An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 13 of the most common Icelandic idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Icelandic idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, að bera í bakkafullan lækinn literally means "to carry (something) into an already full stream" but is used to mean to do or say something superfluous or redundant, to add to what's already plentiful (like carrying coals to Newcastle). This free tool lists 13 real Icelandic idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 13 Icelandic idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
að bera í bakkafullan lækinn
Literally to carry (something) into an already full stream
Means to do or say something superfluous or redundant, to add to what's already plentiful (like carrying coals to Newcastle)
Example Ég veit að þetta er að bera í bakkafullan lækinn, en ég verð samt að minna ykkur á fundinn.
að koma af fjöllum
Literally to come from the mountains
Means to be completely clueless or caught off guard, out of the loop
Example Þegar ég spurði hann um málið kom hann alveg af fjöllum.
að gera úlfalda úr mýflugu
Literally to make a camel out of a gnat
Means to make a mountain out of a molehill, blow something small out of proportion
Example Slappaðu af, þú ert bara að gera úlfalda úr mýflugu.
að kaupa köttinn í sekknum
Literally to buy the cat in the sack
Means to buy or accept something without checking it first, be sold a pig in a poke
Example Skoðaðu bílinn vel áður en þú kaupir hann, annars gætir þú keypt köttinn í sekknum.
að hafa vaðið fyrir neðan sig
Literally to have the ford below oneself
Means to take precautions, play it safe (better safe than sorry)
Example Hann tók afrit af skjölunum til að hafa vaðið fyrir neðan sig.
að leggja árar í bát
Literally to lay the oars in the boat
Means to give up, stop trying
Example Þrátt fyrir mótlætið ætlar hún ekki að leggja árar í bát.
að fara úr öskunni í eldinn
Literally to go from the ashes into the fire
Means to go from bad to worse, out of the frying pan into the fire
Example Hann fór úr öskunni í eldinn þegar hann skipti um vinnu.
að hafa mörg járn í eldinum
Literally to have many irons in the fire
Means to have many projects or things going on at once
Example Hún er alltaf með mörg járn í eldinum þessa dagana.
að taka pokann sinn
Literally to take one's bag
Means to be forced out of a job, get fired or have to resign
Example Forstjórinn þurfti að taka pokann sinn eftir hneykslið.
að slá tvær flugur í einu höggi
Literally to hit two flies in one blow
Means to kill two birds with one stone
Example Með því að hjóla í vinnuna slæ ég tvær flugur í einu höggi.
að skjóta einhverjum ref fyrir rass
Literally to shoot someone a fox past the backside
Means to outwit or outsmart someone, get the better of them
Example Hann skaut keppinautum sínum ref fyrir rass og náði samningnum.
að rífa kjaft
Literally to tear jaw
Means to talk back, sass, mouth off (especially to someone in authority)
Example Ekki rífa kjaft við mömmu þína!
að draga dilk á eftir sér
Literally to drag a lamb behind oneself
Means for an action or matter to have serious negative consequences
Example Þetta mál á eftir að draga dilk á eftir sér.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Icelandic 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: Að bera í bakkafullan lækinn comes out as "to carry (something) into an already full stream", which makes no sense until you know it means to do or say something superfluous or redundant, to add to what's already plentiful (like carrying coals to Newcastle).
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 Icelandic 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 Icelandic idioms are að bera í bakkafullan lækinn, að koma af fjöllum, að gera úlfalda úr mýflugu, að kaupa köttinn í sekknum. 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 13 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Icelandic, "að bera í bakkafullan lækinn" translates literally as "to carry (something) into an already full stream", but it actually means to do or say something superfluous or redundant, to add to what's already plentiful (like carrying coals to Newcastle). You would use it like this: Ég veit að þetta er að bera í bakkafullan lækinn, en ég verð samt að minna ykkur á fundinn.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Að bera í bakkafullan lækinn translates literally as "to carry (something) into an already full stream", yet it means to do or say something superfluous or redundant, to add to what's already plentiful (like carrying coals to Newcastle). 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 Icelandic with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.