finnish idioms
TRANSCRIPT
Appendix:Finnish idioms This is a list of idioms in the Finnish language. Proverbs and idioms with direct equivalents in the English language are typically excluded.
The sections below do not cover the entire alphabet officially recognised in the Finnish language. The letters B, C, D, F, G, Q, W, X, Z and Å are omitted because they do not occur in native Finnish words.
A
Idiom English translation Meaning
aasinsilta a bridge of a donkey. From
Latin pons asinis
A tenuous connection between the old
discussion topic and a new one.
aataminaikainen from the time of Adam (Of an object) very old, old-fashioned
alkaa vetää
to start to pull (vetää, much
like English set, has various
unrelated meanings, e.g. to
lead, to drink alcohol)
To leave immediately. Pull off.
Antaa/Ala heittää/vetää! let/start to throw/pull To ask someone to leave immediately,
"Get out/off!/Buzz off! /Take a hike!".
auki open Without money, broke, to owe money
aukoa päätään to keep opening one's head To speak provocatively to someone.
E
Idiom English translation Meaning
ei hätä ole tämän näköinen emergency does not look like
this
Don't worry. We'll make through this (in
a distress/stressful situation)
ei olla jäniksen selässä not to be riding a hare Not to be in an immediate hurry.
ei olla suu tuohesta not to have a mouth of birch
bark
Not to abstain from food or drink (always
used with a negative).
ei sylkeä lasiin not to spit into the glass Not to abstain from alcohol (always used
with a negative).
eilisen teeren poika son of yesterday's grouse Inexperienced, gullible (usually used with
a negative, "nobody's fool")
ei nähdä metsää puilta not to see the forest from the
trees
To stick to details, failing to see from a
wider perspective
elää kuin pellossa like living in a field
To live without cleaning up after oneself,
or bothering about what others think
about one.
en minä voi siksi muuttua I can't change into that
A statement that a desired object simply
isn't available, no matter how much
someone keeps asking for it. The word
"siksi" (into that) is substituted with the
object in question, in translative "-ksi".
H
Idiom English translation Meaning
heittämällä by throwing With little or no effort required.
heittää lusikka nurkkaan to throw the spoon into the
corner To die or to give up.
heittää veivinsä to throw one's crankshaft To die.
heittää (jollakin) vesilintua to throw something at
waterfowl
To throw away. (As in throwing into a
lake.)
hevoset karkaa the horses are running away A euphemism for "your fly is open".
homma hanskassa (hanskat
hukassa)
to have the task or job in one's
glove (the gloves are lost)
to have it under control or to be able to do
the task at hand (to not have it under
control or not being able to do the task at
hand)
hoo moilasena as H. Moilanen Shocked, mouth agape, utterly
unprepared, never heard
huitsin Nevadaan
hevon kuuseen
to Nevada (for all I care)
to the horse's sprucetree
Away, to an unknown place, never to be
seen again. While the nameNevada is an
obvious reference to the U.S. state,
"huitsin" probably refers to Hiisi.
hymyillä kuin Hangon keksi
smile like a "a biscuit
from Hanko" (a biscuit brand
had an embossed "smiley" on
the round biscuits. These
biscuits were manufactured in
Hanko from 1910 to 1940.
The original name of the
factory was Suomalais-
Englantilainen Biscuittehdas,
‘Finnish–English Biscuit
Factory’. Hangon Keksi was
also one of the leading
advertisers in Finland of its
time, and the biscuits were
marketed in an exemplary
way. The smiling Hangon
Keksi biscuit, appearing in
constantly changing adverts,
was in fact the man on the
moon.)
To smile very broadly and happily.
hyppiä seinille to jump onto walls To act alarmedly; to panic.
(joko) hyvällä tai pahalla With the good or the bad. Willingly or by force.
I
Idiom English translation Meaning
ihmisten ilmoilla where people are around (lit.
in people's air/weather)
At a place popular or populated enough to
earn one's respect. Can also be used more
literally, to mean at a place where one can
be rescued.
irtoaa kuin mummon hammas comes loose like grandma's
tooth Goes very, very easily.
J
Idiom English translation Meaning
joka kumartaa yhdelle,
pyllistää toisille
who bows to one, will show
his butt to the others
If you favour one, you'll discriminate the
others.
joko teet tai itket ja teet either you'll do it or you'll cry
and do it
A direct order to do something, whether
the addressed wants to do it or not. The
word "teet" ('you do') can be substituted
with whatever verb is necessary from
context.
juopon napit drunkard's buttons When someone buttons up his/her shirt
wrong.
Jumalan selän takana behind God's back
Possibly a calque from the English phrase
"a godforsaken place". Sometimes
implies a disrespect of rural communities.
juosta pää kolmantena jalkana To run with one's head as a
third leg To be in a great hurry
juosten kustu (as if) urinated while running Haphazardly implemented.
järki jäässä (common sense) frozen Being clueless about something or
understanding the point slowly.
K
Idiom English translation Meaning
kaidalla polulla on the narrow path To live within the law (possible Biblical
metaphor).
kaksipa päätä makkarassa there are two ends to a sausage Two sides of a thing, cf. "two sides of a
coin"
kallella kypärin with the helmet askew Downhearted
kana kynittävänä (has) a chicken to pluck To have unresolved disputes, cf. English
"bone to pick"
Kankkulan kaivoon into the well of Kankkula To go to waste.
kestää ikä ja terveys to take the time of one's age
and health
To take a far too long time, or be of far
too much effort.
keskellä ei-mitään in the middle of nowhere
Calque from English —
natively korvessa Cf. English "In the
middle of bumfuck Egypt"
kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa
puuroa
to circle like a cat circles hot
porridge
To constantly and obviously covet
something without actually making a
move to get it, or to try to approach a
difficult topic of speech in a roundabout
way.
kiven alla under a stone Difficult to obtain
koira haudattuna a dog buried
An implication that there's something foul
behind the scenes, the situation is not
what it appears to be.
konstit on monet (, sanoi akka,
kun kissalla pöytää pyyhki)
the ways are many (said the
woman while wiping the table
with a cat)
There's more than one way to do
something. Often used when it becomes
necessary to resort to unconventional
methods. (cf. "there is more than one way
to skin a cat.")
korjata luunsa to pick up one's bones To finally get around to leaving.
korvessa in the backwoods; out in the
sticks
A place that is somewhere in an area with
no interesting things surrounding it, to be
"out in the sticks".
kuin allit kalliolla (also
misheard "nallit")
like ducks (exactly: a
particular species (Long-tailed
Duck) that leaves last in the
autumn) on a cliff
Left by oneself, without outside support.
kuin Euroopan/maailman
omistaja
like the owner of Europe/the
world
Acting excessively posh and snobby.
Usually an implication of misplacen
superiority towards others.
kuin kaksi marjaa like two berries Two people or things that seem extremely
alike; two peas in a pod.
kuin kala ilman polkupyörää like a fish without a bicycle
Perfectly well in its own right; for
example "a woman without a husband is
like a fish without a bicycle".
kuin lasta löisi / helppoa kuin
lapsen lyöminen/hakkaaminen
like beating a child / easy like
hitting/beating a child Very, very easy.
kuin perseeseen/perseelle
ammuttu karhu
like a bear which has been
shot in the ass Being extremely cranky.
kuin seipään niellyt as if swallowed a spear
Standing unnaturally or needlessly
upright. To be turgid and bumptious. To
be seemingly nervous.
kuin sitruunan niellyt as if swallowed a lemon Sulky or (easily) irritated
kuin tervan juontia like drinking tar Extremely slow, difficult, or arduous.
(kadota/hävitä) kuin tuhka
tuuleen/pieru Saharaan
(to disappear) like ash in the
wind/ a fart in Sahara (To sink) without a trace.
kuin täi tervassa like a louse in tar Extremely slow
kuin viilipytty like a pot of sour milk Very calm.
Kuka kissan hännän nostaa
ellei kissa itse?
Who would raise a cat's tail,
but the cat himself?
To toot your own horn or boast about
yourself.
kukkona tunkiolla like a rooster on top of the
garbage pile
Boasting of oneself with cheap merits,
being "king of the hill" when said hill is
for example a garbage pile. It is easy as
no one else wants to be the king of a
garbage hill.
kusta/kusee hunajaa pissing honey Extremely happy & satisfied
kääntää kelkkansa to turn one's sled To do an aboutface/turnabout.
L
Idiom English translation Meaning
laittaa hanskat/rukkaset naulaan
to hang up your gloves give up
ei (tule) lasta eikä paskaa won't result in either a baby or
shit An unsuccessful, futile or abortive effort.
lavealla tiellä on the wide road To live outside the law (possible Biblical
metaphor).
(ja) lehmät lentää (yeah, and) cows can fly Expressing doubt, skepticism.
(jollain on) lepakoita tapulissa (someone has) bats in the
belfry
A slow-witted or mentally handicapped
person
lukea kuin piru Raamattua read like the Devil reads the
Bible
To deliberately look for loopholes, in
order to follow the letter without
following the spirit.
lähteä kuin hollituvasta to leave as if leaving an inn
To leave without cleaning up after
oneself. (holli from Swedish hålla(to
keep) + tupa).
lähteä kuin piru seuroista to leave like the Devil leaves a
revival
To leave extremely fast (also used when
an inanimate object is quickly propelled
to a great speed)
lähteä lapasesta to slip away from the
(woollen) glove To go out of control.
puhua läpiä päähän(sä) to speak holes into (one's)
head
To make statements without requisite
knowledge. Often used of one's own
words Cf. English "I may be speaking out
of my ass"
M
Idiom English translation Meaning
Manu on työnsä tehnyt, Manu
saa mennä
Manu has done his job, Manu
is dismissed
An ironic expression, when faced with
ingratitude after doing a favor. The name
"Manu" comes from Swedish, and is used
as a generic name for a soldier.
(tuli kuin) Manulle illallinen (it came like) like an evening
meal to Manu
Gaining something good without any
effort. Refers to a soldier getting his food
rations.
Matti kukkarossa Death in a wallet
Broke (without money). The Persian for
"dead" is "mat". In Finnish it is
pronounced as "matti" as in "Shakki
Matti" (Shah Mat). "Minulla on matti
kukkarossa" could be translated "My
moneypurse is dead". In a similar way
"Olen täysin matti" means "I am dead
tired".
menneen talven lumia snows of winters past
Not relevant anymore, often used of past
offenses or sorrows, similar in tone to
English "let bygones be bygones".
mennä metsään (jossakin) to go into the forest (in
something)
To be misguided, to go wrong; usually
used to describe unintended consequences
of decisions or plans
mennä pipariksi to go gingerbread Something goes completely wrong. Could
be translated as "Shatters as gingerbread".
mennä putkeen go into the tube (or pipe) To succeed, to work as planned.
(istua ja) miettiä syntyjä syviä (to sit and) contemplate the
deep origins
To meditate on the mysteries of the
world; used ironically, to do nothing
(from Finnish mythology).
miettiä taivaan variksia to think about the crows in the
sky To not pay attention to what's going on.
(heittää) mäkeen (throw) into the hillslope (To throw) away.
N
Idiom English translation Meaning
kuin Naantalin aurinko like the Sun over Naantali Of a wide-smile face.
nalli kalliolla (originally "alli
kalliolla")
long-tailed duck sitting on
rock
This idiom has been misheard as "nalli
kalliolla" (explosive primer on rock). The
original idiom is "Jäi kuin alli kalliolle",
meaning "Was left behind, like long-
tailed duck". When migratory birds are
leaving in autumn, the long-tailed ducks
leaves later than other birds.
nenänvalkaisu nose-bleaching
Sobering up, as in the sense of not
drinking alcoholic beverages for a week
or a month.
nousta väärällä jalalla to rise/get up from the bed
with the wrong foot
To be very grumpy first thing in the
morning when everything seems to go
wrong. Similar to English "get up on the
wrong side of the bed".
näyttää miten heränneet veisaa
to show how the revivalists
chant (a saying from Upper
Savonia and Northern
Ostrobothnia, where revivalist
movements are strong)
To show someone how to properly do a
thing they are attempting to do.
näyttää (jollekulle) närhen
munat
to show (somebody) the eggs
(or, in slang, testicles) of a jay
To show that one can do something better
than the person the "eggs" are to be
shown to, OR, to give somebody a good
beating.
O
Idiom English translation Meaning
oikaista koipensa to straighten one's legs To die.
ojasta allikkoon from the ditch to the duck
pond
out of the frying pan into the fire, from
one bad situation to another
oksat pois so the branches fall off (the
tree)
used to describe almost anything (mostly
anger) in excessive quantity. also used in
conjunction with the subject of immediate
action
olla hukassa be in a 'loss';
also, hukka means "wolf" Being lost, missing, in despair, perished.
olla lammas to be a lamb
a person who is like a lamb does nothing
alone. the person does everything that for
example the clique he/she belongs to.
olla pää sitä varten, ettei
selkäranka valu housuihin
to (only) have a head to
prevent one's spine dropping
to one's pants
To be helplessly stupid.
olis kirveellä töitä there would be work for an
axe
Something should be corrected, possibly
with quite harsh means.
oma lehmä ojassa with one's own cow in the
ditch
Having a personal interest or investment
in the matter.
oppia kantapään kautta to learn by way of the heel Learn a lesson the hard way
(maksaa) oppirahat (pay the) learning costs Learn a lesson the hard way
ottaa tilaisuudesta vaari
take a granpa out of
situation/take care about a
situation
To take a chance when an opportunity
strikes.
otti ohraleipä / olkileipä
it took a barley bread / straw
bread (slightly
ungrammatical). After losing
the rye harvest, one had to sow
barley, an inferior crop, before
the winter
To encounter severe problems.
P
Idiom English translation Meaning
panna tikkua ristiin cross two matchsticks
To perform even the most minimal effort.
Cf. English "lift a finger". Nearly always
used with a negative.
pata kattilaa soimaa pot chastening the kettle
Used to claim that a person is guilty of
the very thing of which they accuse
another. Cf. English "pot calling kettle
black".
persaukinen open-arsed Without money, broke.
(kiivetä) perse edellä puuhun (to climb) into a tree arse first
To do something in a needlessly
complicated way, failing to see an easier
way
perse(et) olalla arse(s) on one's shoulder to be really drunk
peukalo keskellä kämmentä with one's thumb in the middle
of one's palm
Very bad at doing something, usually
manual labour. Cf. English "All
Thumbs".
pieniin päin towards small ones Pregnant. Cf. English "with child"
(Hävitä kuin) pieru
Saharaan/Nevadaan
(to disappear/dissolve) like a
fart in the deserts of
Sahara/Nevada
(To disappear) without a trace Cf. English
"like a fart in the wind"
pihkassa in resin Having a crush on someone
pilvin pimein in dark clouds A huge (often excessive) amount of
something.
asettua poikkiteloin to set oneself crosstocks
To start to object to something. Often
used if that something has already been
generally agreed on.
Porvoon mitalla with Porvoo measure
More than asked for, generously. The
Porvoo measure was a standardized
measuring cup used by tax men to
measure grain.
potkaista tyhjää to kick empty space To die. Cf. English "to kick the bucket"
pukki kaalimaan vartijana a goat guarding a cabbage
patch
To leave a task to someone with a conflict
of interest.
pukukummitus suit ghost
A person who insists on being sharply
and formally dressed, but who appears to
do little, if any, actual work. Almost
always used of men, but sometimes of
women too.
puurot ja vellit sekaisin confusing porridge and gruel
Confusing two unrelated things, either for
each other, or as relating to each other.
Cf. comparing apples and oranges.
päin seiniä / puuta / honkia / ... against the walls / tree / pines /
... Completely wrong.
R
Idiom English translation Meaning
rikkana rokassa as a piece of trash in the broth
As the bad exception in an otherwise
good company. More commonly used in
a positive way, c.f. "every little bit helps".
ruista ranteessa rye in one's wrist Physically strong.
rysän päältä from the top of a large fish
trap
Caught straight from doing a no-good
thing, such as stealing fish from your
neighbour's trap. Cf. English "caught red-
handed". E.g. the American TV program
"Cheaters" is translated to "Rysän päältä"
in Finnish.
S
Idiom English translation Meaning
sataa kuin Esterin perseestä raining as from Esteri's ass Raining heavily. Raining cats and dogs.
(viedä) saunan taa(kse) (take) behind the sauna
"To put off/execute". Due to fire hazard,
saunas were built at a distance from the
house, and what was or happened behind
the sauna was out of sight, "behind the
backyard". Normally, there was a
"tunkio" or a garbage pile behind the
sauna, and when e.g. a sick or injured
horse or dog needed to be put down, it
was taken behind the sauna for the job.
soittaa suutaan to play one's mouth (as a
musical instrument) To boast, or to speak provocatively.
soitellen sotaan
soitellen, archaic for travel,
related to Estoniansõita (not to
be confuced with playing an
instrument) sotaan, to war
To be unprepared, whether it is a task at
hand or one is going somewhere without
thinking what is needed to take along.
sokerina pohjalla as the sugar on the bottom As a final bonus, benefit or gift
T
Idiom English translation Meaning
tulevana vuonna tuohikuussa in a coming year, in the birch
bark month
At an indeterminate point in the future,
possibly never. "Tuohikuu" is a fictional
month but sounds like the rural-oriented
Finnish names for the 12 months.
tuohikuussa pukinpäivänä in the birch bark month on the
day of the goat Same as above.
tuli tupenrapinat knife-scabbards began to
clatter
There is going to be a fight. Finnish
fighting knife, "Helapääpuukko" (Puukko
with bone-breaking ferrules) is carried in
hardened leather scabbard, and the
scabbard mouth has water-tight fit.
Before knife-fight starts, fighters need to
twist the knife handle to loosen it for
quick-drawing. When knife is twisted
within scabbard, the blade clatters against
the hardened leather, and makes clattering
sound.
tulla kuin havumajaan to come as if coming into a hut
made of tree needles To enter uninvited.
tumput suorina with one's mittens straight Not doing anything, with an implication
that one should be doing something.
tykätä kyttyrää
to like + some hump (the
unusual grammar is hard to
translate)
To dislike. Implies vindictiveness. Often
juxtaposed with the antonym.
U
Idiom English translation Meaning
ulkona/pihalla kuin lumiukko out like a snowman
Not to know anything about the a given
thing and thus be stunned, or to say things
that are not relevant to the thing.
V
Idiom English translation Meaning
vaiheessa
in a phase (back-
formation from asking "in
which phase?")
Not yet ready or finished, with an
implication of not knowing when it will
be. Originally army slang.
vaihtaa hiippakuntaa to move to a different diocese To die.
vaikka lampaat söisi for even sheep to eat A great number or amount, especially one
that will stay great after partaken of.
(Ei) vara venettä kaada. Some extra care won't flip a
boat
There's no harm in having some extra
resources or precautions
vastarannankiiski
lit. ruffe of the opposite shore,
from kiiski(Gymnocephalus cernuus). A spiky fish that
offers great resistance to the
fishing line, in this case by
anchoring it to the trees
growing on the opposite shore
of the lake.
Someone in constant opposition and
immune to any reasoning
vetää herne nenään pull a pea up one's nose To be provoked.
vetää hirsiä to pull cabers / to pull logs To sleep.
vetää jojoon/ kaulakiikkuun to put in a yo-yo/ throat-swing To execute by hanging. Almost always
used of suicide.
vetää turpaan pull to the muzzle
To beat someone, especially punch in the
face. The verb vetää is a verb with
diverse, disparate meanings, used to
indicate a sudden jerk or a single, quick
movement.
vintti pimeni the attic blacked out Someone fainted
vuonna miekka/käpy/muusi ja
kypärä/kivi/nakki
in the year of
sword/cone/mashed potatoes
and helmet/stone/wiener
Very long time ago.
vuonna yks ja kaks in the year one and two Very long time ago.
vääntää rautalangasta to twist from wire (originally
used to assemble plumbing) To explain with very simple terms.
Y
Idiom English translation Meaning
yhdeksän hyvää ja kymmenen
kaunista, yhdeksän hyvää ja
kahdeksan kaunista
nine good things and ten
beautiful things, nine good
things and eight beautiful
things
Lots of good-sounding promises, with an
implication they are unlikely to be kept.
yritys hyvä kymmenen ten (points) for the attempt (lit.
attempt good ten) Good, but failed, attempt.
Ä
Idiom English translation Meaning
äitinsä näköinen looks like one's mother Not looking good at all. Comes from an
allegation of being the son of a whore.
Ö
Idiom English translation Meaning
(seisoa kuin) Ö aapisen
laidalla
(to stand like) the letter Ö (the
last letter of the Finnish
alphabet) in the corner of the
spelling book
Not having a clue, being useless.