odd saying

Going where the Czar goes on foot

This odd Russian idiom, куда царь пешком ходит, means going to the toilet. Apparently, the toilet was the only place the Czar wasn’t carried to. It seems this habit also […]

-Devon

Feeding the donkey sponge cake

I have another odd saying for you today, this time from Portugal: Alimentar um burro a pão-de-ló. This warns us about giving special treatment to those who doesn’t deserve it. […]

-Vietnam

Dumplings instead of flowers

Making White Roses in Hoi An, Vietnam, September 2017 The Japanese phrase “dumplings instead of flowers” (花より団子 – hana yori dango) refers to choosing something useful over something pretty and […]

-London

Giving someone a pumpkin

This somewhat odd saying, dar calabazas a alguien, is used in Spain to turn down someone’s offer of love. Apparently, in some areas of Catalonia, the boyfriend who is served […]

-Hertfordshire

Off your trolley

St Albans, Hertfordshire, January 2022 An odd sight, reminding me of an odd British saying, off your trolley, which is used to mean behaving in an extremely unusual way or doing something […]

Travel with Intent