Idiom English translation Meaning

kaidalla polulla on the narrow path To live within the law (possible Biblical metaphor).

kaksipa päätä makkarassa there are two ends to a sausage Two sides of a thing, cf. "two sides of a coin"

kallella kypärin with the helmet askew Downhearted

kana kynittävänä (has) a chicken to pluck To have unresolved disputes, cf. English "bone to pick"

Kankkulan kaivoon into the well of Kankkula To go to waste.

kestää ikä ja terveys to take the time of one's age and health To take a far too long time, or be of far too much effort.

keskellä ei-mitään in the middle of nowhere Calque from English — natively korvessa Cf. English "In the middle of bumfuck Egypt"

kiertää kuin kissa kuumaa puuroa to circle like a cat circles hot porridge To constantly and obviously covet something without actually making a move to get it, or to try to approach a difficult topic of speech in a roundabout way.

kiven alla under a stone Difficult to obtain

koira haudattuna a dog buried An implication that there's something foul behind the scenes, the situation is not what it appears to be.

konstit on monet (, sanoi akka, kun kissalla pöytää pyyhki) the ways are many (said the woman while wiping the table with a cat) There's more than one way to do something. Often used when it becomes necessary to resort to unconventional methods. (cf. "there is more than one way to skin a cat.")

korjata luunsa to pick up one's bones To finally get around to leaving.

korvessa in the backwoods; out in the sticks A place that is somewhere in an area with no interesting things surrounding it, to be "out in the sticks".

kuin allit kalliolla (also misheard "nallit") like ducks (exactly: a particular species (Long-tailed Duck) that leaves last in the autumn) on a cliff Left by oneself, without outside support.

kuin Euroopan/maailman omistaja like the owner of Europe/the world Acting excessively posh and snobby. Usually an implication of misplacen superiority towards others.

kuin kaksi marjaa like two berries Two people or things that seem extremely alike; two peas in a pod.

kuin kala ilman polkupyörää like a fish without a bicycle Perfectly well in its own right; for example "a woman without a husband is like a fish without a bicycle".

kuin lasta löisi / helppoa kuin lapsen lyöminen/hakkaaminen like beating a child / easy like hitting/beating a child Very, very easy.

kuin perseeseen/perseelle ammuttu karhu like a bear which has been shot in the ass Being extremely cranky.

kuin seipään niellyt as if swallowed a spear Standing unnaturally or needlessly upright. To be turgid and bumptious. To be seemingly nervous.

kuin sitruunan niellyt as if swallowed a lemon Sulky or (easily) irritated

kuin tervan juontia like drinking tar Extremely slow, difficult, or arduous.

(kadota/hävitä) kuin tuhka tuuleen/pieru Saharaan (to disappear) like ash in the wind/ a fart in Sahara (To sink) without a trace.

kuin täi tervassa like a louse in tar Extremely slow

kuin viilipytty like a pot of sour milk Very calm.

Kuka kissan hännän nostaa ellei kissa itse? Who would raise a cat's tail, but the cat himself? To toot your own horn or boast about yourself.

kukkona tunkiolla like a rooster on top of the garbage pile Boasting of oneself with cheap merits, being "king of the hill" when said hill is for example a garbage pile. It is easy as no one else wants to be the king of a garbage hill.

kusta/kusee hunajaa pissing honey Extremely happy & satisfied

kylmä kuin ryssällä helvetissä as cold as a Russian feels like in hell Old Finnish swearing if it's really cold outside. Like in English: it's cold as hell!