These 15 Romanian sayings make no sense in English (some not even in Romanian!). That's why I turned them into animations, so you can make (at least a little) sense of what's going on.
It took some work but now they're finally done. I am an animator and you can follow me on Instagram:
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Taking Your Nose For A Walk
When you’re “taking your nose for a walk”, you’re misbehaving and acting too cocky. We are a proud people and take our noses for a walk once in a while.
Caught With A Cat In The Bag
When you are “caught with a cat in the bag” you have been caught with a lie. Like the English “red-handed”, only cuter.
Like An Old Lady And A Machine Gun
You may not think so but in Romania, two things are “like an old lady with a machine gun” when they have nothing in common. Like apples to oranges, but here we believe you can compare fruit.
Hitting The Puddle With A Bat
When you’re “hitting the puddle with a bat” you’re screwing up and making things work. Because you make big splash and water everywhere… ah… what a disaster… I need to change… you see what I mean?
Rubbing The Mint
"He is rubbing the mint" is a Romanian way of saying he’s wasting time. Although the title of mint-rubber sounds fancy it’s actually the assistant-rubber that does all the work instead.
Match Theory
When someone’s explaining the “match theory” to you, it means he’s talking just for the sake of talking. Because a match is a match and has no theory… Or does it?...
Quiet Like A Pig In A Cornfield
Because we sure do love agricultural things, when someone’s keeping quiet or pretending to not know he’s “quiet like a pig in a cornfield”. Yeehaw!
Your Mustard Is Jumping
We say that “your mustard is jumping” when you are getting really angry. In Romania the mustard is very dramatic and the ketchup more chill.
Rubbing Your Wooden Leg
In Romania, “a rub on a wooden leg” is basically doing something for no reason, like giving a massage to a wooden leg, you see? It makes sense.
Cutting Grass For The Dogs
Here, if you’re wasting time, or doing nothing, you’re “cutting grass for the dogs”. All Romanians know that the only dog that likes grass is Snoop Doggy Dog.
Gone With The Raft
In old country, when someone is crazy we say he has “gone with the raft”. I don’t know why, maybe some crazy person made this saying up.
Selling You Donuts
In Romania, when somebody is telling you lies, he’s “selling donuts” to you. This I cannot understand, as a donut is probably the most honest of the pastries.
Out Of Your Watermelons
If you can’t keep your anger inside and are about to burst, people around here say that you’re “out of your watermelons”. I have no explanation for this, as most things in Romania.
Caught With A Fly On Your Hat
If you’re “with a fly on your hat” you’re feeling guilty about something, as the fly would indicate. Here we have no judicial system and we rely on flies to be judge, jury and executioner.
Turning A Mosquito Into A Horse
When you’re “turning a mosquito into a horse”, you are not only playing God in a literal way, but you’re also really exaggerating something, in the figurative sense.