Sage-Tips

What do we call phrases that are not literally translated?

Idioms are those phrases that mean more than the sum of their words. As our TED Translator volunteers translate TED Talks into 116 languages (and counting), they’re often challenged to translate English idioms into their language. Which made us wonder: what are their favorite idioms in their own tongue?

What words in English Cannot be translated?

English words that can’t be translated

• Awkward. Awkward is the perfect word to describe that peculiarly British blend of embarrassment, discomfort and uncertainty that arises most often in social situations when someone has said something that they shouldn’t.
• Jinx.
• Shallow.
• Insight.
• Nice.
• Put.
• Off.
• Bully.

What are some odd sayings?

14 strange phrases from around the world and what they mean

• ‘Straighten the horns and kill the bull’
• ‘There is no cow on the ice’
• ‘Pretend to be an Englishman’
• ‘Not my circus, not my monkeys’
• ‘God gives nuts to the man with no teeth’
• ‘To set the dogs on someone’
• ‘Going where the Czar goes on foot’

What words that don’t exist?

9 Words That Don’t Exist

• Irregardless. Wait, so is that the opposite of ‘regardless’?
• Nuculer. Our wonderful President, as well as Jack Bauer, seem to know about a whole new form of energy.
• Like.. Like is actually a word.
• 360 Degrees. Again, this is actually a phrase.
• Brang.
• Ain’t.
• Performant.
• Non-defunct.

What are some weird idioms?

18 Unusual Idioms from Around the World

• Stop ironing my head!
• Are you still riding the goat?
• Walk around in hot porridge.
• Emit smoke from seven orifices.
• Have other cats to whip.
• God bless you and may your mustache grow like brushwood.
• Have the cockroach.
• Live like a maggot in bacon.

What is literally translation?

Literal translation, direct translation or word-for-word translation, is a translation of a text done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence.

What are some funny idioms about animals?

Funny/ Bizarre English Idioms About Animals. 1 1. Cold turkey. via GIPHY. Can you imagine the damp, goosebumpy skin of a cold turkey? Makes you shudder, doesn’t it? It has something to do with the 2 2. Hold your horses. 3 3. The elephant in the room. 4 4. Get someone’s goat. 5 5. Earworm.

What are some examples of idioms in English?

Conclusion There are plenty of themes that appear in English idioms. Some of the most common include animals (a sacred cow and a cold turkey, for example), things you find around the house (a wet blanket, a pot that calls a kettle black), food (a pie in the sky and a holey Swiss cheese), and body parts (neck and neck and the neck of the woods).

Are English idioms difficult to learn?

English idioms can be quite confusing, but they’re fun to learn and also help you sound like a native speaker. In this lesson, we’ll talk about some of the popular English idioms. Some are funny enough to make you chuckle while some are just downright bizarre! Ready to “beef up” your knowledge of idioms? Let’s start!