Greek Idioms & Proverbs

Common Greek idioms and proverbs with their literal meaning and real-world sense.

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1. 1To eat wood
   Τρώω ξύλο (to get beaten up)
2. 2To burn someone's brains
   Καίω τα μυαλά κάποιου (to annoy someone)
3. 3I got lost in my chickens
   Χάθηκα στα κοτόπουλά μου (I got confused)
4. 4To eat the door
   Τρώω πόρτα (to be rejected/turned away)
5. 5To make someone black
   Κάνω κάποιον μαύρο (to beat someone badly)
6. 6I swallowed my tongue
   Κατάπια τη γλώσσα μου (I was speechless)
7. 7To have one's eyes on four
   Έχω τα μάτια μου τέσσερα (to be very alert)
8. 8To throw water in the sea
   Ρίχνω νερό στη θάλασσα (to do something futile)
9. 9May you live to tell it
   Να το λες (wishing someone well to share good news)
10. 10To have a good hour
    Να 'χεις καλή ώρα (good luck)
11. 11It fell on my stomach
    Μου κάθισε στο στομάχι (it bothered me, I can't forget it)
12. 12To become air
    Γίνομαι αέρας (to disappear)
13. 13To break someone's nerves
    Σπάω τα νεύρα κάποιου (to get on someone's nerves)
14. 14To put someone in their place
    Βάζω κάποιον στη θέση του
15. 15He knows his onions
    Τα ξέρει πολύ καλά (he's very knowledgeable)
16. 16I'll turn you into a sieve
    Θα σε κάνω κόσκινο (I'll beat you up)
17. 17To eat someone's head
    Τρώω το κεφάλι κάποιου (to annoy someone constantly)
18. 18Good hour
    Καλή ώρα (good luck, congratulations)
19. 19I'm burning
    Καίγομαι (I'm dying to know/I'm very curious)
20. 20To hit bull's eye
    Χτυπώ στο καρφί (to be exactly right)
21. 21A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
    Κάλλιο πέντε και στο χέρι παρά δέκα και καρτέρι (better five in hand than ten waiting)
22. 22The morning is wiser than the evening
    Το πρωί είναι πιο έξυπνο από το βράδυ (sleep on it)
23. 23Many hands make light work
    Πολλά χέρια κάνουν το φορτίο ελαφρύ
24. 24Drop by drop fills the lake
    Σταγόνα σταγόνα γεμίζει η λίμνη (little by little)
25. 25Slowly and steadily
    Σιγά σιγά
26. 26Where there's smoke, there's fire
    Όπου καπνός, εκεί και φωτιά
27. 27One swallow doesn't make the spring
    Ένα χελιδόνι δεν φέρνει την άνοιξη
28. 28The pot called the kettle black
    Είπε ο γάιδαρος τον πετεινό κεφάλα (the donkey called the rooster big-head)
29. 29Strike while the iron is hot
    Το σίδερο όσο είναι καυτό
30. 30Practice makes perfect
    Η επανάληψη είναι μητέρα της μάθησης (repetition is mother of learning)

And 50 more cards. Study the whole deck free

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