Κάνω την πάπια
Literally I play the duck
Means to pretend not to understand or know something, feigning ignorance to dodge responsibility
Example Μην κάνεις την πάπια, ξέρεις πολύ καλά τι έγινε.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 14 of the most common Greek idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Greek idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, Κάνω την πάπια literally means "I play the duck" but is used to mean to pretend not to understand or know something, feigning ignorance to dodge responsibility. This free tool lists 14 real Greek idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 14 Greek idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
Κάνω την πάπια
Literally I play the duck
Means to pretend not to understand or know something, feigning ignorance to dodge responsibility
Example Μην κάνεις την πάπια, ξέρεις πολύ καλά τι έγινε.
Βρέχει καρεκλοπόδαρα
Literally It rains chair legs
Means it's raining very heavily, pouring rain
Example Μην βγεις έξω, βρέχει καρεκλοπόδαρα.
Μου πήρες τα λόγια από το στόμα
Literally You took the words from my mouth
Means you said exactly what I was about to say
Example Μου πήρες τα λόγια από το στόμα, ακριβώς αυτό σκεφτόμουν κι εγώ.
Πέφτω από τα σύννεφα
Literally I fall from the clouds
Means to be taken completely by surprise, utterly astonished
Example Όταν άκουσα τα νέα, έπεσα από τα σύννεφα.
Χάνω τα αυγά και τα πασχάλια
Literally I lose the eggs and the Easters
Means to become totally confused and flustered, at a complete loss over what to do
Example Με τόσες αλλαγές στο πρόγραμμα, έχασα τα αυγά και τα πασχάλια.
Ο κόμπος έφτασε στο χτένι
Literally The knot reached the comb
Means patience has run out, the situation has reached breaking point
Example Μετά από τόσα ψέματα, ο κόμπος έφτασε στο χτένι.
Δεν βλέπω την ώρα
Literally I don't see the hour
Means I can't wait for something, I'm eagerly looking forward to it
Example Δεν βλέπω την ώρα να έρθουν οι διακοπές.
Μου κόπηκαν τα γόνατα
Literally My knees got cut
Means I was so shocked or frightened that my legs went weak
Example Όταν είδα το αποτέλεσμα των εξετάσεων, μου κόπηκαν τα γόνατα.
Πιάνω τον ταύρο από τα κέρατα
Literally I catch the bull by the horns
Means to tackle a difficult problem directly and decisively
Example Κάποια στιγμή πρέπει να πιάσουμε τον ταύρο από τα κέρατα.
Βάζω νερό στο κρασί μου
Literally I put water in my wine
Means to moderate my demands, back down and compromise
Example Μετά τη συζήτηση, έβαλε λίγο νερό στο κρασί του.
Μου ανεβαίνει το αίμα στο κεφάλι
Literally The blood rises to my head
Means I get furious, I lose my temper
Example Όταν μου μιλάει έτσι, μου ανεβαίνει το αίμα στο κεφάλι.
Δίνω τόπο στην οργή
Literally I give room to the wrath
Means to step back and let anger pass rather than react in the heat of the moment
Example Καλύτερα να δώσουμε τόπο στην οργή παρά να τσακωθούμε άσχημα.
Κάθομαι σε αναμμένα κάρβουνα
Literally I sit on lit coals
Means to be very anxious and on edge while waiting for something
Example Όλη την ώρα της εξέτασης καθόταν σε αναμμένα κάρβουνα.
Κάνω τα στραβά μάτια
Literally I make crooked eyes
Means to turn a blind eye, to deliberately ignore something wrong
Example Ο διευθυντής έκανε τα στραβά μάτια στις καθυστερήσεις του.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Greek 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: Κάνω την πάπια comes out as "I play the duck", which makes no sense until you know it means to pretend not to understand or know something, feigning ignorance to dodge responsibility.
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 Greek 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 Greek idioms are Κάνω την πάπια, Βρέχει καρεκλοπόδαρα, Μου πήρες τα λόγια από το στόμα, Πέφτω από τα σύννεφα. 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 14 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Greek, "Κάνω την πάπια" translates literally as "I play the duck", but it actually means to pretend not to understand or know something, feigning ignorance to dodge responsibility. You would use it like this: Μην κάνεις την πάπια, ξέρεις πολύ καλά τι έγινε.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Κάνω την πάπια translates literally as "I play the duck", yet it means to pretend not to understand or know something, feigning ignorance to dodge responsibility. 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 Greek with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.