Animal idioms from around the world Have you ever had a frog in your throat?

People all over the world describe their sensitivities with the help of idioms involving certain animals. Often the same saying exists in different languages, only the animal species is different.

When it comes to aptly describing a situation, people around the world make use of animal idioms. Sometimes the same proverb is used in different languages, with a different animal playing the leading role. This can sometimes change the meaning.

Catching animals, comparing oneself to animals and taking on animals - this is not only a proverbial expression in German-speaking areas. It is also common in other languages to "swallow a toad" or "kill two birds with one stone". The only difference is that it refers to other animals. You can find out what the differences are below.

Everyone knows this unpleasant situation: in order to get what you want, you have to reluctantly accept something that you don't actually want. In German, this is known as "swallowing a toad". Because this idea probably triggers considerable reluctance in most people.

While the German-language version focuses on disgust, the Norwegian idiom depicts a much greater challenge when swallowing, which is almost absurd: the Norwegians speak of "Å svelge noen kameler", of "swallowing camels".

"A bird in the hand is better than a pigeon on the roof", you console yourself when something supposedly more satisfying seems to be out of reach and you settle for a smaller portion. Native German speakers are not alone in this view. Wisdom also exists in other languages, just with different birds.

In Spanish, the choice fell on the largest possible bird and to emphasize its unattainability, it not only sits on top of a roof, but flies through the air: "A bird in the hand is better than a flying vulture" - "más vale pájaro en mano que buitre volando."

In Finnish, the saying is not about preferring one type of bird over another, but rather being modest in the number of forest birds you can get hold of: "Parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla" - "one hazel grouse in your hand is better than ten on a branch."

The saying works in a similar way in English. The type of bird does not matter at all in order to make the principle clear through proportions: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" - "one bird in the hand is worth as much as two in the bush."

"To kill two birds with one stone" expresses the same thing as the German saying "killing two birds with one stone". Meaning: perform one action, get double the benefit.

In Italy, however, it is formulated in such a way that the birds in question at least survive the saying. Two pigeons are caught with one bean: "Prendere due piccioni con una fava."

There are also regional differences when it comes to illustrating health and strength using animal comparisons. Who in this country wouldn't want to be "as fit as a horse"? In English, the horse is also the epitome of fitness. If someone is "as healthy as a horse", all is well, he or she is as healthy as a horse.

If German-speaking people feel fit and vital, they are "as lively as a fish in water". The Swedes see it the same way: you are "frisk som en fisk", i.e. "as fresh as a fish".

In Finland, the desirable state is that of a completely different animal: "Terve kuin pukki" means "healthy as a goat".

In Russia, people think of an animal that you would rather not mess with to say that someone is bursting with strength: "Zdorov kak byk" translates as "healthy as a bull".

Some idioms have a slightly different meaning depending on the type of animal mentioned. For example, if we say "dogs that bark don't bite", you are mainly comforting yourself: Someone is acting loud and dangerous, but probably won't want to harm you.

If the dogs in the idiom are replaced by cats, as the Japanese do, it no longer means quite the same thing: "Naku neko ha nezumi wo toranu." And in German: "Meowing cats don't catch mice", so they can't hurt the mice either. However, the sentence expresses even more that those who are busy talking are unable to accomplish anything else. Someone spits out sounds, but does not deliver results.

This meaning also corresponds to the proverb commonly used in South Africa: "A chattering bird builds no nest." A chattering bird builds no nest. There are probably birds, cats and dogs like this all over the world.

If you can't speak for some reason - either because your vocal apparatus is impaired or you are emotionally upset - you have a "frog in your throat" in German.

The French have a linguistically even bigger version of this. If you are hoarse, you have a whole cat in your throat: "Avoir un chat dans la gorge." Do the sounds that cats make also play a role in this saying?

It sounds similar, but not with the same meaning, in Italy: here, someone occasionally stays "con un rospo in gola", "with a toad in the throat". This symbolizes not so much a physical impediment to speaking, but rather something that cannot be said. In this respect, it is almost closer to the toad we swallow in German than our frog in the throat.

In the imagination, you sometimes not only have animals in your throat, but also in your stomach: butterflies, for example. This is the German word for the sinking feeling of being in love in your stomach.

In Hindi, it's a completely different feeling in the stomach area when larger animals move through it: "Pet mein chuhe daudna" is said in India, rats run through the stomach to describe a "bear hunger", so to speak.

Eating like a sparrow is of little help at a time like this. You are more likely to eat like a horse. Either is fine, the main thing is not to eat like a pig. Several languages agree on this.

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