Hello everyone!
I’m knee-deep in translating my book into Romanian (my native language), and I keep cracking up at our expressions. So here are a few of my favorites—literal translations plus what they actually mean. They’re a fun little window into Romanian humor and how we think.
(If you’re curious about the city that shaped a lot of these sayings, explore my Bucharest Travel Guide — it’s a city of contrasts and character.)
Throwing vapors at someone = to surprise someone
Throw your boogers in the beans= to screw up/ to mess things up royally
Take you on a carpet ride or to carry someone with the rug = to cheat you
Your mustard jumped off = you lost your temper
To put your hand in the fire = to guarantee for something or that something is right
To fight with the windmills= to try something that doesn’t make sense
To not care if someone takes away the ox from your bike = to be unafraid
To cross something like the duck crosses the water = to jump into conclusions/ learn nothing from it
I have a needle for your coat = I know exactly how to get back at you
My coin dropped! = I got it!
At the horses’ Easter = never
To hit the puddle with a stick (a da cu bâta-n baltă) — to put your foot in it / make a blunder
To make a stallion out of a mosquito (a face din țânțar armăsar) — to exaggerate
To beat water in a mortar (a bate apa-n piuă) — to talk in circles / no progress
To step on the lightbulb (a călca pe bec) — to screw up / commit a faux pas
To drop the pigeon (a scăpa porumbelul) — to blurt something out
To add straws to the fire (a pune paie pe foc) — to make things worse / stir the pot
To wake up with your face to the sheet (sculat cu fața la cearșaf) — to wake up on the wrong side of the bed
The neighbor’s goat (capra vecinului) — envy of whatever the other has
Ointment on a wooden leg (frecție la picior de lemn) — a useless remedy / pointless fix
The devil isn’t that black (nu e dracu’ chiar atât de negru) — it’s not as bad as it seems
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