Idioms for Crowds and Excitement
Non-literal Swedish for anticipation, packed rooms and letting go.
One concert told in idioms, doors to afterglow: the pre-show state (fjärilar i magen, packade sillar), the peak (ge järnet, få taket att lyfta, känna basen i bröstet, få rysningar), the crowd physics (följa med i strömmen, tappa bort varandra — ses vid utgången), the verdicts (leva upp till förväntningarna — or falla platt), the comedown (uppe i varv, landa igen, ett enda töcken) — closing with vi hade tur som var där.
- 1
stå som packade sillar
to be packed like sardines
Tip: lit. 'stand like packed herrings'
- 2
gå på moln
to be on cloud nine
Tip: lit. 'walk on clouds'
- 3
ha fjärilar i magen
to have butterflies
Tip: lit. 'have butterflies in the stomach'
- 4
släppa loss
to let your hair down
Tip: lit. 'let loose'
- 5
satsa allt
to go all in
Tip: lit. 'stake everything'
- 6
bli helt tagen
to be blown away
Tip: lit. 'become completely taken'
- 7
bli mållös
to be lost for words
Tip: lit. 'become speechless'
- 8
ge järnet
to give it your all
Tip: lit. 'give the iron'
- 9
få taket att lyfta
to bring the house down
Tip: lit. 'make the roof lift'
- 10
stjäla showen
to steal the show
Tip: lit. the same
- 11
vara svår att toppa
to be a hard act to follow
Tip: lit. 'be hard to top'
- 12
falla platt
to fall flat
Tip: lit. the same
- 13
vara över innan det började
to be over before it began
Tip: lit. the same
- 14
vara i sjunde himlen
to be in seventh heaven
Tip: lit. the same
- 15
ha den bästa kvällen på länge
to have the time of your life
Tip: lit. 'have the best evening in a long time'
- 16
vara slut men lycklig
to be worn out but happy
Tip: lit. the same
- 17
ha fötterna på jorden
to keep your feet on the ground
Tip: lit. the same
- 18
snacka upp något
to hype something up
Tip: lit. 'talk something up'
- 19
vara en besvikelse
to be a letdown
Tip: lit. 'be a disappointment'
- 20
leva upp till förväntningarna
to live up to the hype
Tip: lit. 'live up to the expectations'
- 21
vara helt unik
to be one of a kind
Tip: lit. 'be completely unique'
- 22
ta andan ur någon
to take your breath away
Tip: lit. 'take the breath out of someone'
- 23
vara ett enda töcken
to be a total blur
Tip: lit. 'be one single haze'
- 24
göra en kväll av det
to make a night of it
Tip: lit. the same
- 25
vara uppe i varv efteråt
to be on a high afterwards
Tip: lit. 'be up in revs afterwards'
- 26
landa igen
to come back down to earth
Tip: lit. 'land again'
- 27
följa med i strömmen
to be swept along by the crowd
Tip: lit. 'follow along in the stream'
- 28
bli klämd längst fram
to be crushed at the front
Tip: lit. 'be squeezed furthest forward'
- 29
stå kvar på sin plats
to hold your ground
Tip: lit. 'remain standing in one's place'
- 30
tappa bort varandra
to lose each other
Tip: lit. 'lose each other away'
- 31
ses vid utgången
to meet at the exit
Tip: lit. the same
- 32
vara på helspänn
to be on a knife edge
Tip: lit. 'be at full tension'
- 33
vara i sin egen värld
to be in your own world
Tip: lit. the same
- 34
sjunga av hela sitt hjärta
to sing your heart out
Tip: lit. the same
- 35
dansa som om ingen såg på
to dance like nobody's watching
Tip: lit. the same
- 36
känna basen i bröstet
to feel the bass in your chest
Tip: lit. the same
- 37
få rysningar
to get chills
Tip: lit. 'get shivers'
- 38
bli tårögd
to be moved to tears
Tip: lit. 'become teary-eyed'
- 39
vara del av något större
to be part of something bigger
Tip: lit. the same
- 40
glömma bort allt annat
to lose track of everything
Tip: lit. 'forget everything else'
- 41
komma ut helt uppspelt
to come out buzzing
Tip: lit. 'come out completely excited'
- 42
prata om det i veckor
to talk about it for weeks
Tip: lit. the same
- 43
bli bortskämd inför nästa
to be spoiled for the next one
Tip: lit. the same
- 44
inget slår det
nothing compares
Tip: lit. 'nothing beats it'
- 45
en gång i livet
once in a lifetime
Tip: lit. the same
- 46
vi hade tur som var där
we were lucky to be there
Tip: lit. the same