Norwegian Idioms and Sayings
Quirky and interesting expressions that give you a peek into Norwegian culture
About Norwegian Idioms
Norwegian language is full of quirky and interesting idioms and sayings that give you a peek into the country's culture. These expressions range from funny to profound and sometimes reveal a bit about old Norwegian values and way of life.
Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær
"There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes"
Meaning: Don't complain about the weather, you should dress better instead.
Gammel vane er vond å vende
"Old habits are difficult to turn"
Meaning: Old habits are hard to change
Morgenstund har gull i munn
"Morning time has gold in the mouth"
Meaning: The morning is a very valuable time where you can achieve many things.
Eplet faller ikke langt fra stammen
"The apple doesn't fall far from the trunk"
Meaning: Children resemble their parents.
Å få både i pose og sekk
"To get both in bag and sack"
Meaning: You can't get both / You can't have your cake and eat it too
Førstemann til mølla
"First person to the mill"
Meaning: The first to get there gets it / First come first served
Smi mens jernet er varmt
"Forge while the iron is hot"
Meaning: To do something while you have the chance / To strike while the iron is hot
Bedre sent enn aldri
"Better late than never"
Meaning: Better to do something late than not at all.
Ta det med en klype salt
"Take it with a pinch of salt"
Meaning: Don't believe 100% of what was said / don't take it too seriously
Å ta det for god fisk
"To take it as good fish"
Meaning: To believe something someone said without doubting them
Aldri for sent å snu
"Never too late to turn"
Meaning: It's never too late to stop / return / go back
Ha det bra
"Have it well"
Meaning: Take care!
Borte bra men hjemme best
"Away is good, but home is best"
Meaning: Nothing beats home
Ut på tur, aldri sur
"Out on a trip / hike, never grumpy"
Meaning: There's no reason to be grumpy when you're outside enjoying nature
Mye vil ha mer
"Much / A lot wants more"
Meaning: People that have a lot of things / money / anything always want to have more
Det selger som hakka møkk
"It sells like minced / chopped shit"
Meaning: It's selling really well / It's super popular
Lyset er på, men ingen er hjemme
"The lights are on, but nobody's home"
Meaning: This person is not very smart
Du er ikke den skarpeste kniven i skuffen
"You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer"
Meaning: You're not very smart (sharp)
Å gå rundt grøten
"To walk around the porridge"
Meaning: To avoid getting to the point / Take a long time before getting to the point.
Å male seg selv i et hjørne
"To paint oneself into a corner"
Meaning: To put oneself in a difficult situation
Hvorfor så lang i maska?
"Why so long in (your) mask?"
Meaning: Why are you making that face (usually a sad or surprised face)
Du må ha is i magen
"You must have ice in the stomach"
Meaning: You must be patient
Jo flere kokker, jo mere søl
"The more chefs, the more mess"
Meaning: Having more people involved means there are more people that can mess up the situation.
En ulv i fåreklær
"A wolf in a lamb's clothing"
Meaning: A bad guy disguised as a good guy
Selv en blind høne kan finne korn
"Even a blind hen can find corn"
Meaning: Anybody can get lucky
Å bli tatt på senga
"To be taken on the bed"
Meaning: To be caught in action
Å bli tatt på fersken / fersk gjerning
"To be taken on the fresh"
Meaning: To be caught in the act of doing something / while the act is still very recent
Det går så det griner / gviner
"It goes so (much that) it's crying (whining)"
Meaning: It's going really well
Brent barn skyr ilden
"Burned children avoid fire"
Meaning: Children (or people in general) learn from their mistakes
Jeg er frisk som en fisk
"I'm as healthy as a fish"
Meaning: I am very healthy
Øving gjør mester
"Practice makes master"
Meaning: You have to practice to become a master / Practice makes perfect
Tida flyr
"Time flies"
Meaning: Time is passing / has passed really quickly
Ikke selg skinnet før bjørnen er skutt
"Don't sell the hide / skin before the bear has been shot"
Meaning: Don't promise something before you're sure you can deliver on it.
Uten mat og drikke duger helten ikke
"Without food and drink, the hero doesn't work"
Meaning: You can't accomplish great things with an empty stomach
Å få blod på tannen
"To get blood on your tooth."
Meaning: To become inspired / driven to do something.
Sitte med skjegget i postkassa
"To sit with your beard in the mailbox."
Meaning: To have ended up in a stupid situation, that you may have cheated your way into.
Man skal ikke skue hunden på hårene
"You shouldn't judge the dog on its hairs."
Meaning: You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
Å gjøre kål på
"To make cabbage of"
Meaning: To finish something so that it is gone, for example by eating the leftovers.
Å være på bærtur
"To be out berry-picking"
Meaning: To describe someone who does not know what they're talking about or don't know what they're doing
Det er aldri så galt at det ikke er godt for noe!
"It's never so bad that it's not good for something."
Meaning: You can always find something positive in a negative situation
Å snakke rett fra leveren
"To speak directly from the liver."
Meaning: To speak plainly/truthfully without sugar-coating.
Der er ugler i mosen
"There are owls in the moss."
Meaning: Something is off or not quite right. There is something secretive/sinister about a situation.
Å ha en finger med i spillet
"To have a finger included in the game."
Meaning: To play a part in something (often something sneaky).
Det er helt Texas!
"That's completely Texas!"
Meaning: That's crazy
Hva er i veien?
"What's in the way?"
Meaning: What's wrong?
Å svelge noen kameler
"To swallow some camels."
Meaning: To give in / to chose to ignore something, often to keep the peace.
Det er helt på trynet!
"It's completely on the face."
Meaning: It's totally ridiculous.
Håper at det smaker
"I hope that it tastes."
Meaning: I hope it tastes good, bon appetit!
Har du røyka sokka dine?
"Have you smoked your socks?"
Meaning: Are you crazy?
Snakke i munnen på hverandre
"Talking in each other's mouths."
Meaning: People are talking at the same time, talking over each other / one another.
Holde tunga rett i munnen
"Keeping the tongue straight in the mouth."
Meaning: To be accurate / To no not deviate from the mission / To concentrate at the task at hand.
Ta knekken på (meg)!
"This breaks me! “Knekk” means to break in half."
Meaning: It's killing me!
Ryk og reis
"Smoke and travel."
Meaning: Get the hell out of here.
Jeg har det på tungen
"I have it on my tongue."
Meaning: It's on the tip of my tongue.
Å leve på luft og kjærlighet
"Living on air and love."
Meaning: To survive on very limited / few resources.
Å gjøre noen en bjørnetjeneste
"Do someone a bear favour."
Meaning: Despite trying to do the right thing, you do more harm than good.
Å stikke noe under en stol
"Stick something under a chair."
Meaning: To try and hide something.
Å være i vinden
"Being in the wind."
Meaning: To be popular, fashionable or to be “on a roll”.
Som plommen i egget
"Like the yolk in the egg."
Meaning: To be in an ideal situation / To be in a very comfortable situation.
En gladlaks
"A happy salmon."
Meaning: A positive and cheerful person / A happy-go-lucky person.
Å tenke koffert
"To think suitcase."
Meaning: Someone who associated everything with sex, similar to having one’s head in the gutter.
Å ha bein i nesa
"To have bones in your nose."
Meaning: To be tough and determined and not afraid to speak up.
Jeg har en høne å plukke med noen
"I have a hen to pluck with someone."
Meaning: To have a bone to pick with someone.
Å være midt i smørøyet
"To be in the middle of the butter melting in the porridge."
Meaning: To be in a great place, find yourself in a favourable position.
Å tråkke i salaten
"To step in the salad."
Meaning: To do or say something embarrassing or tactless.
Det er hipp som happ for meg
"It's hip like happ for me."
Meaning: Either (or any) way is fine (by me).
Stopp en halv
"Stop one half."
Meaning: Hold your horse.
For noe tull og fanteri
"How jokingly and silliness."
Meaning: Silly and/or useless things/activities.
Brillefint
"Glasses-nice."
Meaning: Splendid / Superb.
Det er helt hull i hodet
"That is completely hole in the head."
Meaning: That is very stupid / ridiculous.
Å ha rent mel i posen
"To have clean / pure flour in the bag."
Meaning: To have pure intentions.
Å dra alle under en kam
"To pull everyone under one comb."
Meaning: To generalize people / Assume a stereotype is true for everyone who’s in that group.
As you can probably tell, Norwegian is a rather colorful language. Many idioms stem from Norway's long history of fishing and farming.
Vi snakkes!
-Martin