Category Archives: Vaasa Janks

collected between December 1 and January 31 in Vaasa, Finland during a residency at Platform.fi

122115004

Swedish: Du har en lite skruttig matta.
English: Your carpet is a bit wrinkled
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-21-2015)
origin: Swedish expression to say you are a bit dim-witted. Heard it somewhere around Vaasa, but quite common in Finland.

122015006

Finnish: Oletko Oulusta? Juotko piimää pillillä?
English: Are you from Oulu? Do you drink buttermilk with a straw?
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-20-2015)
origin: insult originating about Oulu, now used all around Finland to say someone is a bit stupid. In Finnish Ostrobothnian dialect. Meaning “do you think you’re fancy?”

122015005

Finnish: Sinulla ei ole kaikki murot kulhossa.
English: You don’t have all the cereal in the bowl
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-20-2015)
origin: common Finnish expression. Heard this version on Television.

122015004


Finnish: Itku pitkästä ilosta.
English: You will cry after a long happiness.
collected: Vaasa, Finland (12-20-2015)
origin: very old Finnish proverb – meaning “sooner or later shit will hit the fan.”