at koste kassen
Literally to cost the till
Means to be very expensive
English idiom cost an arm and a leg
Example Den nye lejlighed kostede kassen.
The new flat cost an arm and a leg.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 25 most common Danish idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Danish idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, at koste kassen literally means "to cost the till" but is used to mean to be very expensive. This free page ranks the 25 most common Danish idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 25 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
at koste kassen
Literally to cost the till
Means to be very expensive
English idiom cost an arm and a leg
Example Den nye lejlighed kostede kassen.
The new flat cost an arm and a leg.
at have is i maven
Literally to have ice in the stomach
Means to stay calm and composed under pressure
English idiom keep a cool head
Example Målmanden havde is i maven og reddede straffesparket.
The goalkeeper kept a cool head and saved the penalty.
at slå to fluer med ét smæk
Literally to hit two flies with one smack
Means to solve two problems with a single action
English idiom kill two birds with one stone
Example Ved at cykle på arbejde slår jeg to fluer med ét smæk.
By cycling to work I kill two birds with one stone.
Der er ugler i mosen
Literally There are owls in the bog
Means something suspicious is going on, things are not as they seem
English idiom something smells fishy
Example Jeg tror, der er ugler i mosen med det tilbud.
I think there is something fishy about that offer.
Note The owls were originally wolves: "ugler" renders a Jutland dialect form of "ulve".
at klappe hesten
Literally to pat the horse
Means to calm down and stop rushing into something
English idiom hold your horses
Example Klap lige hesten, vi har ikke engang set tilbuddet endnu.
Hold your horses, we have not even seen the offer yet.
Note Nearly always used as a friendly command, usually "klap lige hesten".
at få blod på tanden
Literally to get blood on the tooth
Means to become eager and driven to carry on after a first success
English idiom get the bit between your teeth
Example Efter den første sejr fik holdet for alvor blod på tanden.
After the first win the team really got the bit between their teeth.
at have ben i næsen
Literally to have bones in the nose
Means to be firm and able to stand your ground
English idiom have backbone
Example Hun har ben i næsen og lader sig ikke presse af nogen.
She has real backbone and does not let anyone push her around.
at træde i spinaten
Literally to step in the spinach
Means to make an embarrassing blunder, to say or do the wrong thing
English idiom put your foot in it
Example Jeg trådte grundigt i spinaten, da jeg spurgte, hvornår hun skulle føde.
I really put my foot in it when I asked when she was due.
Note Informal and usually good humoured, not a harsh accusation.
at gå som katten om den varme grød
Literally to walk like the cat around the hot porridge
Means to circle around a difficult subject instead of getting to the point
English idiom beat around the bush
Example Hold op med at gå som katten om den varme grød, og sig det ligeud.
Stop beating around the bush and just say it straight.
at have en skrue løs
Literally to have a screw loose
Means to be a bit crazy or to behave oddly
English idiom have a screw loose
Example Han griner altid ad de mærkeligste ting, han må have en skrue løs.
He always laughs at the strangest things, he must have a screw loose.
Note Informal. Light hearted about someone's quirks, but genuinely insulting if you mean it seriously.
at tage benene på nakken
Literally to take the legs on the neck
Means to run away as fast as you can
English idiom take to your heels
Example Da alarmen gik, tog tyven benene på nakken.
When the alarm went off, the thief took to his heels.
at gøre en myg til en elefant
Literally to make a mosquito into an elephant
Means to exaggerate a small problem into a huge one
English idiom make a mountain out of a molehill
Example Slap nu af, du gør en myg til en elefant.
Calm down, you are making a mountain out of a molehill.
at gå i baglås
Literally to go into back lock
Means to seize up completely, whether that is a mind going blank or a mechanism jamming
Example Jeg gik helt i baglås, da jeg skulle holde talen.
My mind went completely blank when I had to give the speech.
at love guld og grønne skove
Literally to promise gold and green forests
Means to make grand promises that will never be kept
English idiom promise the moon
Example Politikerne lover guld og grønne skove før hvert valg.
The politicians promise the moon before every election.
at spise brød til
Literally to eat bread with it
Means to calm down and stop overreacting
English idiom simmer down
Example Spis nu lige brød til, det er ikke så alvorligt.
Simmer down a bit, it is not that serious.
Note Almost always used as a command, usually "spis lige brød til".
at have en høne at plukke med nogen
Literally to have a hen to pluck with someone
Means to have a complaint to settle with someone
English idiom have a bone to pick with someone
Example Jeg har en høne at plukke med dig.
I have a bone to pick with you.
at hoppe på limpinden
Literally to jump onto the lime twig
Means to be taken in by a trick or a false claim
English idiom take the bait
Example Han hoppede på limpinden og betalte for den falske billet.
He took the bait and paid for the fake ticket.
at gå i hundene
Literally to go into the dogs
Means to fall apart or decline badly
English idiom go to the dogs
Example Byens gamle fabrik er gået helt i hundene.
The town's old factory has completely gone to the dogs.
at tage bladet fra munden
Literally to take the leaf from the mouth
Means to speak openly and say what you really think
English idiom not mince words
Example Chefen tog bladet fra munden og fortalte os sandheden.
The boss did not mince words and told us the truth.
Der er ingen ko på isen
Literally There is no cow on the ice
Means there is no danger, nothing to worry about yet
Example Bare rolig, der er ingen ko på isen endnu.
Relax, there is nothing to worry about yet.
Note The full form adds "så længe rumpen er i land" (as long as its backside is on shore).
at have det som blommen i et æg
Literally to have it like the yolk in an egg
Means to be perfectly comfortable and well looked after
English idiom live in clover
Example Efter flytningen har de det som blommen i et æg.
Since the move they have been living in clover.
at gå agurk
Literally to go cucumber
Means to lose control and go completely wild or furious
English idiom go bananas
Example Han gik helt agurk, da han så regningen.
He went completely bananas when he saw the bill.
Note Very informal and jokey, fine among friends but out of place in formal writing.
at stå på bar bund
Literally to stand on bare ground
Means to lack any knowledge or starting point in a matter
English idiom have nothing to go on
Example Politiet stod på bar bund i sagen om det forsvundne maleri.
The police had nothing to go on in the case of the missing painting.
at gå over åen efter vand
Literally to go across the stream for water
Means to take a needlessly difficult route to something you could get easily
Example Du behøver ikke gå over åen efter vand, svaret står jo lige her.
You do not need to do it the hard way, the answer is right here.
at tisse i bukserne for at holde varmen
Literally to pee in your trousers to keep warm
Means to use a quick fix that helps right now but makes things worse later
Example At låne penge til afdragene er at tisse i bukserne for at holde varmen.
Borrowing money to cover the instalments is like peeing your pants to stay warm.
Note The image is a bit crude, but the phrase is standard even in news and politics.
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: At koste kassen comes out as "to cost the till", which makes no sense until you know it means to be very expensive.
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 Danish sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Danish idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with at koste kassen, at have is i maven, at slå to fluer med ét smæk, Der er ugler i mosen, at klappe hesten. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 25 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Danish, "at koste kassen" translates literally as "to cost the till", but it actually means to be very expensive. The closest English idiom is "cost an arm and a leg". Example: Den nye lejlighed kostede kassen. ("The new flat cost an arm and a leg.")
The Danish equivalent is "at koste kassen", literally "to cost the till". Example: Den nye lejlighed kostede kassen. ("The new flat cost an arm and a leg.")
In Danish, an idiom is called talemåde, and a proverb is ordsprog. A talemåde is a fixed figurative phrase you fit into your own sentence, while an ordsprog is a complete stand-alone sentence carrying a piece of folk wisdom.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. At koste kassen translates literally as "to cost the till", yet it means to be very expensive. 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 Danish with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.