More Danish phrases!

Danish is a strange language, and it has some rather odd words and sayings – most people will be familiar with the word “hygge”, but I am here today to introduce you to five completely random sounding Danish phrases.

Grab a grandpa

“To Grab a Grandpa” is a relatively new saying, known since 1999, and is in the dictionary defined as “brief and light sleep outside one’s normal sleeping time”. Unlike a powernap, this is more relaxed and enjoyable and less about making up for lost sleep. To grab a grandpa is basically to pretend you are old and retired and can do whatever you want whenever you want – including sleeping in the middle of the day.

Go cucumbers

To “go cucumbers” is known from 1976 (to “go bananas” is dated back to 1968). The dictionary defines it as “to become riled up and angry” or “to evolve uncontrollably” – the second of which is specific to the danish saying and not mirrored in “go bananas”.

Possibly, or possibly not, cucumbers in Denmark are only sold when straight – all cucumbers with an odd shape are discarded, regardless of whether they are otherwise perfectly fine. It could be theorized that “to go cucumbers” is derived from cucumbers deciding to grow in crazy shapes whenever they like to, much to the annoyance of farmers.

Swing the wooden leg

To “Swing the Wooden Leg” means to dance, and can according to the dictionary be any kind of dance, from a waltz to headbanging, from disco to slow dancing. The saying invites the imagination to wander in varying directions, from a drunken pirate wildly and without choreography simply swinging his wooden leg, to a professionally trained dancer managing to impress despite a roughly carved wooden appendix, the main thing is just the moving to music, regardless of what you look like. So go dance like a drunken pirate with a wooden leg, and if anyone judges you just say you learned it from one of the happiest countries in the world.

King Carrot

King Carrot has in the later years come to have a variety of different meanings in the media. A computer game for learning kids basic school things, like spelling and adding numbers, introduced it to kids in 2002. There’s an ad company by the name, and a movie, and a game played with regular cards. The phrase seems to trace back to a french opera from 1872 where the carrot leads a rebellion and the vegetables take over France.

In Denmark, the phrase means to be arrogant condescending.

The field of Lars Diarrhea

“The field of Lars Diarrhea”, “where the crows turn”, “the boo-country” – there are an array of colorful descriptions to describe the countryside in Denmark, but out of all of them, the field of Lars Diarrhea is probably one of the most colorful of descriptive of the unique charm that the countryside has during specific times of the year. Why Lars of all people is the one who gets blamed for the smells I don’t know, but I think it’s safe to say he was a “farmer-ass” (which is the Danish term for Hillbilly, or just plain farmer).

I grew up right next to the field of Lars diarrhea, and the crows literally turned at the only bus stop in the village, and let me tell you, despite the colorful terms, it really is a wonderful place to be.