Angloland Learn Serbian - Phrases of the week 8

ISPRAVLJATI KRIVE DRINE ★ The literal translation of this phrase would be to make the curving Drina river flow straight and not to let the river zig zag which strikes as a futile feat, Its real meaning is to right the wrongs, to try to remedy the situation. ’. This idiom is normally used when one finds themselves in an unfortunate situation to not be able to find an easy way out, improve the situation or circumstances or to change the ways of the world. It is normally used in a negative meaning to not want to ‘ispravljati krive Drine’ but one would rather move on or maintain the status quo.

USTATI NA LEVU NOGU ★ this idiom literally means ‘to get up on your left foot’ but it really means as an idiom ' to get off or to start off to a bad start, to get off on the wrong foot, to not be in the mood, to have a bad hair day.

NAVUĆI NEKOGA NA TANAK LED ★ literally means to drag somebody onto thin ice . navući means to drag, to draw, to tempt, neko means somebody , tanak means thin , led means ice. Its idiomatic meaning is to drag or make somebody fall into a trap or a difficult or dangerous situation , to allure into something risky and precarious, to tempt by something flattering or desirable.

BITI U SOSU, NAĆI SE U SOSU ★ literally means ‘to be in a sauce’ or ‘to find yourself in a sauce’, the equivalent of which would be ‘to find yourself in a stew’, to be ‘deadmeat’, to be in difficulties, to find yourself in a lot of problems.

NI TAMO NE TEČE MED I MLEKO ★ this phrase literally means honey and milk don’t flow there (just like that) and it means that something isn’t as easy as it looks , is ‘not plain sailing’ at all, or somebody’s life is no bed of roses.