I need a French translation for "World's Best Grandpa" but do not know French. My best candidate is "Le meilleur grand-père sur le monde" which I suspect is too formal, ungrammatical, or hopelessly wrong. I'm also stumbling over the sur/dans distinction and suspect there is likely an idiom which is just better in every way. This is intended to be embroidered on a pillow so brevity and informality are prized in that order.
posted by fydfyd on Dec 23, 2009 - 7 answers

Using the phrase 'If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed.' [more inside]
posted by Blackwatch on Jul 16, 2009 - 11 answers

In Return of the King, Aragorn says: "I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me." What precisely does he mean by this? My confusion is with the phrase "take the heart of me." Is this a standard idiom?
posted by Busoni on Jul 15, 2009 - 15 answers

Over the past year or two, I've noticed an increasing use of the phrase "thread the needle" in news stories and blog entries. The problem is, I don't know exactly what "thread the needle" means, and it appears in a variety of contexts that don't appear entirely consistent with each other. [more inside]
posted by Powerful Religious Baby on Jan 11, 2009 - 16 answers

What is the origin of the phrase "getting the hang" of something? What did it mean, originally, to "get the hang" of something?
posted by RedEmma on Oct 9, 2008 - 17 answers

What is the origin of the phrase "by the balls" as in: "He's really got you by the balls."? [more inside]
posted by sciurus on Oct 2, 2008 - 14 answers

Is (or was, since it sounds quaint now) the phrase "the birds and the bees" mostly an American thing or is it also used in other english-speaking countries as a euphemism in reference to sex education. What other euphemisms or idioms are used around the world within the context of sex education (not formal sex education in a classroom setting, more along the lines of "The Talk" parents have with their kids). I'm interested in phrases used in other languages too.
posted by amyms on Jul 24, 2008 - 25 answers

MajorDomesticDebateFilter : What is up? She says jig. I say gig. Google is undecided. [more inside]
posted by vizsla on Apr 25, 2008 - 37 answers

In this blog post on Information Arbitrage the author uses the expression "giving them the Heisman". The meaning is pretty clear from the context but I've never come across the expression before. Can anyone shed any light on it? [more inside]
posted by patricio on Apr 6, 2008 - 13 answers

In , "Molecular Ethology: an Immodest Proposal for Semantic Clarification", Heinz von Foerster says To escape this dilemma it is only necessary to recall that an urn is an urn, and it is animals that learn. Is this a reference to some other phrase (quotation, idiom, or otherwise) of the form "an X is just an X, and it is Y that Z"? [more inside]
posted by ErWenn on Mar 22, 2008 - 6 answers

Thinking about my newest tattoo idea, it's been brewing for months...now I need the help of strangers. I have most of the elements fleshed out, but I'm looking for a saying about love, preferably in a foreign language, to incorporate. Nothing too long, it has to fit on a banner on my forearm. Idioms are best, or something that is a little more obtuse than "forever love." [more inside]
posted by hulahulagirl on Feb 12, 2008 - 31 answers

Given a word, how can I search for terms and idioms containing that word? [more inside]
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg on Feb 5, 2008 - 11 answers

What's the origin of/meaning behind the idiom of inviting a lady to inspect one's collection of etchings as a (euphemized/veiled?) sexual proposition? [more inside]
posted by juv3nal on Jan 21, 2008 - 15 answers

Is there a turn of phrase for when someone resumes a conversation after a extended period of time as if no break has occurred? [more inside]
posted by JaredSeth on Sep 22, 2007 - 20 answers

French letter / capote anglais French leave / filer à l'anglaise Can you suggest other examples of pairs of complementary (perhaps derogatory?) idioms in two different languages? Is there a word for these?
posted by roofus on Sep 19, 2007 - 17 answers

What are some Spanish-language idioms or expressions for "Goodbye" (or similar) to put on a going-away cake? [more inside]
posted by sprocket87 on Aug 27, 2007 - 17 answers

I'm looking for funny sayings, expressions, idioms, et cetera. [more inside]
posted by Anoxs on Aug 21, 2007 - 59 answers

What are the origins of the idiom "strangle the monster in the crib"?
posted by commander_cool on Jul 10, 2007 - 7 answers

What does "hoot your belly" mean? [more inside]
posted by breezeway on Mar 18, 2007 - 4 answers

Hilfe! Any resources out there to teach someone how to think German? Not think in German, but to think like a German. I've been trying to teach my other half German (at his request), but it hasn't been easy... [more inside]
posted by geckoinpdx on Mar 9, 2007 - 27 answers

Is there an English term for, or an idiom that describes, taking pleasure in the pain or humiliation of one's enemy?
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese on Sep 18, 2006 - 27 answers

"Writer's block," "swimmer's ear," and "athlete's foot" are all examples of occupation-specific conditions. Are there any others? [more inside]
posted by jenovus on May 23, 2006 - 60 answers

Is there a good online dictionary of idioms and phrases? I know there are online thesauri, but they don't have the colorful expressions from the original Roget's I.
posted by inksyndicate on Dec 16, 2004 - 6 answers

LanguageFilter: Any Arabic speakers here? I'm trying to decipher an Arabic phrase: "Baashake ya halo." I might have spelled it wrong, but I know it's not a common Arabic phrase so much as it is slang. Any ideas?
posted by symphonik on Dec 12, 2004 - 9 answers