Cows on Ice & Owls in the Bog: The Weird and Wonderful World of Scandinavian Sayings

Description

Scandinavians are cooler, sexier and more stylish than the rest of us. They have a higher standard of living, greater economic opportunity and equality, the world's best restaurants, and moody TV dramas involving murders and jumpers. But did you know, amidst the obsession with hygge and IKEA, that Scandinavian sayings are absolutely BIZARRE?! Take the Swedish 'Skita i det bla skapet', which roughly translates as 'You've done a sh** in the blue cupboard' ('You've messed things up now'). When you've really put your foot in it, the Danes might use the phrase: 'Traede i spinaten' ('step in the spinach'). And in Norway, if you're a bit slow on the uptake, the locals would suspect you were 'born behind a brown cheese' ('A vaere fodt bak en brunost' ). This witty, enlightening book will give you 50 phrases you never knew you needed in your life, explaining their origin and literal translations, with gorgeous colour illustrations throughout.

Katarina Montnemery was born and raised in southern Sweden, where she developed a love of nature, cardamom buns and swimming in the sea. After spending many years working in the publishing industry in Oxford and London she returned to Sweden in 2019. She lives with her partner in Malmoe.