Across the world, idioms are a fundamental part of everyday speech, so ingrained in our language that we often find ourselves using them without even recognising we’re doing it.

These odd little phrases rarely have basis in fact – curiosity won’t kill the cat, a picture doesn’t literally paint a thousand words and that expensive treat hopefully won’t cost an arm and a leg! – but are designed to point to wider truths.

Interestingly, many idioms are nation-specific, and don’t translate particularly well into other cultures – a lucky German is said to have “had a pig”, if a Frenchman is giving his opinion he’ll “put in his grain of salt”, while if a Spaniard thinks you’re playing a trick on here, she may accuse you of “taking her hair”.

These expressions can often give a fascinating insight into a country’s way of thinking, and HotelClub has found the top 10.

With a whole range of countries and cultures across the world boasting their own unique idioms, artist and illustrator Marcus Oakley has drawn some of his favourite phrases from all four corners of the globe, offering inspiration to any holidaymakers wishing to discover some for themselves.

As the old saying goes, “the world is your oyster”!

1. “Into the mouth of a wolf”

Language: Italian
Translation: In bocca al lupo
Meaning: Good luck!

The popular Italian phrase “into the mouth of a wolf” is similar to the United Kingdom’s “break a leg”- in fact, it makes a lot more sense! Ahead of a stressful presentation or performance, you may warn someone they are heading “into the mouth of a wolf” – to which they should respond “may the wolf die” for good luck.

2. “Not my circus, not my monkey

Language: Polish
Translation: Nie mój cyrk, nie moje malpy
Meaning: Not my problem

The Poles enjoy a more florid interpretation of the British saying “not my problem”, offering an overall dismissal of any problematic situation, both on a small scale and a large scale.

Make the most of this fun idiom, because Poland’s customs can differ greatly from our own – travellers may notice, for example, that the Poles don’t cross their fingers for good luck, but hold their thumbs!

3. “To have a wide face”

Language: Japanese
Translation: Kao ga hiro i
Meaning: To have many friends

Asia has been famous in the west for its proverbs for many years, with the wise words of the fortune cookie a mainstay of a night out at any Chinese restaurant.

One interesting phrase is the idea of “having a wide face” – this enigmatic idiom is used to describe a popular person; but has been found to have basis in fact – wide-faced men are said to be more attractive to women, and are often richer than their thinner-faced compatriots – perhaps tying in with the UK idea of “losing face”.

4. “To have the midday demon”

Language: French
Translation: Le démon de midi
Meaning: To have a midlife crisis

A brief sojourn to France may lead to a tete-a-tete with “the midday demon”, our Gallic friends’ description of a midlife crisis. Some might say it’s a little much to accuse a greying gentleman buying a sports car as being in league with the devil – we’re staying out of it!

5. “To feed the donkey sponge cake”

Language: Portuguese
Translation: Alimentar um burro a pão-de-ló
Meaning: To give good treatment to someone who doesn’t need it

One of the weirder examples on our list, the Portuguese advise against offering preferential treatment to those who don’t need or deserve it, by telling you not to “feed the donkey sponge cake”. It makes sense really – donkeys are perfectly happy with carrots and sugar cubes, there’s really no need to waste your cake on them!

6. “A cat’s jump”

Language: German
Translation: Katzensprung
Meaning: A short distance away

Broadly similar to our own “stone’s throw”, a “cat’s jump” describes a short distance, and is a rare example of a German phrase which doesn’t refer to meat (if a German doesn’t have a strong opinion on an issue, they may describe it as a sausage!) or beer – if a situation is a lost cause, they will tell you that the hop and malt have been lost, wasting a good beer!

7. “To give someone pumpkins”

Language: Spanish
Translation: Dar calabazas a alguien
Meaning: To reject somebody

The Spanish like to include fruit and veg in their idioms – to demand the impossible is to “ask the elm tree for pears” – so you might guess that “giving someone pumpkins” means to reject their advances.

This saying may have come from Ancient Greece, where pumpkins were considered the very opposite of an aphrodisiac!

8. “To ride as a hare”

Language: Russian
Translation: Exatj zajcem
Meaning: To travel without a ticket

You’ve jumped aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway at Moscow, destined for almost 10,000km of travel towards Vladivostok in the east…but you don’t have a ticket.

As the Russians would have it, you’re “riding as a hare”! It broadly makes sense from a literal point of view – when have you ever seen a hare buy a rail ticket? – but this idiom refers to the way fare-dodgers shake when it’s time for ticket inspection!

9. “To let a frog out of your mouth”

Language: Finnish
Translation: Päästää sammakko suusta
Meaning: To say the wrong thing

As one of the greenest countries on earth, it should be no surprise that the Finns enjoy a nature-based idiom. If you’re strong, they might say you have “rye in your wrists”, while the saying “own land strawberry, other land blueberry” is used in Finland to describe their love for their home country.

Even when they’re “putting their foot in it” as the Brits might say, there’s a nature theme to it – if you say the wrong thing, you’re “letting a frog out of your mouth”!

10. “To have a stick in your ear”

Language: Danish
Translation: At have en pind i øret
Meaning: To not listen to someone

Plenty of Danish sayings translate directly into English – we’ve borrowed the saying “not the sharpest knife in the drawer” – but one which hasn’t carried over to the UK is to “have a stick in the ear”, used to criticise someone for not listening, which is viewed very negatively in a country built on the strong oral traditions of the Vikings.