You can learn the grammar and the new words of a foreign language pretty well, but there will always be these phrases which simply defy all logics and seem like a complete mishmash of words to a non-native speaker.

Award-winning illustrator Paul Blow has visualized 11 of these idioms for the stationery supplier’s “Viking” ad campaign. From bears tied to one’s back to surfing on sandwiches, these common expressions in their mother tongue sound completely bonkers in English.

I bet you know more idioms which can’t be translated into English… So feel free to share them in the comments!

More info: paul blow | instagram (h/t: creativebloq)