12 Czech Sayings That Make No Sense In English

Czech can be a strange language. In fact, some of the most common sayings are truly bizarre and seem to make no sense when you first hear them. We take at look at some widely used Czech phrases and try to explain what they mean.

Vetřít se někam (Ve-trzheet se-nye-kum)

Translation: To rub yourself in somewhere.
Meaning: To crash a party—to go somewhere where you’re not invited and try to find your way in.

Platný jak mrtvýmu zimník (Plat-nee yuk murt-veeh-moo zim-nyeek)

“Useful” can mean different things to different people

Hodit flintu do žita (Hoh-deet fleen-too doh zheetah)

Translation: Throwing your rifle in the rye.
Meaning: To throw in the towel or to give up, especially after a long fight that seems to be going nowhere.

“Giving up” in Czech might require a visit to the fields

Jednou za uherský rok (Yed-noh za oo-heyr-skee rok)

Translation: Once in a Hungarian moon.
Meaning: Close equivalent to “once in a blue moon” or very rarely. Nobody seems to know what Hungary has to do with it.

Bílý sex (Bee-lee sex)

Translation: White sex.
Meaning: Midnight snack. The white being a reference to the traditional color of fridges.

Pečení holubi nelítají do huby (Pe-chenyee ho-l00-bee ne-lyee-tayee doh-hoobee)

Translation: Baked pigeons don’t fly into your mouth.
Meaning: If you want to make money or achieve something, you have to work for it.

Ryba smrdí od hlavy (Ree-ba smur-dyee ot-hla-vee)

Translation: A fish rots from its head.
Meaning: If something is wrong, chances are it started with the government or leaders.

Má máslo na hlavě (Maah-maah-slo na hlav-yeh)

Translation: He has butter on his head.
Meaning: He carries a lot of secrets that everybody knows about, or, he has skeletons in his closet—except that they’re not actually skeletons anymore but very obvious things.

Some secrets are less secret than you’d think

Kdo uteče ten vyhraje (Gdo’ oo-techeh ten vee-hrayeh)

Translation: He who runs away, wins.
Meaning: It is wiser to give up and walk away from a situation if you think you can’t win.

Jeden myslel, že si uprdne a posral se (Jeh-den mee-slel, zheh-see oopurdneh ah po-sral se)

Translation: A man once thought he would fart but he pooped himself instead.
Meaning: It doesn’t matter what you thought would be the consequences of your actions—it only matter what the real consequences are, or if you make a mistake, it’s pointless to say, “Well, I thought…”.

Some mistakes are a little more consequential than others

Po bitvě je každý generálem (Po’ beet-vyeh ye-kazhdee geh-neh-raah-lem)

Translation: After the battle, everybody is a general.
Meaning: It’s easier to know the right answer after everything’s said and done; this is similar to the phrase, “hindsight is 20-20”.

Trpělivost ruže přináší (Tur-pyelih-vost roozheh przhee-naah-shee)

Translation: Patience brings roses.
Meaning: Be patient and you’ll be rewarded greatly and beautifully.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.