the same in blue
(lit: "to be the same in light blue")
Pánská jízda The stag party
(lit: "mens' ride")
Jako by hrách na stěnu házel Like throwing peas at the wall
Jedním uchem tam, druhým ven Like a water on duck's back
(lit. "in one ear, out the other")
Hladit hada bosou nohou to walk into the lion's den
(lit: "to pat a snake with bare feet")
Trn v oku A thorn in one's side
(lit: "a thorn in one's eye")
Házet perly sviním Cast pearls before swine
Být ze stejného těsta To be cut from the same cloth
(lit: "to be made from the same dough")
Zatlačit někoho ke zdi To drive someone up the wall
Smrdět To be fishy
(lit: "to stink")
Mít zlou předtuchu / Mít tušení /
Tušit zradu
To smell a rat
(lit: "to have a bad preminition / to suspect a betrayal")
Knedlík v krku A frog in the thoat
(lit: "a dumpling in the throat")
Šrotit / Šprtat To hit the books
Hujer/ Šprt An eager-beaver
Držet se na uzdě Hold one's horses
(lit: "the hold oneself back")
Být v pasti To be in a pickle
(lit: "to be in a trap")
Bruslit na tenkém ledu To be in a hot water
(lit: "to skate on thin ice")
Natáhnout bačkory To kick the bucket
(lit: "to straighten one's soft shoes")
Poslední kapka The last straw
(lit: "the last drop")
Nehoří to It does not hold water
(lit: "it is not burning")
Jednou za uherský rok Once in a blue moon
(lit: "once in a Hungarian year")
Být pasé To be over the Hill
(lit: "to be passé")
Číst mezi řádky To read between the lines
Pohnout kostrou To shake a leg
(lit: "to move one's skeleton")
Docvaknout To see the light
(lit: "to click in spot on")
Třást se jako osika To shake like a leaf
(lit: "to shake like an aspen-tree - the tree on which Judas hanged himself")
Zatím to ujde So far so good
(lit: "it is going on good so far")
My o vlku (a vlk za humny) Speak of the devil
(lit: "we (are speaking) about the wolf, (and the wolf is in the backyard)")
Chvástat se cizím peřím To take a leaf from someone's book
(lit: "to burst in pride from somebody's else feather")
Hodit flintu do žita Throw in the towel
(lit: "to throw the rifle into the rye")
Špička ledovce The tip of the iceberg
Dvacetčtyři hodin denně 24/7
Otočit se k někomu zády Turn one's back on
Snesl by j? modré z nebe He would do anything for her (lit. "He can take the blue from the sky for her")
To si piš This certainly will be (lit. "You must write it")

Czech idioms compiled by Martina Spidlova with recordings by Jan Jurčík

Links

More collections of Czech idioms
https://matadornetwork.com/abroad/mini-guide-czech-slang/
http://www.locallingo.com/czech/phrases/idioms.html
http://www.guidilo.com/14-phrases-only-the-czech-understand#.WZlg6OmQyUk
https://www.facebook.com/czechidioms/

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More idioms

It's all Greek to me | It's raining cats and dogs | As easy as falling off a log | A sandwich short of a picnic | It's small world | When pigs fly | Out of sight, out of mind | Crystal-clear | Penny Pinching | Practice makes perfect | The grass is always greener | As Snug as a Bug in a Rug

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