mít máslo na hlavě
Literally to have butter on one's head
Means to be guilty of something oneself, to have a guilty conscience
Example Neměl by mě kritizovat, sám má máslo na hlavě.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 15 of the most common Czech idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Czech idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, mít máslo na hlavě literally means "to have butter on one's head" but is used to mean to be guilty of something oneself, to have a guilty conscience. This free tool lists 15 real Czech idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 15 Czech idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
mít máslo na hlavě
Literally to have butter on one's head
Means to be guilty of something oneself, to have a guilty conscience
Example Neměl by mě kritizovat, sám má máslo na hlavě.
házet flintu do žita
Literally to throw the shotgun into the rye
Means to give up too easily, to throw in the towel prematurely
Example Neházej flintu do žita, ještě to můžeš dokázat.
chodit kolem horké kaše
Literally to walk around hot porridge
Means to beat around the bush, to avoid getting to the point
Example Řekni mi to rovnou, nechoď kolem horké kaše.
tahat někoho za nos
Literally to pull someone by the nose
Means to deceive or fool someone, to lead someone on
Example Nevěř mu, jen tě tahá za nos.
dělat z komára velblouda
Literally to make a camel out of a mosquito
Means to make a mountain out of a molehill, to exaggerate a small problem
Example Nedělej z komára velblouda, není to tak zlé.
být pro někoho španělská vesnice
Literally to be a Spanish village for someone
Means to be completely incomprehensible to someone, it's all Greek to me
Example Kvantová fyzika je pro mě španělská vesnice.
mít hluboko do kapsy
Literally to have deep into the pocket
Means to be short of money, to be broke
Example Na konci měsíce mám vždycky hluboko do kapsy.
spadl mu kámen ze srdce
Literally a stone fell from his heart
Means to feel a great sense of relief, a weight off one's mind
Example Když jsme se dozvěděli výsledky testů, spadl mi kámen ze srdce.
lámat si hlavu
Literally to break one's head
Means to rack one's brains over something
Example S tou křížovkou jsem si lámal hlavu celý večer.
vzít nohy na ramena
Literally to take one's legs onto one's shoulders
Means to run away quickly, to flee
Example Jakmile uviděl policii, vzal nohy na ramena.
házet někomu klacky pod nohy
Literally to throw sticks under someone's feet
Means to put obstacles in someone's way
Example Místo pomoci mi jen házel klacky pod nohy.
koukat jako tele na nová vrata
Literally to stare like a calf at a new gate
Means to look utterly baffled or dumbfounded
Example Když jsem mu to vysvětlil, koukal jako tele na nová vrata.
mít o kolečko míň
Literally to have one wheel fewer
Means to be a bit crazy, not quite right in the head
Example Podle mě má ten chlap o kolečko míň.
natáhnout bačkory
Literally to stretch out one's slippers
Means to die, to kick the bucket (informal, humorous)
Example Starý soused minulý týden natáhl bačkory.
být za vodou
Literally to be beyond the water
Means to be financially secure, to have no more money worries
Example Po prodeji firmy je konečně za vodou.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Czech books with sentence-aligned translation and native-narrated audio, so you meet idioms in the wild and tap any line you do not get. Save them and review later. Free to start.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Mít máslo na hlavě comes out as "to have butter on one's head", which makes no sense until you know it means to be guilty of something oneself, to have a guilty conscience.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Czech sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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Some of the most common Czech idioms are mít máslo na hlavě, házet flintu do žita, chodit kolem horké kaše, tahat někoho za nos. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This tool lists 15 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Czech, "mít máslo na hlavě" translates literally as "to have butter on one's head", but it actually means to be guilty of something oneself, to have a guilty conscience. You would use it like this: Neměl by mě kritizovat, sám má máslo na hlavě.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Mít máslo na hlavě translates literally as "to have butter on one's head", yet it means to be guilty of something oneself, to have a guilty conscience. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Czech with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.