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Idiomatic Expressions
Common Ukrainian idioms for natural speech.
Байдики бити
To twiddle one's thumbs
Baidyky byty
To be idle, do nothing
Водити за носа
To lead someone by the nose
Vodyty za nosa
To deceive someone
Як кіт наплакав
Very little
Yak kit naplakav
Lit: as much as a cat cried (a tiny amount)
Робити з мухи слона
To make a mountain out of a molehill
Robyty z mukhy slona
Lit: to make an elephant out of a fly
Зарубати на носі
To make a mental note
Zarubaty na nosi
Lit: to notch it on your nose
Як дві краплі води
As alike as two peas in a pod
Yak dvi krapli vody
Lit: like two drops of water
Сісти в калюжу
To make a fool of oneself
Sisty v kaliuzhu
Lit: to sit down in a puddle
Душа в п'яти втекла
To be scared stiff
Dusha v piaty vtekla
Lit: the soul fled to the heels
Не в своїй тарілці
To feel out of place
Ne v svoii tariltsi
Lit: not in one's own plate
Тримати язик за зубами
To hold one's tongue
Trymaty yazyk za zubamy
Lit: to keep the tongue behind the teeth
Лити як з відра
To rain cats and dogs
Lyty yak z vidra
Lit: to pour as if from a bucket
Брати бика за роги
To take the bull by the horns
Braty byka za rohy
