Non native English speakers of Reddit, what are some common sayings in your language that don't make any sense when translated to English?

1. In Finnish we say "kauhistuksen kanahäkki" which basically means "OMG, that's awful". Literally, though, this means "chicken cage of horror"
   — Anna_Fifi


2. In Mandarin Chinese there's a phrase that literates translates into "horse horse tiger tiger" (马马虎虎). It means "so-so."
   — hermi0ne


3. That is sausage to me. ("Das ist mir Wurst", German, "I don't care") But there is also "it is about the sausage", "es geht um die Wurst", meaning it is very important.
   — mfb-






4. In French, one of my favourite idioms is "faut pas pousser mémé dans les orties", meaning "you mustn't abuse/go too far". In English, this translates "one must not push granny in the nettles"
   — Anna_Fifi


5. In Russian: to hang noodles on one's ears (лапшу на уши вешать) meaning to tell an obvious lie. [A person] not made with a finger (не пальцем сделанный) meaning that a said person is not easy to fool. Don't torture your ass if you can't shit (не можешь срать - не мучай жопу), usually used sarcastically, meaning that you shouldn't do something you're bad at.
   — MorteNoir


6. In italiano there is "Qui gatta ci cova" means "there is a she-cat brooding". It means that there is something fishy going on. The meaning is that a cat brooding eggs is not for wholesome reason, but for eating the chicken when they hatch.
   — Sylbinor






7. In Finnish there’s a saying related to the Moomins. It goes ”hänellä ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa” which translates to ”s/he doesn’t have all the Moomins in the valley” And it means that the person in question is dumb/slow in the head
   — Falathrin


8. Va curcati u scuru. (lit. Go sleep in the dark) means : Get out of here! (Sicilian)
   — vgercomehome


9. Swedish idioms are pretty nonsensical, I think, to anyone not speaking Swedish. Some examples, literally translated. - Being stuck with the beard in the letterbox (being caught red-handed). - Shat in the blue cupboard (to fuck up). - Show where the cupboard goes (show how it's done). - The asphalt's blooming (used to express surprise, amazement or something similar). EDIT: Bonus one! - Hello-come-and-help-me (Being dumbfounded, or something being subpar. For example *"Don't stand there looking all hello-come-and-help-me, we've got work to do"* or *"Your place looks all hello-come-and-help-me, you really need to clean"*)
   — SweRacoon






10. From Dutch : De aap komt uit de mouw (the monkey comes out the sleeve). It means that something on a certain issue/topic has been revealed. Edit : Another one : De kat uit de boom kijken (Look/stare the cat out of the tree) It means to not do anything about something or to let a problem solve itself.
    — Koert1984