Tag Archives: dumb

121618-019

Dutch: Je bent zo dom als het achtereind van een varken
English: You’re as a dumb as a pig’s behind
Collected: Amsterdam, Netherlands (12-16-2018)
Origin: Old Dutch expression. A polite, “safe” insult.

121618-001

Dutch: Jij bent zo dom. Jij moet het plastic van je hersenen verwijderen
English: You’re so dumb you have to unwrap the plastic from your brain
Collected: Amsterdam, Netherlands (12-16-2018)
Origin: He made it up

090318-005

German: Er hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank
English: He doesn’t have all of his cups in the cupboard
Collected: Durham, NC (9-3-2018)
Origin: Common German expression, indicating someone is missing something, mentally. Originally from Rhode Island, but lived in Berlin, and is a German language teacher.

090318-004

German: Spinnst du?
English: Are you spinning?
collected: Durham, NC (9-3-2018)
origin: Common German expression. Literally translates to “are you spinning?” and references a spider spinning a web. Said to someone who is acting crazy, running around in circles, etc. Originally from Rhode Island, but lived in Berlin, and is a German language teacher.

090218-013

Spanish:
English: You are not dumber because you don’t train for it.
collected: Carrboro, NC (9-2-2018)
origin: Madrid, Spain. An insult that was commonly used between her family members.

011016019


Lithuanian: Tu esi durnas, kaip bato aulas
English: you are as dumb as a boot leg (shaft)
collected: Kaunas, Lithuania (01-10-2016)
origin: traditional Lithuanian joke. old word for the upper part of the boot.
(it’s not a shaft, it’s top of the boot, which we tried to find out so hard)

011016017


Lithuanian: Tavo smegenys – tokio dydžio, kad jeigu įdėtume jas į graikišką riešutą, mes girdėtume nieko
English: your brain is so small that if we put it in a walnut and shake it, we hear nothing
collected: Kaunas, Lithuania (01-10-2016)
origin: common Lithuanian-style joke

012316003

Finnish: Tyhmä kuin puusta pudonnut
English: Dumb as someone who fell out of a tree
collected: Vaasa, Finland (01-23-2016)
origin: common way of calling someone stupid – probably refers to the initial state of confusion after someone hits their head.