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.