Okay, so we in the USA say, "It's raining cats and dogs." I believe the French say something like, "It's raining ropes." The French have the better idea, I think. The kids I teach love learning these expressions. Could you please give me idiomatic expressions from places other than the USA? A visual example would be great, too. Thanks!

http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idiom-categories/ambition-determination.htm


"thick as thieves" comes to mind, too.

See which way the cat jumps
(AU) If you see which way the cat jumps, you postpone making a decision or acting until you have seen how things are developing.

She'll be apples
(AU) A very popular old Australian saying meaning everything will be all right, often used when there is some doubt.

Beyond the black stump
(AU) An Australian idiom idicating that even if you go as far as you can, the black stump is still a little further.

Mad as a cut snake
(AU) One who is mad as a cut snake has lost all sense of reason, is crazy, out of control.

Hakunna Matatta - It means No Worries...

from the Walt Disney's Timon & Pumbba... Good for Kids.

See how a cow catches a hare is the Dutch way of saying see how a cat jumps

Walk with windmills is another way of saying crazy - but I think it is milder then Barking mad in English.

Your Cats and Dogs, are our Pipestalks - And when I did an archeological dig at my old house in Rotterdam, it seemed that was totally true! Because I found an enourmous amount of clay pipes in various states of brakege. The cheap clay pipes were the first sign of our modern consumer sociaty - use and throw away



It is raining Pipestalks is when we say it is raining cats and dogs[/img]

I had discovered an old sewerpit that was used to disgard household rubbish in the 18th century and 19th century - belonging to a house that was there before ours was build.

'Camp as christmas'
Errr... because christmas is camp

It's ironic you say "from places other than the USA" because the 'raining cats and dogs' idiom originates from England as do many other well known ones.


Anyhoo... here's a site that has an exhaustive list with details of possible origins and meaning definintions.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a.html

'Carrot and stick'
If someone offers a carrot and stick, they offer an incentive to do something combined with the threat of punishment.

...it's like fighting against windmills is a german expression for a unwinnable situation.

Based on the story of Don Quijote from the spanish writer Cervantes, where the hero goes crazy and takes the mills for giants he has to fight.

Think the dutch expression comes form their own mills, which they have a lot (lets say MILLIONS!). No wonder they go crazy in combination with all the drugs they take all day long... instead to the german expression that refers to our great literate tradition.

Cheers BL

Edit: Just saw at grans link that the english expression is "tilting at windmills" so that it looks we are not the only ones with a great literate tradition Maybe even the dutch have something like that

Fight the Beer queue is our Fight against the windmills