A collection of idiomatic expressions in Icelandic with English equivalents and translations.
| Icelandic idioms | English equivalents |
|---|---|
| Allt er gott sem endar vel | All's well that ends well |
| Alveg út að aka | To act crazy lit. "Totally out driving" |
| Bera kápuna á báðum öxlum | To blow hot and cold (to change one's opinion often) lit. "To bear the coat on both shoulders" |
| Bæta gráu ofan á svart | To add insult to injury, to make matters worse lit. "To add gray on top of black" |
| Deila um keisarans skegg | To dispute about trivialities lit. "To quarrel about the emperor's beard" |
| Ég borga bara með reiðufé | Okay, but I don't have to like it lit. "I only pay with an angry sheep" |
| Ég kem alveg af fjöllum | I have no idea what's going on lit. "I come completely from mountains" |
| Enginn verður óbarinn biskup | Practise makes perfect, nothing comes without hard work lit. "No one becomes a bishop without a beating" |
| Fyrr skal ég dauður liggja | Over my dead body |
| Gera úlfalda úr mýflugu | To make a mountain out of a molehill lit. "To make camels out of the sky" |
| Kaupa köttinn í sekknum | To be sold a pig in a poke lit. "To buy the cat in the sack" |
| Peningar vaxa ekki á trjám | Money does not grow on trees |
| Rúsínan í pylsuendanum | The cherry on the cake lit. "The raisin at the end of the sausage" |
| Á milli steins og sleggju | Between a rock and a hard place Between the devil and the deep blue sea lit. "Between the stone and the sword" |
| Áfram með smjörið | Carry on, Get to work, Keep going lit. "On with the butter" |
| Úr öskunni í eldinn | Out of the frying pan into the fire lit. "From the ash into the fire" |
| Það er betra að hafa vaðið fyrir neðan sig | Better safe than sorry lit. "It's better to have the ford beneath oneself" |
| Þetta er hebreska fyrir mér | It's all Greek to me (I don't understand) lit. "This is Hebrew to me" |
Collections of Icelandic idioms
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Icelandic_idioms
http://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/icelandic-idioms/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/64451/11-delightful-icelandic-words-and-phrases
https://www.voyagingviking.com/blog/funny-icelandic-phrases
http://icelandreview.com/stuff/views/2007/09/12/raisin-my-wiener
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It's all Greek to me | It's raining cats and dogs | As easy as falling off a log | A sandwich short of a picnic | It's small world | When pigs fly | Out of sight, out of mind | Crystal-clear | Penny Pinching | Practice makes perfect
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