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What is a “Slow Cheese,” an “Environmental Pig,” or a “Cardboard Skull,” you might ask?

Well, if you read on, I will tell you!

A little while back, I posted some illustrations of bad, but funny, translations of Norwegian words here on Bored Panda.

You people seemed to like it, so I decided to make yet another post with weird Norwegian idioms as well.

For more content, you can also follow my Instagram and let me know what you would like to see next!

Hope you like it!

More info: Instagram

#1

15 Funny Norwegian Idioms Illustrated And Explained

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Night Owl
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In German it's something similar: Bärendienst (Jemandem einen Bärendienst erweisen.)

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#2

15 Funny Norwegian Idioms Illustrated And Explained

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Layla Corman
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If I ever write a horror movie, book, ect. I'm totally using Owls in the moss. I love owls, but it does sound sus!

astridborgen avatar
Lúthien
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Might originally have been wolves (ulver) :) I quite like the idea of suspicious owls though

matsiversen avatar
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup, it comes from the danish "Wolves in the moss". I don't know how it became "Owls" in Norwegian, but maybe because danish is impossible to understand :D

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Marianne Almås
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually an old mistranslation of the Danish sentence: Ulver i mosen (wolves in the marsh)

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Ole Peder Amrud Hagen
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, this comes from Danish 'Ulver i mosen', which means 'wolves in the marshes/bogs'. Because the Danes have the world's worst diction, it was misinterpreted.

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Allan Breum
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact: Originally it wasn't owls (ugler), but wolves (Ulve) in the marsh (mosen). That makes the expression make a whole lot more sense.

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Erik Granqvist
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup, we have it here in Sweden as well. Our languages share a lot of expressions. Here the spelling is slightly different.

namnataliaa avatar
Natalia
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Greece, with same meaning, we say "there's a hole in split peas" 🤷🤷

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Roland Gosselin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In French we say "an eel under the rock" (anguille sous roche) :)

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Ida Frøslev Pedersen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Uh. I think this one is translated wrong. It should be "owls in the bog", but same meaning.

brukernavn340 avatar
brukernavn340
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Norwegian one means "owls in the moss", while the original Danish one means "wolves in the bog".

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Albert
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Dutch there's a similar one: 'een addertje onder het gras' (a viper under the grass

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Harleen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dumb question: how are owls in moss suspicious? Like, something is hiding in the moss that has attracted owls?

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#6

15 Funny Norwegian Idioms Illustrated And Explained

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John Laughlin
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My Grandmother always cautioned, "Don't ever get behind a driver wearing a hat. You know he's going to drive slowly."

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