Wheels, Tyres & Related Expressions
Swedish wheel idiom — sätta käppar i hjulet, vara femte hjulet, däckhotell and mönsterdjup.
Sweden's biannual religion — the tyre change — plus the wheel idioms the language runs on. In season order: the idioms, the first-snow panic and the endless garage queue, the DIY liturgy (jack up, tighten crosswise, RETIGHTEN AFTER 50 KM), the dubb-eller-friktion schism, the diagnostics — and the closing safety sermon: var hellre för noga med hjulen.
- 1
sätta käppar i hjulet
to put a spanner in the works
Tip: lit. 'put sticks in the wheel' — to sabotage a plan.
- 2
vara femte hjulet
to be the third wheel
Tip: lit. 'be the fifth wheel' — the one nobody needs.
- 3
uppfinna hjulet igen
to reinvent the wheel
Tip: lit. the same.
- 4
hålla hjulen rullande
to keep the wheels turning
Tip: lit. the same — about a business or a household.
- 5
få hjulen att snurra
to get things moving
Tip: lit. 'make the wheels spin'.
- 6
gå på tomgång
to be idling / going nowhere
Tip: lit. 'run on idle' — a project with no progress.
- 7
dags för däckbyte
time for the tyre change
Tip: lit. 'time for tyre change' — twice a year, everyone at once.
- 8
bli tagen på sängen av första snön
to be caught out by the first snow
Tip: lit. 'be taken on the bed by the first snow'.
- 9
kön till verkstaden är evighetslång
the queue at the garage is endless
Tip: lit. 'the queue to the workshop is eternity-long'.
- 10
boka tid på verkstaden
to book a slot at the garage
Tip: lit. 'book time at the workshop'.
- 11
däckhotell
tyre storage service
Tip: lit. 'tyre hotel' — the garage keeps your off-season set.
- 12
vara värt varje krona
to be worth every krona
Tip: lit. the same.
- 13
göra det själv på uppfarten
to do it yourself in the drive
Tip: lit. the same — the thrifty option.
- 14
ett halvtimmesjobb
a half-hour job
Tip: lit. the same — famous last words.
- 15
smutsa ner händerna
to get your hands dirty
Tip: lit. the same — literal and figurative.
- 16
ska man göra det så ska man göra det ordentligt
if you're going to do it, do it properly
Tip: lit. the same — deeply Swedish.
- 17
hissa upp bilen på domkraft
to jack the car up
Tip: lit. 'hoist the car up on a jack'.
- 18
dra åt bultarna
to tighten the bolts
Tip: lit. the same.
- 19
dra i kors
to tighten crosswise
Tip: lit. 'pull crosswise' — the correct bolt order.
- 20
efterdra efter fem mil
to retighten after 50 km
Tip: lit. 'after-tighten after five mil' — a Swedish mil is 10 km.
- 21
märka upp hjulen
to mark which wheel went where
Tip: lit. the same — so you can rotate them properly.
- 22
skifta plats på däcken
to rotate the tyres
Tip: lit. 'change place on the tyres'.
- 23
ställa undan däcken
to put the tyres away
Tip: lit. 'put the tyres aside'.
- 24
sätta på sommardäcken
to put the summer tyres on
Tip: lit. the same — legal from mid-April.
- 25
dubb eller friktion?
studs or friction?
Tip: lit. the same — the annual Swedish debate.
- 26
ett friktionsdäck
a friction tyre
Tip: lit. the same — studless winter tyres, common in cities.
- 27
ett helårsdäck
an all-season tyre
Tip: lit. 'a whole-year tyre' — a compromise, and legal.
- 28
mönsterdjup
tread depth
Tip: lit. 'pattern depth' — 3 mm is the winter minimum.
- 29
däcken är slitna släta
the tyres are worn smooth
Tip: lit. 'the tyres are worn smooth'.
- 30
tillverkningsdatumet
the tyre date code
Tip: lit. 'the manufacturing date' — rubber ages even unused.
- 31
ett däck är gammalt vid sex år
a tyre is old at six years
Tip: lit. the same.
- 32
kolla lufttrycket
to check the tyre pressure
Tip: lit. 'check the air pressure'.
- 33
trycket sjunker i kylan
the pressure drops in the cold
Tip: lit. the same — why the light comes on in November.
- 34
varning för lågt lufttryck
a tyre pressure warning
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
få punktering
to have a flat
Tip: lit. 'get a puncture'.
- 36
däcket är punkterat
the tyre is flat
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
en spik i däcket
a nail in the tyre
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
en lagning
a puncture repair
Tip: lit. 'a repair'.
- 39
ojämnt slitage
uneven wear
Tip: lit. the same — a sign of alignment trouble.
- 40
hjulinställning
wheel alignment
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
balansering
wheel balancing
Tip: lit. the same — the fix for a shaking wheel.
- 42
ratten vibrerar
the steering wheel vibrates
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
en bula i däcksidan
a bulge in the sidewall
Tip: lit. the same — replace it immediately.
- 44
låsmuttern
the locking wheel nut
Tip: lit. the same — and where is the key?
- 45
fälgkorset
the wheel wrench
Tip: lit. 'the rim cross'.
- 46
ett hjul lossnade
a wheel came loose
Tip: lit. the same — which is why you retighten.
- 47
var hellre för noga med hjulen
better safe than sorry with wheels
Tip: lit. 'be rather too careful with the wheels'.