Cows on Ice and Owls in the Bog - The Weird and Wonderful World of Scandinavian Sayings (compiled by)

Author(s): Sarah Lundon and Katarina Montnémery

Humour

Scandinavians are cooler, sexier, and more stylish than the rest of us. They have a higher standard of living, greater economic opportunity and equality, the world's best restaurants, and moody TV dramas involving murders and sweaters.


But did you know, amidst the obsession with hygge, IKEA, and lagom, that Scandinavian sayings are absolutely BIZARRE?


Take the Swedish 'Skita i det bl a sk pet', which roughly translates as 'You've done a poop in the blue locker' ('You've really messed things up now'). Or, in Norway, 'F dt bak en brunost': 'He was born behind a brown cheese' (this chap is a bit slow on the uptake). In Denmark you might say instead: 'Han har roterende fis i kasketten' (he's got rotating crap in his cap).


This witty, enlightening book will give you 50 phrases you never knew you needed in your life, explaining their origin and literal translations, with fun color illustrations throughout.

$22.99 NZD

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Product Information

“Each nation has a set of phrases and comments that are unique to their people, and Scandinavia is no different. Before reading Cows on Ice and Owls in the Bog, I would have regarded many of the Scandinavian sayings to be completely bonkers. But since reading this book, many of Scandinavian sayings are now starting to make sense. There are still a few sayings that, even when explained, still don’t quite make sense, but that is probably to be expected with the difference in culture from the reader and the speaker. After reading roughly fifty-six sayings, I do feel more educated about the Scandinavian culture. Within the book, you will learn about their love and high-regard for berries and oatmeal as well as some of their history, which will help explain why they compare someone’s intelligence to a train when they wish to insult them. Like some English words, some of their phrases are the way they are because of a history of mispronunciation and being similar sounding to another word. Overall, this is a humorous, educational, and highly entertaining read!”  

Rachel Dehning – San Francisco Book Review  (JC BookGrocer)

General Fields

  • : 9781787134720
  • : Quadrille Publishing, Limited
  • : Quadrille Publishing, Limited
  • : 0.01
  • : September 2019
  • : ---length:- '1.11'width:- '1.11'units:- Inches
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Sarah Lundon and Katarina Montnémery
  • : Hardback
  • : Hardback
  • : 1910
  • : 1910
  • : English
  • : English
  • : 088
  • : 088
  • : 144
  • : 144