Winter Driving Expressions

black ice

Tip: lit. 'lightning slipperiness' — the sudden, invisible kind.

general icy conditions

Tip: lit. 'slipperiness' — the word in every traffic bulletin.

to skid

Tip: lit. 'to skid' — the back end going its own way.

to lose your grip

Tip: lit. 'lose the grip' — of tyres, or of a situation.

to drive with your heart in your mouth

Tip: lit. 'drive with the heart in the throat pit'.

to drive calmly and sensibly

Tip: lit. the same — what the radio tells you every December.

to be snowed in

Tip: lit. 'be snowed in' — also figurative for out of touch.

a whiteout

Tip: lit. 'whirl weather' — driving snow you can't see through.

to be pitch dark

Tip: lit. 'be pitch-dark' — from 'beck', tar.

to end up in the ditch

Tip: lit. the same — literal in winter, figurative about plans.

to get stuck

Tip: lit. 'get stuck' — in snow, in traffic, in a conversation.

to dig yourself out

Tip: lit. 'dig oneself out'.

to keep your distance

Tip: lit. 'keep distance'.

to slam on the brakes

Tip: lit. 'cross-brake' — an emergency stop.

a slippery slope

Tip: lit. 'a sloping plane' — figurative only.

to be on thin ice

Tip: lit. the same — risky ground, literal or not.

the roads are treacherous

Tip: lit. 'the roads are sly'.

winter tyres

Tip: lit. the same — legally required from December to March.

studded tyres

Tip: lit. 'stud tyres' — banned on some city streets.

to scrape the windows

Tip: lit. the same — the first job of every winter morning.

engine block heater

Tip: lit. 'engine warmer' — the plug in every Swedish car park.

to have your hands full behind the wheel

Tip: lit. 'have full up behind the steering wheel'.

better once too often than once too little

Tip: lit. 'rather one time too much' — about checking conditions.

you can't see your hand in front of you

Tip: lit. the same.

the road is one big skating rink

Tip: lit. the same.

to have a white-knuckle grip on the wheel

Tip: lit. 'cramp around the steering wheel'.

to get home in one piece

Tip: lit. 'come home in one piece'.

the winter tyre period

Tip: lit. the same — 1 December to 31 March, if conditions are wintry.

wintry road conditions

Tip: lit. the same — the legal trigger for winter tyres.

three millimetres of tread

Tip: lit. the same — the winter minimum.

a snow plough

Tip: lit. 'a plough car'.

the plough hasn't been yet

Tip: lit. the same.

a snow bank at the end of the drive

Tip: lit. 'a plough bank' — left by the plough, cleared by you.

to dig out the car

Tip: lit. 'dig forth the car'.

a snow shovel

Tip: lit. the same.

an ice scraper

Tip: lit. the same — keep two.

frozen door locks

Tip: lit. the same.

the battery gave up in the cold

Tip: lit. 'the battery died in the cold'.

to jump-start the car

Tip: lit. 'start with jump leads'.

to keep a blanket in the boot

Tip: lit. the same — genuine safety advice here.

to tell someone your route

Tip: lit. the same.

elk on the road

Tip: lit. the same — the worst thing you can hit.

a wildlife accident

Tip: lit. the same — you must report it by law.

to mark the spot

Tip: lit. the same — so the hunters can find the animal.

studded tyres are banned here

Tip: lit. 'stud ban applies here' — on some city streets.

to drive on summer tyres in November

Tip: lit. the same — reckless, and it voids your insurance.

the roads are lovely at minus fifteen

Tip: lit. the same — dry cold beats wet slush.