English rains cats and dogs. French rains ropes. German rains string, and in Japanese it rains as if someone tipped over a bucket. Each phrase below is listed with what its words literally say, next to the way another language puts the same idea.
57 meanings in the index, 56 written up so far
Idioms about moods and feelings
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Être aux anges lit. ‘be with the angels’
Im siebten Himmel sein lit. ‘be in seventh heaven’
Estar como unas castañuelas lit. ‘be like a pair of castanets’
Essere al settimo cielo lit. ‘be in seventh heaven’
天にも昇る心地 ten ni mo noboru kokochi lit. ‘a feeling of rising up even to heaven’
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Avoir des papillons dans le ventre lit. ‘have butterflies in your belly’
Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben lit. ‘have butterflies in your belly’
Tener mariposas en el estómago lit. ‘have butterflies in your stomach’
Avere le farfalle nello stomaco lit. ‘have butterflies in the stomach’
No Japanese idiom yet
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Avoir le cafard lit. ‘have the cockroach’
Trübsal blasen lit. ‘blow gloom’
Estar por los suelos lit. ‘to be on the floors’
Essere giù di corda lit. ‘to be down on string’
肩を落とす kata o otosu lit. ‘to drop one’s shoulders’
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En avoir ras le bol lit. ‘have a bowl full to the brim’
Die Nase voll haben lit. ‘have a full nose’
Estar hasta las narices lit. ‘be up to your nostrils’
Averne fin sopra i capelli lit. ‘to have it up above your hair’
耳にたこができる mimi ni tako ga dekiru lit. ‘calluses form on your ears’
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La moutarde me monte au nez lit. ‘the mustard is rising up my nose’
Mir platzt der Kragen lit. ‘my collar is bursting’
Perder los estribos lit. ‘lose your stirrups’
Saltare la mosca al naso lit. ‘the fly jumps onto your nose’
堪忍袋の緒が切れる kanninbukuro no o ga kireru lit. ‘the cord of the patience bag snaps’
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La chair de poule lit. ‘hen flesh’
Gänsehaut lit. ‘goose skin’
Piel de gallina lit. ‘hen skin’
Pelle d’oca lit. ‘goose skin’
鳥肌 torihada lit. ‘bird skin’
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Tomber des nues lit. ‘fall from the clouds’
Ich glaub, mein Schwein pfeift lit. ‘I think my pig is whistling’
Quedarse de piedra lit. ‘to turn to stone’
Rimanere di stucco lit. ‘to be left made of plaster’
開いた口が塞がらない aita kuchi ga fusagaranai lit. ‘the mouth that fell open won’t close’
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Se fendre la poire lit. ‘split your pear’
Sich kaputtlachen lit. ‘to laugh oneself broken’
Partirse de risa lit. ‘to split yourself with laughter’
Ridere a crepapelle lit. ‘to laugh to the point of bursting your skin’
腹を抱えて笑う hara o kakaete warau lit. ‘to laugh holding your belly’
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S’ennuyer comme un rat mort lit. ‘be as bored as a dead rat’
Tote Hose lit. ‘dead trousers’
Aburrirse como una ostra lit. ‘to be as bored as an oyster’
Far venire il latte alle ginocchia lit. ‘make the milk come down to your knees’
No Japanese idiom yet
Idioms about talking
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Tourner autour du pot lit. ‘circle the pot’
Um den heißen Brei herumreden lit. ‘talk around the hot porridge’
Irse por las ramas lit. ‘go off along the branches’
Menare il can per l’aia lit. ‘lead the dog around the threshing floor’
お茶を濁す ocha o nigosu lit. ‘to make the tea cloudy’
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Mener quelqu’un en bateau lit. ‘take someone on a boat’
Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden lit. ‘tie a bear on someone’
Tomar el pelo lit. ‘take someone’s hair’
Prendere in giro lit. ‘take for a spin’
一杯食わす ippai kuwasu lit. ‘to make someone eat a bowlful’
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Vendre la mèche lit. ‘sell the fuse’
Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen lit. ‘let the cat out of the bag’
Descubrir el pastel lit. ‘uncover the pie’
Vuotare il sacco lit. ‘empty the sack’
口が滑る kuchi ga suberu lit. ‘your mouth slips’
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Mentir comme un arracheur de dents lit. ‘lie like a tooth-puller’
Lügen wie gedruckt lit. ‘lie like print’
Mentir más que hablar lit. ‘lie more than you talk’
Mentire per la gola lit. ‘to lie through the throat’
真っ赤な嘘 makka na uso lit. ‘a bright red lie’
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Mettre les pieds dans le plat lit. ‘put your feet in the dish’
Ins Fettnäpfchen treten lit. ‘step into the little pot of grease’
Meter la pata lit. ‘put your paw in it’
No Italian idiom yet
地雷を踏む jirai o fumu lit. ‘step on a landmine’
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No English idiom. Means: to think of the perfect reply only after the moment to say it has passed
L’esprit de l’escalier lit. ‘the wit of the staircase’
Treppenwitz lit. ‘staircase joke’
No Spanish idiom yet
No Italian idiom yet
No Japanese idiom yet
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Sauter du coq à l’âne lit. ‘jump from the rooster to the donkey’
Vom Hölzchen aufs Stöckchen kommen lit. ‘to get from the little piece of wood onto the little stick’
Salir por peteneras lit. ‘to go out by way of peteneras (a flamenco song)’
Saltare di palo in frasca lit. ‘to jump from pole to leafy branch’
話が脱線する hanashi ga dassen suru lit. ‘the talk derails’
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En faire tout un fromage lit. ‘make a whole cheese of it’
Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen lit. ‘make an elephant out of a mosquito’
Hacer una montaña de un grano de arena lit. ‘make a mountain out of a grain of sand’
Fare di una mosca un elefante lit. ‘make an elephant out of a fly’
針小棒大 shinshō bōdai lit. ‘needle-small, pole-big’
Idioms about other people
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Courir sur le haricot lit. ‘run on someone’s bean’
Jemandem auf den Keks gehen lit. ‘go on someone’s biscuit’
Sacar de quicio lit. ‘take off the door hinge’
Rompere le scatole lit. ‘break the boxes’
神経を逆撫でする shinkei o sakanade suru lit. ‘stroke the nerves the wrong way’
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Poser un lapin lit. ‘put down a rabbit’
Jemanden versetzen lit. ‘move someone (somewhere else)’
Dejar plantado lit. ‘leave someone planted’
Tirare un pacco lit. ‘to throw someone a parcel’
No Japanese idiom yet
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Mener quelqu’un par le bout du nez lit. ‘lead someone by the tip of the nose’
Jemanden um den Finger wickeln lit. ‘wrap someone around the finger’
Tener a alguien comiendo de la mano lit. ‘have someone eating out of your hand’
Avere qualcuno in pugno lit. ‘to have someone in your fist’
牛耳る gyūjiru lit. ‘to ox-ear (someone), from “to hold the ox’s ear”’
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Ce ne sont pas mes oignons lit. ‘not my onions’
Das ist nicht mein Bier lit. ‘that’s not my beer’
No tener vela en este entierro lit. ‘not to have a candle at this funeral’
Non sono cavoli miei lit. ‘they’re not my cabbages’
対岸の火事 taigan no kaji lit. ‘a fire on the opposite bank’
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C’est le cadet de mes soucis lit. ‘it’s the youngest of my worries’
Das ist mir Wurst lit. ‘that’s sausage to me’
Me importa un pepino lit. ‘it matters a cucumber to me’
Non me ne importa un fico secco lit. ‘I don’t care a dried fig’
どこ吹く風 doko fuku kaze lit. ‘a wind blowing who knows where’
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Chercher la petite bête lit. ‘look for the little beast’
Ein Haar in der Suppe suchen lit. ‘look for a hair in the soup’
Buscarle tres pies al gato lit. ‘look for three feet on the cat’
Cercare il pelo nell’uovo lit. ‘to look for the hair in the egg’
重箱の隅を楊枝でほじくる jūbako no sumi o yōji de hojikuru lit. ‘pick at the corners of the lunch box with a toothpick’
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A prima donna lit. ‘first lady (Italian)’
Se prendre pour le nombril du monde lit. ‘take yourself for the navel of the world’
Eine Extrawurst verlangen lit. ‘to ask for an extra sausage’
No Spanish idiom yet
Fare la primadonna lit. ‘to play the leading lady’
No Japanese idiom yet
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No English idiom. Means: don't push it, that's going too far
Il ne faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties lit. ‘don’t push granny into the nettles’
No German idiom yet
Pasarse de la raya lit. ‘to go past the line’
Tirare troppo la corda lit. ‘pull the rope too hard’
No Japanese idiom yet
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Comme deux gouttes d’eau lit. ‘like two drops of water’
Wie ein Ei dem anderen lit. ‘like one egg to the other’
Como dos gotas de agua lit. ‘like two drops of water’
Come due gocce d’acqua lit. ‘like two drops of water’
瓜二つ uri futatsu lit. ‘two halves of a melon’
Idioms about the body and sleep
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Dormir comme un loir lit. ‘sleep like a dormouse’
Schlafen wie ein Murmeltier lit. ‘sleep like a marmot’
Dormir como un tronco lit. ‘sleep like a log’
Dormire come un ghiro lit. ‘sleep like a dormouse’
泥のように眠る doro no yō ni nemuru lit. ‘to sleep like mud’
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La nuit porte conseil lit. ‘the night brings advice’
Eine Nacht darüber schlafen lit. ‘sleep a night over it’
Consultarlo con la almohada lit. ‘ask your pillow about it’
La notte porta consiglio lit. ‘the night brings advice’
No Japanese idiom yet
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L’avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt lit. ‘the future belongs to early risers’
Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund lit. ‘the morning hour has gold in its mouth’
Al que madruga, Dios le ayuda lit. ‘God helps the early riser’
Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca lit. ‘the morning has gold in its mouth’
早起きは三文の徳 hayaoki wa sanmon no toku lit. ‘getting up early is worth three coins’
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Avoir un chat dans la gorge lit. ‘a cat in your throat’
Einen Frosch im Hals haben lit. ‘a frog in your throat’
No Spanish idiom yet
No Italian idiom yet
No Japanese idiom yet
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Tomber dans les pommes lit. ‘fall in the apples’
Aus den Latschen kippen lit. ‘tip out of your slippers’
Caerse redondo lit. ‘to fall down round’
No Italian idiom yet
気が遠くなる ki ga tōku naru lit. ‘one’s spirit gets far away’
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No English idiom. Means: to feel ill the morning after drinking too much alcohol
Avoir la gueule de bois lit. ‘have a wooden mouth’
Einen Kater haben lit. ‘have a tomcat’
No Spanish idiom yet
No Italian idiom yet
No Japanese idiom yet
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Casser sa pipe lit. ‘break your pipe’
Den Löffel abgeben lit. ‘hand in the spoon’
Estirar la pata lit. ‘stretch out your leg’
Tirare le cuoia lit. ‘pull the hides’
息を引き取る iki o hikitoru lit. ‘to take back your breath’
Idioms about money and luck
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Pour des cacahuètes lit. ‘for peanuts’
Für ’n Appel und ’n Ei lit. ‘for an apple and an egg’
Por cuatro perras lit. ‘for four coins’
Per un tozzo di pane lit. ‘for a crust of bread’
雀の涙 suzume no namida lit. ‘a sparrow’s tears’
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Coûter les yeux de la tête lit. ‘cost the eyes of your head’
Eine Stange Geld kosten lit. ‘to cost a pole of money’
Costar un ojo de la cara lit. ‘to cost an eye from your face’
Costare un occhio della testa lit. ‘to cost an eye of the head’
目の玉が飛び出るほど高い me no tama ga tobideru hodo takai lit. ‘so expensive your eyeballs pop out’
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Acheter chat en poche lit. ‘buy a cat in a pocket’
Die Katze im Sack kaufen lit. ‘buy the cat in the sack’
Dar gato por liebre lit. ‘pass off a cat as a hare’
Comprare a scatola chiusa lit. ‘buy in a closed box’
No Japanese idiom yet
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Avoir de la veine lit. ‘have vein’
Schwein haben lit. ‘have pig’
Tener potra lit. ‘to have a hernia’
Nascere con la camicia lit. ‘to be born with a shirt on’
棚からぼたもち tana kara botamochi lit. ‘a rice cake falling off the shelf’
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Die Daumen drücken lit. ‘press your thumbs’
Cruzar los dedos lit. ‘cross the fingers’
Incrociare le dita lit. ‘to cross the fingers’
No Japanese idiom yet
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Vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué lit. ‘sell the bear’s skin before killing it’
Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben lit. ‘don’t praise the day before the evening’
No vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo lit. ‘don’t sell the bear’s skin before hunting it’
Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco lit. ‘don’t say cat until it’s in the sack’
捕らぬ狸の皮算用 toranu tanuki no kawazan'yō lit. ‘counting the money for the pelts of raccoon dogs you haven’t caught’
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Quand les poules auront des dents lit. ‘when hens have teeth’
Wenn Ostern und Pfingsten auf einen Tag fallen lit. ‘when Easter and Whitsun fall on the same day’
Cuando las ranas críen pelo lit. ‘when frogs grow hair’
Quando gli asini voleranno lit. ‘when donkeys fly’
太陽が西から昇っても taiyō ga nishi kara nobotte mo lit. ‘even if the sun rises in the west’
Idioms about work
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Avoir du pain sur la planche lit. ‘bread on the board’
Viel um die Ohren haben lit. ‘a lot around your ears’
Estar hasta el cuello lit. ‘be up to the neck’
Avere molta carne al fuoco lit. ‘have a lot of meat on the fire’
猫の手も借りたい neko no te mo karitai lit. ‘I’d even borrow a cat’s paws’
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Avoir un poil dans la main lit. ‘have a hair in your hand’
Auf der faulen Haut liegen lit. ‘lie on the lazy skin’
No dar un palo al agua lit. ‘not to give the water a single stroke (of the oar)’
Stare con le mani in mano lit. ‘to stay with your hands in your hands’
油を売る abura o uru lit. ‘to sell oil’
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Faire d’une pierre deux coups lit. ‘two hits with one stone’
Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen lit. ‘two flies with one swatter’
Matar dos pájaros de un tiro lit. ‘kill two birds with one shot’
Prendere due piccioni con una fava lit. ‘catch two pigeons with one bean’
一石二鳥 isseki nichō lit. ‘one stone, two birds’
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Pédaler dans la semoule lit. ‘pedal in semolina’
Auf dem Schlauch stehen lit. ‘stand on the hose’
Devanarse los sesos lit. ‘to wind up one’s brains (like thread on a spool)’
Non cavare un ragno dal buco lit. ‘not to get a spider out of the hole’
頭を抱える atama o kakaeru lit. ‘to hold one’s head in one’s arms’
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La cerise sur le gâteau lit. ‘the cherry on the cake’
Das i-Tüpfelchen lit. ‘the dot on the i’
Das Sahnehäubchen lit. ‘the little cap of whipped cream’
La guinda del pastel lit. ‘the cherry on the cake’
La ciliegina sulla torta lit. ‘the little cherry on the cake’
画竜点睛 garyō tensei lit. ‘painting a dragon, dotting in the eyes’
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C’est là que le bât blesse lit. ‘that’s where the pack-saddle hurts’
Da liegt der Hund begraben lit. ‘that’s where the dog is buried’
No Spanish idiom yet
Il nocciolo della questione lit. ‘the stone of the question’
No Japanese idiom yet
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Il n’y a si bon cheval qui ne bronche lit. ‘there’s no horse so good that it never stumbles’
No German idiom yet
Al mejor cazador se le va la liebre lit. ‘even the best hunter lets the hare get away’
Sbaglia anche il prete all’altare lit. ‘even the priest makes mistakes at the altar’
猿も木から落ちる saru mo ki kara ochiru lit. ‘even monkeys fall from trees’
Idioms about brains
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Avoir une araignée au plafond lit. ‘have a spider on the ceiling’
Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben lit. ‘not have all your cups in the cupboard’
Faltarle un tornillo lit. ‘be missing a screw’
Mancare qualche rotella lit. ‘be missing a few little wheels’
頭のネジが外れている atama no neji ga hazurete iru lit. ‘the screw in your head has come off’
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No English idiom. Means: to miss something that is obvious to everyone else
Ne pas avoir les yeux en face des trous lit. ‘not have your eyes in front of the holes’
Tomaten auf den Augen haben lit. ‘have tomatoes on your eyes’
Estar en Babia lit. ‘to be in Babia’
Avere il prosciutto sugli occhi lit. ‘to have ham over your eyes’
目が節穴 me ga fushiana lit. ‘your eyes are knotholes’
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C’est du chinois lit. ‘it’s Chinese’
Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof lit. ‘I only understand train station’
Me suena a chino lit. ‘it sounds like Chinese to me’
Per me è arabo lit. ‘to me it’s Arabic’
ちんぷんかんぷん chinpunkanpun lit. ‘gibberish (a made-up sound, roughly “chin-pun-kan-pun”)’
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No English idiom. Means: someone who only knows their own small world and thinks it's everything
Voir midi à sa porte lit. ‘see noon at your own door’
Nicht über den Tellerrand hinausschauen lit. ‘to not look beyond the rim of the plate’
No ver más allá de sus narices lit. ‘not to see beyond your own nose’
Avere i paraocchi lit. ‘to have the blinkers on’
井の中の蛙 i no naka no kawazu lit. ‘a frog in a well’
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Wie ein Fisch auf dem Trockenen lit. ‘like a fish on dry land’
Como pez fuera del agua lit. ‘like a fish out of the water’
Come un pesce fuor d’acqua lit. ‘like a fish out of water’
借りてきた猫 karite kita neko lit. ‘a cat that has been borrowed (and brought over)’
Idioms about weather and places
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Il pleut des cordes lit. ‘it’s raining ropes’
Es regnet Bindfäden lit. ‘it’s raining string’
Llueve a cántaros lit. ‘it’s raining by the pitcher’
Piove a catinelle lit. ‘it’s raining by the basin’
バケツをひっくり返したような雨 baketsu o hikkurikaeshita yō na ame lit. ‘rain like an upturned bucket’
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Un froid de canard lit. ‘a duck cold’
Es ist saukalt lit. ‘it’s sow-cold’
Hace un frío que pela lit. ‘it’s a cold that peels’
Fa un freddo cane lit. ‘it’s a dog cold’
身を切るような寒さ mi o kiru yō na samusa lit. ‘a cold like it cuts your body’
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Au diable vauvert lit. ‘at the devil’s Vauvert’
Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen lit. ‘where fox and hare say goodnight’
En el quinto pino lit. ‘at the fifth pine’
A casa del diavolo lit. ‘at the devil’s house’
陸の孤島 riku no kotō lit. ‘an isolated island on land’
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À deux pas lit. ‘two steps away’
Ein Katzensprung lit. ‘a cat’s jump’
A tiro de piedra lit. ‘a stone’s throw’
A due passi lit. ‘two steps away’
目と鼻の先 me to hana no saki lit. ‘the tip between eyes and nose’
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No English idiom. Means: there's a lively party or a lot going on somewhere
Faire la java lit. ‘do the java’
Da steppt der Bär lit. ‘the bear is tap-dancing there’
No Spanish idiom yet
No Italian idiom yet
お祭り騒ぎ omatsuri sawagi lit. ‘festival uproar’
Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest are waiting for their own page and a check by a native speaker.