A collection Idioms in different languages from Russia

To call a spade a spade. ---->English

To call things by their names. ---->Russian
To call a cat a cat. ---> French
To call brad brad, and wine wine. ---> Spanish
To call things by their proper names. ---> German


To shout from the house-tops. ---->English

To shout at all cross-roads. ---->Russian
To shout on the roofs. ---> French
To let the bells sway. ---> Spanish
To blow the trumpets all over the world. ---> German


As like as two drops of water. ---->English

As like as two peas in a pod. ---->Russian
As like as two drops of water. ---> French
They look like two drops of water. ---> Spanish
As like as two eggs. ---> German


To go through fire and water. ---->English

To go through fire and water. ---->Russian
To see all the colours. ---> French (language)
To be tempered in the fire. ---> Spanish
To be washed by all waters. ---> German


To play with edge-tools. ---->English

To play with fire. ---->Russian
To play with fire. ---> French
To play with fire. ---> Spanish
To play with fire. ---> German


To put a line out. ---->English

To cast a line. ---->Russian
To probe the ground. ---> French
To probe the ground. ---> Spanish
To put out the tentacle. ---> German


To put a line out. ---->English

To cast a line. ---->Russian
To probe the ground. ---> French
To probe the ground. ---> Spanish
To put out the tentacle. ---> German


To play first fiddle. ---->English

To play the first violin. ---->Russian
To be the point of a lance. ---> French
To lead the singing voice. ---> Spanish
To play the first violin. ---> German


To drink the cup to the end. ---->English

To drink the bowl to the bottom. ---->Russian
To drink the cup to the sediment. ---> French
To drink the cup of bitterness. ---> Spanish
To drink the wineglass to the bottom. ---> German


To be up in the clouds. ---->English

To be hovering in the clouds. ---->Russian
To be in the moon. ---> French
To be hovering in the clouds. ---> Spanish
To be hovering in the clouds. ---> German


A round peg in a square hole. ---->English

Not to be in one's own place. ---->Russian
Not to be in one's own place. ---> French
Not be out of one's place. ---> Spanish
Not be in the wrong place. ---> German


A round peg in a square hole. ---->English

Not to be in one's own place. ---->Russian
Not to be in one's own place. ---> French
Not be out of one's place. ---> Spanish
Not be in the wrong place. ---> German


Not fit to hold a candle to someone. ---->English

Not fit to be soles of someone's shoes. ---->Russian
Not to reach someone's ankle. ---> French
Not fit to be soles of someone's shoes. ---> Spanish
He won't be able to give you some water. ---> Germa


To be in someone's shoes. ---->English

To be in someone's else's hide. ---->Russian
To be in someone's else's hide. ---> French
To stand in someone else's place. ---> Spanish
To be in someone's else's hide. ---> German


Dumb as an oyster. ---->English

Dumb as a fish. ---->Russian
Dumb as a carp. ---> French
To lapse into silence like the dead. ---> Spanish
Dumb as a fish. ---> German


To carry water in a sieve. ---->Russian
To waste one's time. ---> French
To plough the water. ---> Spanish
To scoop up water with a sieve. ---> German


To vanish into thin air. ---->English

As if the wind blew it away. ---->Russian
It has disappeared as if by magic. ---> French
To disappear as if by magic. ---> Spanish
As if the wind blew it away. ---> German


To use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. ---->English

To fire a cannon at sparrows. ---->Russian
To use powder to shoot sparrows. ---> French
To waste powder to fire a salute . ---> Spanish
To fire a cannons at sparrows. ---> German


To cudgel one's brains over something. ---->English

To break one's head over something. ---->Russian
To chisel the head. ---> French
To warm one's head. ---> Spanish
To break one's head over something. ---> German


A knowing old bird. ---->English

A sparrow that has been shot at. ---->Russian
He saw other things. ---> French
The bull that participated in a bullfight. ---> Spanish
An old hare. ---> German


Packed like sardines. ---->English

Like herrings in a barrel. ---->Russian
Pressed like herrings in a tin. ---> French
To be like herrings in a tin. ---> Spanish
Like herrings. ---> German


To pull strings. ---->English

To press on all the buttons. ---->Russian
To make all the springs of a carriage work.. ---> French
To press all the springs of a carriage. ---> Spanish
To make all the levers move. ---> German


A hard nut to crack. ---->English

A hard nut. ---->Russian
To tough to be boiled. ---> French
Difficult to be peeled. ---> Spanish
A hard nut. ---> German


To vanish into thin air. ---->English

As if the wind blew it away. ---->Russian
It has disappeared as if by magic. ---> French
To disappear as if by magic. ---> Spanish
As if the wind blew it away. ---> German


To vanish into thin air. ---->English

As if the wind blew it away. ---->Russian
It has disappeared as if by magic. ---> French
To disappear as if by magic. ---> Spanish
As if the wind blew it away. ---> German


Nail drives out nail. ---->English

To drive out one wedge with another. ---->Russian
One nail drives out another. ---> French
One nail drives out another. ---> Spanish
To drive out devil with the help of Beelzebub. ---> German


To sit on a powder keg. ---->English

To live as on volcano. ---->Russian
To dance as on a volcano. ---> French
To be on a volcano. ---> Spanish
To sit as on a powder keg. ---> German


To beat about the bush. ---->English

To walk round and about. ---->Russian
To turn round the pot. ---> French
To walk around. ---> Spanish
To walk like a cat round hot porridge. ---> German


A load off one's mind. ---->English

As if a mountain had fallen off one's mind. ---->Russian
To throw off the burden. ---> French
To take the load off one's shoulders. ---> Spanish
A stone fell off his heart. ---> German


To see stars. ---->English

Sparks began to pour out of one's eyes. ---->Russian
To see thirty - six candlesticks. ---> French
To see stars. ---> Spanish
Someone sees stars. ---> German


To be out of swaddling - clothes. ---->English

To come out of the swaddling - clothes. ---->Russian
To fly with the help of one's own wings. ---> French
To come out of the shell. ---> Spanish
To grow out of one's children's shoes. ---> German


To cover up one's traces. ---->English

To sweep over one's traces. ---->Russian
To tangle one's traces. ---> French
Not to leave a trace. ---> Spanish
To rub out the traces. ---> German


To make a mountain out of a molehill. ---->English

To make an elephant out of a fly. ---->Russian
To make an elephant out of a fly. ---> French
To look through a magnifying glass. ---> Spanish
To make an elephant out of a mosquito. ---> German


Hungry as a hunter. ---->English

Hungry as a wolf. ---->Russian
He is hungry as a wolf. ---> French
Hungry as a wolf. ---> Spanish
Hungry as a bear. ---> German


That is heart of the matter. ---->English

Here is where the dog is buried. ---->Russian
Here is where the hare is buried. ---> French
A hare usually jumps out of the place you least expect. ---> Spanish
Here is where the dog is buried. ---> German


To buy a pig in a sack. ---->English

To buy a cat in a sack. ---->Russian
To buy a cat in a pocket. ---> French
To buy a cat instead of a rabbit. ---> Spanish
To buy a cat in a sack. ---> German


One's hair stands like a mountain. ---->English

One's hair stands on end. ---->Russian
The story that makes your hair rise. ---> French
One's hair stands on end. ---> Spanish
One's hair stands like a mountain. ---> German


He would not hurt a fly. ---->English

He would not muddy the water. ---->Russian
As tender as a lamb. ---> French
To be unable to kill a fly. ---> Spanish
He would not muddy any water. ---> German


As thick as thieves. ---->English

You could not split them apart with the water. ---->Russian
They are like two fingers of the hand. ---> French
To be the nail and the flesh. ---> Spanish
To stick to each other as burdock. ---> German


To draw the wool over someone's eyes. ---->English

To lead someone by the nose. ---->Russian
To lead someone as a toy-ship. ---> French
To take hair from someone. ---> Spanish
To lead someone by the nose. ---> German


To twist someone round one's little finger. ---->English

To plait ropes out of someone. ---->Russian
To lead someone by the tip of the nose. ---> French
To handle someone as one pleases. ---> Spanish
To wound someone round one's little finger. ---> German


To be between the devil and the deep blue sea. ---->English

To be between the sledgehammer and the anvil. ---->Russian
To be between the anvil and the sledgehammer. ---> French
To be between the sword and the wall. ---> Spanish
To be in the vice. ---> German


To tread on air. ---->English

To be in the seventh heaven. ---->Russian
To be with the angels. ---> French
To be as if in the clouds. ---> Spanish
To be in the seventh heaven. ---> German


Open-hearted. ---->English

One's soul is open. ---->Russian
The heart is on the hand. ---> French
With one's heart on one's hand. ---> Spanish
He wears his heart in his hand. ---> German


He won't set the Thames on fire. ---->English

He/she does not snatch stars from the sky. ---->Russian
He did not invent powder. ---> French
Not to invent powder. ---> Spanish
He is not a great torch bearer. ---> German


To know (something) as well as one's own five fingers. ---->English

To know something like the palm of one's hand. ---->Russian
To know (something) as well as one's own pocket. ---> French
To know (something) as well as one's own five fingers. . ---> Spanish
To know (something) as well as one's waistcoat pocket. ---> German


Rolling in money. ---->English

The hens do not peck at the money. ---->Russian
To be sewn out of gold. ---> French
To swim in the gold. ---> Spanish
To have as much money as one has hay. ---> German


To be busy as a be. ---->English

to turn as a squirrel in a wheel. ---->Russian
to fire four rifles. ---> French
To spit out livers. ---> Spanish
To know neither rest nor peace. ---> German


To be under someone's thumb. ---->English

To be under someone's shoe. ---->Russian
It is she who wears trousers. ---> French
To be under someone's stick. ---> Spanish
To be under someone's shoe. ---> German


As stiff as poker. ---->English

As one had swallowed an arshin 
(A ruler one arshin in length = 28 inches). ---->Russian
Straight as stake. ---> French
Straight as St. John's finger. ---> Spanish
As if one had swallowed a stick. ---> German


To see which way the cat jumps. ---->English

Whither the wind is blowing. ---->Russian
To change ideas like shirts. ---> French
To follow the current. ---> Spanish
To hang the coat leeward. ---> German


To beat the air. ---->English

To pour something from one empty vessel into another. ---->Russian
To beat the water with a sword. ---> French
To walk round the well. ---> Spanish
To thresh straw. ---> German<


It is still all up in the air. ---->English

Written with a pitchfork on the water. ---->Russian
It is not in the pocket yet. ---> French
Written on the sand. ---> Spanish
It is still written on the stars. ---> German


One's heart sank into one's boots. ---->English

One's soul has gone into one's heels. ---->Russian
He is having blue fear. ---> French
To remain more dead than alive. ---> Spanish
The heart fell down into his trousers. ---> German


Put it into your pipe and smoke it. ---->English

To make a notch on one's nose. ---->Russian
To hammer something into someone's head. ---> French
To have it before one's eyes. ---> Spanish
To write something behind someone's ears. ---> German


To let the grass grow under one's feet. ---->English

To wait by the sea for the weather. ---->Russian
To wait till the fried larks fall into one's mouth. ---> French
To expect an elm-tree to yield pears. ---> Spanish
Hope and continual expectations make one a fool. ---> German


To kill two birds with one stone. ---->English

To kill two hares. ---->Russian
To make two strokes with one stone. ---> French 
To kill two flies with one fly-swatter. ---> German


To live in clover. ---->English

To be rolling like cheese in butter. ---->Russian
To live like a rooster in the fruit jelly. ---> French 
To live like a little worm in the fat. ---> German


To pull the devil by the tail. ---->English

To beat against the ice like a fish. ---->Russian
To pull the devil by the tail. ---> French
To beat against the ground like a fish. ---> German


Rara avis. ---->English

A white crow. ---->Russian
A ram on five legs. ---> French
A white thrush. ---> Spanish
A white crow. ---> German


To bare one's heart. ---->English

to pour out one's soul. ---->Russian
To bare one's heart. ---> French
To speak with one's heart on one's hands. ---> Spanish
to pour out one's heart. ---> German


To put one's tail between one's legs. ---->English

To turn one's tail between one's legs. ---->Russian
To have one's ears lowered. ---> French
To go away with one's tail between one's legs. ---> Spanish
To turn one's tail between one's legs. ---> German


To sit twiddling one's thumbs. ---->English

To spit at the ceiling. ---->Russian
To twiddle one's thumbs. ---> French
To lie down with one's belly up. ---> Spanish
To twiddle one's little thumbs. ---> German


To swim like a stone. ---->English

To swim like an axe. ---->Russian
To swim like an iron. ---> French
To swim like an lead. ---> Spanish
To swim like an lead duck. ---> German


It is small world. ---->English

The world is cramped. ---->Russian
It is small world. ---> French
This world is like a kerchief. ---> Spanish
The world is like a village. ---> German


To keep mum. ---->English

To fill one's mouth with water. ---->Russian
To keep one's mouth sewn. ---> French
To sew up one's mouth. ---> Spanish
He can't open his mouth. ---> German


To promise the moon. ---->English

To promise mountains of gold. ---->Russian
To promise mountains and miracles. ---> French
To promise the moon. ---> Spanish
To promise mountains of gold. ---> German              Humor and Jokes >>