pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą
Literally to pour from empty into leaky
Means to talk or argue about the same thing over and over without getting anywhere, to go in circles
Example Nustokime pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą ir pagaliau priimkime sprendimą.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 13 of the most common Lithuanian idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Lithuanian idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą literally means "to pour from empty into leaky" but is used to mean to talk or argue about the same thing over and over without getting anywhere, to go in circles. This free tool lists 13 real Lithuanian idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 13 Lithuanian idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą
Literally to pour from empty into leaky
Means to talk or argue about the same thing over and over without getting anywhere, to go in circles
Example Nustokime pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą ir pagaliau priimkime sprendimą.
kirsti šaką, ant kurios sėdi
Literally to cut the branch on which one sits
Means to act against one's own interests, to undermine oneself
Example Meluodamas viršininkui, jis kerta šaką, ant kurios sėdi.
leisti pinigus pro pirštus
Literally to let money through the fingers
Means to spend money carelessly, to squander it
Example Jis uždirba daug, bet visus pinigus leidžia pro pirštus.
kaip ant delno
Literally like on the palm
Means plainly visible, obvious, crystal clear
Example Nuo bokšto miestas matėsi kaip ant delno.
kišti nosį į svetimus reikalus
Literally to stick the nose into others' affairs
Means to meddle in other people's business
Example Nemandagu kišti nosį į svetimus reikalus.
laikyti liežuvį už dantų
Literally to hold the tongue behind the teeth
Means to keep quiet, to hold one's tongue, not to reveal a secret
Example Apie tai geriau laikyk liežuvį už dantų.
vėjas galvoje
Literally wind in the head
Means to be flighty, frivolous, scatterbrained
Example Jam dar vėjas galvoje, apie ateitį visai negalvoja.
iš piršto laužti
Literally to break something out of a finger
Means to make something up, to fabricate a story
Example Ta istorija visiškai iš piršto laužta, niekas taip nebuvo.
žadėti auksinius kalnus
Literally to promise golden mountains
Means to make extravagant, unrealistic promises
Example Prieš rinkimus politikai visada žada auksinius kalnus.
kaip du vandens lašai
Literally like two drops of water
Means to be exactly alike, identical
Example Dvynukai panašūs kaip du vandens lašai.
žiūrėti pro pirštus
Literally to look through the fingers
Means to turn a blind eye, to deliberately overlook something
Example Mokytoja kartais žiūri pro pirštus į smulkius pažeidimus.
pūsti miglą į akis
Literally to blow fog into the eyes
Means to deceive or mislead someone
Example Nebandyk man pūsti miglos į akis, aš žinau tiesą.
kaip žuvis vandenyje
Literally like a fish in water
Means to feel completely at ease, in one's element
Example Scenoje jis jaučiasi kaip žuvis vandenyje.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Lithuanian 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: Pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą comes out as "to pour from empty into leaky", which makes no sense until you know it means to talk or argue about the same thing over and over without getting anywhere, to go in circles.
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 Lithuanian 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 Lithuanian idioms are pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą, kirsti šaką, ant kurios sėdi, leisti pinigus pro pirštus, kaip ant delno. 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 Lithuanian, "pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą" translates literally as "to pour from empty into leaky", but it actually means to talk or argue about the same thing over and over without getting anywhere, to go in circles. You would use it like this: Nustokime pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą ir pagaliau priimkime sprendimą.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Pilti iš tuščio į kiaurą translates literally as "to pour from empty into leaky", yet it means to talk or argue about the same thing over and over without getting anywhere, to go in circles. 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 Lithuanian with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.