Do other languages have things like rhyming slang or silly phrases

[mrsbeeton999]

As well as rhyming slang I’m also wondering if other languages have phrases like Bob’s your uncle

I think it's an interesting question and we want some more answers from linguists not people being snide. What are other countries equivalent slangs?

DinosApple

Isn't that just the same as, 'egg on your face'?

Finnish have a word transformation similar to spoonerism in English. Much hilarity in primary school, if your name transformed becomes something rude.

I happened to look at some of the proverbs the other day. That's nowhere all of them, of course. I like the saying "juosten kustu", which means something is (done) half-arsed, but literally means "pissed (as in peed) while running".

OP, you might be interested in the Global Pillage podcast, which is exactly about this type of thing.

It's a quiz where they have to deduce what idioms that are literally translated from other languages actually mean.

I've nothing to add, sorry Just joining the thread as I find language usage fascinating.

Maranallo4, a Norwegian told me their phrase is 'to be two flies into one smack'

I second the Global pillage suggestion

I've got a shitload of these in German. Some of my favourites are:

• handgelenk mal pi - means like the length of your wrist times pi, it means a really dodgy rough estimate

• das Leben ist kein Ponyhof - life is not a pony stable - like, life's not all easy nice stuff

• du gehst mir auf den Wecker - you get on my alarm clock - you get on my nerves. Alarm clock is but one of many variations of this one but the rest of them are a bit swearier

I also know a ton of German insults and swearwords if anyone's interested

My favourite saying for my mother when she tries to speak French: ‘Tu parles français comme une vache espagnole’. You speak French like a Spanish cow. Bit rude to the Spanish, sorry!

@gastropod so verlan is basically pig-Latin then..?