10 Georgian Sayings That Have Hilarious English Translations

Every nation has a set of idioms, phrases, and sayings that are unique to their language, and Georgia is not an exception. There are dozens of idioms and sayings in the Georgian language that represent the culture and traditions of the nation. Some sound funny in English, some might make some sense, and some might seem very bizarre. With the help of Kote Iantbelidze’s illustrations, we will help you understand a few Georgian sayings, which have hilarious English translations.

ყურების ჩამოყრა [khurebis chamokhra]

The word-for-word translation is, “to drop one’s ears.” The saying is used when a person becomes upset after hearing sad news.

კენჭს იყრის [kenchs ikris]

The translation: to pour pebbles on yourself. This saying is used when a person is running for local elections or a seat in any administrative position that requires individual votes.

ქალაქში საცობია [qalaqshi satsobia]

The translation: [there’s] a cork in the city. It means there’s a bad traffic jam in the city.

ენა დაება [ena daeba]

This one may sound familiar. The translation is, “to get one’s tongue tied up.” It is used when a person stutters because they don’t know what to say, either from nervousness or lack of a response.

თავი გადადო [tavi gadado]

The translation: to put away one’s head. This describes a person who is determined and devoted to do something and won’t allow for distractions.

ენის მიტანა [enis mitana]

The translation: to bring a tongue to someone. It is used in a situation where the owner of the tongue is a snitch.

თავჩარგული [tavcharguli]

The translation: to have one’s head buried. Tavcharguli is used to describe a person who’s busy doing something and doesn’t care about what’s happening around.

ბედში ჩავარდა [bedshi chavarda]

The translation: to fall into a fate. This phrase describes a situation when a person has good luck.

სახელი გაუვარდა [sakheli gauvarda]

The translation: to drop one’s name. It is used to describe a situation when a person develops a bad reputation for himself or herself.

თვალი დაადგა [tvali daadga]

The translation: to put an eye on something or someone. This phrase may also sound familiar. It describes a situation when a person likes something or someone very much, as in, “She’s got her eye on that diamond ring.”

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