C1 — advancedgrammar40 words
Idioms: advanced
| Serbian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bácati dȑvlje i kàmēnje | to hurl abuse, to sling mud (literally ‘to throw wood and stones’) |
| pȁsti s krȕške | to be clueless (literally, to have fallen off a pear tree) |
| obèćati bȑda i dolìne | to promise the earth (literally, mountains and valleys) |
| trȅsla se gòra, ròdio se mȉš | the mountain laboured and brought forth a mouse |
| ìmati pȕtra na glávi | to have something to answer for (literally ‘butter on one’s head’) |
| Ahìlova péta | an Achilles’ heel (bookish) |
| Sìzifov pòsao | a Sisyphean task (bookish) |
| krokodílskē sȕze | crocodile tears |
| òstati krátkīh rukávā | to come away empty-handed (literally, with short sleeves) |
| fȁlī mu dàska u glávi | he has a screw loose (literally, a plank missing; colloquial and unkind) |
| dȁti pétama vȅtra | to take to one’s heels (literally, to give the heels wind) |
| prȁviti se Ènglēz | to play innocent, to feign ignorance |
| pȁsti s kònja na màgārca | to come down in the world (literally ‘from a horse to a donkey’) |
| tȓn u ȍku | a thorn in one’s side (literally, in the eye) |
| na vȑh jezìka mi je | it is on the tip of my tongue |
| néma ni gláve ni rȅpa | you can’t make head or tail of it, it makes no sense at all |
| izvúći dèbljī krȃj | to come off worst |
| bȉti na kònju | to be sitting pretty (literally, to be on a horse) |
| bácati bìsērje pred svínje | to cast pearls before swine (bookish) |
| vrátiti mȉlo za drȃgo | to pay (someone) back in kind, to give as good as one gets |
| glȅdati svòja pòsla | to mind one’s own business |
| stȁviti tȁčku na nȅšto | to put an end, to put a stop (to something) |
| čìtati ìzmeđu rédova | to read between the lines |
| mlátiti prȃznu slȁmu | to talk in circles, to talk to no purpose |
| trážiti dlȁku u jàjetu | to nitpick (literally, to look for a hair in an egg) |
| ni lȕk jȅo ni lȕk mìrisao | to have had nothing to do with it, to be in no way at fault |
| lúpati glávu | to rack one’s brains |
| iz čȉsta míra | out of the blue, for no reason at all |
| sam svoj gazda | one’s own master, one’s own boss |
| na svòju rȗku | off one’s own bat, without asking |
| pokázati zȗbe | to bare one’s teeth, to show one will fight back |
| stȁti na lȗdī kȁmēn | to get married (jocular; literally, to step on the mad stone) |
| dòbiti kȏrpu | to be turned down (literally, to get a basket) |
| ìmati dèbele žívce | to have nerves of steel (literally, thick nerves) |
| ìgrati na sȉgūrno | to play it safe |
| báciti rùkavicu | to throw down the gauntlet (bookish) |
| presípati iz šȕpljēg u prȃzno | to talk in circles, to go round in circles |
| vézati kònja gdȅ gȁzda kȃžē | to do as the boss says, to toe the line |
| pròdati màglu | to sell (someone) hot air (literally, to sell fog; imperfective prodavati maglu) |
| ni krȉv ni dúžan | through no fault of one’s own |
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