Ha en skruv lös
Literally to have a screw loose
Means to be a bit crazy or eccentric
Example Hon har verkligen en skruv lös ibland.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 15 of the most common Swedish idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Swedish idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, Ha en skruv lös literally means "to have a screw loose" but is used to mean to be a bit crazy or eccentric. This free tool lists 15 real Swedish idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 15 Swedish idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
Ha en skruv lös
Literally to have a screw loose
Means to be a bit crazy or eccentric
Example Hon har verkligen en skruv lös ibland.
Det är ingen ko på isen
Literally there is no cow on the ice
Means there's no rush or danger, no need to worry
Example Ta det lugnt, det är ingen ko på isen.
Glida in på en räkmacka
Literally to slide in on a shrimp sandwich
Means to get something easily, without effort, handed to you
Example Han har inte direkt glidit in på en räkmacka, han har jobbat hårt för allt.
Slå två flugor i en smäll
Literally to hit two flies in one bang
Means to kill two birds with one stone
Example Om vi handlar mat på vägen hem slår vi två flugor i en smäll.
Ana ugglor i mossen
Literally to suspect owls in the bog
Means to suspect that something is wrong, to smell a rat
Example Jag anar ugglor i mossen, han brukar inte vara så tyst.
Kasta pärlor åt svin
Literally to throw pearls to swine
Means to waste something valuable on someone who won't appreciate it
Example Att bjuda honom på ett fint vin är som att kasta pärlor åt svin.
Ta tjuren vid hornen
Literally to take the bull by the horns
Means to tackle a difficult problem directly and decisively
Example Det är dags att ta tjuren vid hornen och prata med chefen.
Det är hugget som stucket
Literally it is chopped as stabbed
Means it makes no difference either way, six of one half a dozen of the other
Example Vi kan åka nu eller imorgon, det är hugget som stucket.
Ha is i magen
Literally to have ice in the stomach
Means to stay calm and patient under pressure
Example Målvakten hade is i magen och räddade straffen.
Gå som katten kring het gröt
Literally to walk like the cat around hot porridge
Means to beat around the bush, avoid getting to the point
Example Sluta gå som katten kring het gröt och säg vad du tycker.
Trampa i klaveret
Literally to step on the accordion
Means to blunder, to say something tactless
Example Han trampade i klaveret när han frågade om hennes ålder.
Vara ute och cykla
Literally to be out cycling
Means to be completely mistaken, on the wrong track
Example Om du tror att jag ljög är du helt ute och cyklar.
Här ligger en hund begraven
Literally here lies a dog buried
Means there's something suspicious going on, more than meets the eye
Example Varför säger ingen sanningen? Här ligger en hund begraven.
Ha rent mjöl i påsen
Literally to have clean flour in the bag
Means to have honest intentions, nothing to hide
Example Företaget hävdar att de har rent mjöl i påsen.
Ha en räv bakom örat
Literally to have a fox behind the ear
Means to be sly or cunning, have a hidden agenda
Example Akta dig för honom, han har en räv bakom örat.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Swedish 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: Ha en skruv lös comes out as "to have a screw loose", which makes no sense until you know it means to be a bit crazy or eccentric.
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 Swedish 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 Swedish idioms are Ha en skruv lös, Det är ingen ko på isen, Glida in på en räkmacka, Slå två flugor i en smäll. 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 Swedish, "Ha en skruv lös" translates literally as "to have a screw loose", but it actually means to be a bit crazy or eccentric. You would use it like this: Hon har verkligen en skruv lös ibland.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Ha en skruv lös translates literally as "to have a screw loose", yet it means to be a bit crazy or eccentric. 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 Swedish with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.