A collection of idiomatic expressions and sayings in Manx, with English equivalents and translations.
| Idioms | English versions |
|---|---|
| Cha beayn as lomman arree | As constant as the dry east wind ("As constant as the dry wind of spring") |
| Cha bennin rish son airh ny argid | I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole ("I wouldn't touch it for gold or silver") |
| Cha bog as eeym | As soft as butter |
| Cha boght as lugh killagh | As poor as a church mouse |
| Cha bouyr as clagh | As deaf as a doorpost ("As deaf as a stone") |
| Cha buigh as airh | As yellow as gold |
| Cha dullyr as vaik oo rieau | As clear as ditch water ("As gloomy/fuzzy as you ever see") |
| Cha feayr as clagh | As cold as a stone |
| Cha follan as breck | As fit as a fiddle, As sound as a bell ("As healthy as a trout") |
| Cha follan as mwaagh | As fit as a fiddle, Brimful of health ("As healthy as a hare") |
| Cha gial as sniaghtey | As white as snow, snow-white |
| Cha jeean as shellan | As keen as mustard ("As keen as a bee") |
| Cha marroo as skeddan | As dead as a dodo, stone dead ("As dead as a herring") |
| Cha meenearagh as muc | As bold as brass ("As bold as a pig") |
| Cha tarroogh as shellan | As busy as a bee |
| Cha mial as ainle | As gentle as a lamb ("As gentle as an angel") |
| Cha shickyr as ta'n Chaist er yn Doonaght | As sure as eggs is eggs ("As sure as Easter is on Sunday") |
| Cha skeoigh as lugh 'sy chreeagh | As snug as a bug in a rug ("As snug as a mouse at the border") |
| Cho ard rish Toor Vabel | As high as the Tower of Babel |
| Cho creoi rish y darragh | As hard as oak |
| Cho bouyr as clagh | Stone cold ("As cold as a stone") |
| Custhey skeddan marroo | Flogging a dead horse ("Flogging a dead herring") |
| Jeeragh tessen çheerey | As the crow flies ("Straight across the land") |
Information about Manx | Phrases | Numbers | Colours | Family words | Colours | Time | Idioms | Proverbs | Terms of endearment | Comparison of Celtic languages | Celtic cognates | Celtiadur | Songs | Tower of Babel | The decline and revival of Manx | My podcast about Manx | Links | Learning materials
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
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 | Practice makes perfect
Czech | French | Greek | Icelandic | Lithuanian | Manx | Russian | Slovak | Spanish | Swedish | Welsh
Phrases | Numbers | Numerals | Colours | Telling the time | Weather words | Family words | Terms of endearment | Language names | Country names | Idioms | Proverbs | Tongue twisters | Signs | Compass directions | UDHR | Tower of Babel | Songs | Omniglot | Seven dwarfs | Zodiac signs | Computer parts | Compass directions | Animal sounds
Why not share this page:
If you need to type in many different languages, the Q International Keyboard can help. It enables you to type almost any language that uses the Latin, Cyrillic or Greek alphabets, and is free.
If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.
Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com
Copyright © 1998–2021 Simon Ager | Email: 
| Hosted by Kualo
