A collection of idiomatic expressions in Czech with English equivalents and translations.
| Idioms | English versions |
|---|---|
| Je to pro mne španĕlská vesnice | It's all Greek to me (lit. "it's a Spanish village to me") |
| Padají trakaře | It's raining cats and dogs (lit. "it's raining wheelbarrows") |
| Šplouchá mu na maják | A sandwich short of a picnic (lit. "it's splashing on his lighthouse") |
| Zaplatit majlant | To cost and arm and leg (lit: "to pay Mailand" - Mailand is a German name for Milan, which was known for its richness in Middle Ages) |
| Je to to samé v bledě modrém | To be the same in blue (lit: "to be the same in light blue") |
| Pánská jízda | The stag party (lit: "mens' ride") |
| Jako by hrách na stěnu házel | Like throwing peas at the wall |
| Jedním uchem tam, druhým ven | Like a water on duck's back (lit. "in one ear, out the other") |
| Hladit hada bosou nohou | to walk into the lion's den (lit: "to pat a snake with bare feet") |
| Trn v oku | A thorn in one's side (lit: "a thorn in one's eye") |
| Házet perly sviním | Cast pearls before swine |
| Být ze stejného těsta | To be cut from the same cloth (lit: "to be made from the same dough") |
| Zatlačit někoho ke zdi | To drive someone up the wall |
| Smrdět | To be fishy (lit: "to stink") |
| Mít zlou předtuchu / Mít tušení / Tušit zradu |
To smell a rat (lit: "to have a bad preminition / to suspect a betrayal") |
| Knedlík v krku | A frog in the thoat (lit: "a dumpling in the throat") |
| Šrotit / Šprtat | To hit the books |
| Hujer/ Šprt | An eager-beaver |
| Držet se na uzdě | Hold one's horses (lit: "the hold oneself back") |
| Být v pasti | To be in a pickle (lit: "to be in a trap") |
| Bruslit na tenkém ledu | To be in a hot water (lit: "to skate on thin ice") |
| Natáhnout bačkory | To kick the bucket (lit: "to straighten one's soft shoes") |
| Poslední kapka | The last straw (lit: "the last drop") |
| Nehoří to | It does not hold water (lit: "it is not burning") |
| Jednou za uherský rok | Once in a blue moon (lit: "once in a Hungarian year") |
| Být pasé | To be over the Hill (lit: "to be passé") |
| Číst mezi řádky | To read between the lines |
| Pohnout kostrou | To shake a leg (lit: "to move one's skeleton") |
| Docvaknout | To see the light (lit: "to click in spot on") |
| Třást se jako osika | To shake like a leaf (lit: "to shake like an aspen-tree - the tree on which Judas hanged himself") |
| Zatím to ujde | So far so good (lit: "it is going on good so far") |
| My o vlku (a vlk za humny) | Speak of the devil (lit: "we (are speaking) about the wolf, (and the wolf is in the backyard)") |
| Chvástat se cizím peřím | To take a leaf from someone's book (lit: "to burst in pride from somebody's else feather") |
| Hodit flintu do žita | Throw in the towel (lit: "to throw the rifle into the rye") |
| Špička ledovce | The tip of the iceberg |
| Dvacetčtyři hodin denně | 24/7 |
| Otočit se k někomu zády | Turn one's back on |
| Snesl by j? modré z nebe | He would do anything for her (lit. "He can take the blue from the sky for her") |
| To si piš | This certainly will be (lit. "You must write it") |
Czech idioms compiled by Martina Spidlova with recordings by Jan Jurčík
More collections of Czech idioms
https://matadornetwork.com/abroad/mini-guide-czech-slang/
http://www.locallingo.com/czech/phrases/idioms.html
http://www.guidilo.com/14-phrases-only-the-czech-understand#.WZlg6OmQyUk
https://www.facebook.com/czechidioms/
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