Gossip Expressions
Skvaller, en fågel viskade, ryktet går — the Swedish grapevine.
Gossip culture, examined: the classic apparatus (en fågel viskade, oss emellan, sprida sig som en löpeld), the skepticism kit (nypa salt, storm i ett vattenglas), the betrayal vocabulary (bakom ryggen, hugga i ryggen, vara falsk), the office ecosystem (djungeltelegrafen, fikarummet, the carefully worded email where "nya utmaningar" betyder något annat), the rumor's physics (ett rykte som lever sitt eget liv — rätta till det tidigt, annars blir det sanningen) — ending with the kindest move: försvara någon som inte är där.
- 1
skvaller
gossip
Tip: lit. the same.
- 2
skvallra
to gossip
Tip: lit. the same — also 'to tell on someone'.
- 3
ett rykte
a rumour
Tip: lit. the same — also means 'reputation'.
- 4
ryktet går
word is going around
Tip: lit. 'the rumour walks'.
- 5
en fågel viskade i mitt öra
a little bird told me
Tip: lit. 'a bird whispered in my ear'.
- 6
jag har hört det från säkert håll
I heard it from a reliable source
Tip: lit. 'from a safe direction'.
- 7
säg det inte till någon
don't tell anyone
Tip: lit. the same — and they will.
- 8
oss emellan
just between us
Tip: lit. 'between us'.
- 9
sprida sig som en löpeld
to spread like wildfire
Tip: lit. 'spread like a running fire'.
- 10
hela byn vet
the whole village knows
Tip: lit. the same — Sweden is a small village.
- 11
ingen rök utan eld
there's no smoke without fire
Tip: lit. the same.
- 12
ta det med en nypa salt
to take it with a pinch of salt
Tip: lit. the same.
- 13
bli uppblåst
to be blown out of proportion
Tip: lit. 'become inflated'.
- 14
vara en storm i ett vattenglas
to be a storm in a teacup
Tip: lit. 'a storm in a water glass'.
- 15
prata bakom ryggen på någon
to talk behind someone's back
Tip: lit. the same.
- 16
hugga någon i ryggen
to stab someone in the back
Tip: lit. the same.
- 17
vara falsk
to be two-faced
Tip: lit. 'be false'.
- 18
försäga sig
to let something slip
Tip: lit. 'mis-say oneself'.
- 19
skvallra ur skolan
to let the cat out of the bag
Tip: lit. 'gossip out of the school'.
- 20
byta ämne snabbt
to change the subject quickly
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
hålla tyst om något
to keep something to yourself
Tip: lit. 'keep quiet about something'.
- 22
sköta sitt
to mind your own business
Tip: lit. 'look after one's own'.
- 23
inte vilja bli indragen
to not want to be dragged into it
Tip: lit. the same.
- 24
jag vill helst inte säga
I'd rather not say
Tip: lit. the same.
- 25
reda ut vad som faktiskt hänt
to set the record straight
Tip: lit. 'sort out what actually happened'.
- 26
sanningen kom fram
the truth came out
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
det visade sig vara ingenting
it turned out to be nothing
Tip: lit. the same.
- 28
kontorets djungeltelegraf
the office grapevine
Tip: lit. 'the office jungle telegraph'.
- 29
nyheter går fort här
news travels fast here
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
innan det är officiellt
before it's official
Tip: lit. the same.
- 31
höra det i fikarummet
to hear it in the coffee room
Tip: lit. the same — where everything is decided.
- 32
en offentlig hemlighet
an open secret
Tip: lit. 'a public secret'.
- 33
alla vet, ingen säger det
everyone knows, nobody says it
Tip: lit. the same.
- 34
läsa mellan raderna
to read between the lines
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
ett noga formulerat mejl
a carefully worded email
Tip: lit. the same — which tells you everything.
- 36
gå vidare till nya utmaningar
to leave to pursue new opportunities
Tip: lit. 'move on to new challenges' — the standard cover.
- 37
vilket betyder något annat
which means something else
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
inte spekulera högt
not to speculate out loud
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
det kommer alltid fram
it always gets back to them
Tip: lit. 'it always comes out'.
- 40
bli citerad ur sitt sammanhang
to be quoted out of context
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
ett rykte som lever sitt eget liv
a rumour with a life of its own
Tip: lit. the same.
- 42
rätta till det tidigt
to correct it early
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
annars blir det sanningen
or it becomes the truth
Tip: lit. the same.
- 44
försvara någon som inte är där
to defend someone who isn't there
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
det säger mycket om en
that says a lot about you
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
byta ämne medvetet
to change the subject deliberately
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
det snällaste man kan göra
the kindest thing you can do
Tip: lit. the same.