Cows on Ice and Owls in the Bog: The Weird and Wonderful World of Scandinavian Sayings

Each nation has a set of phrases and comments that are unique to their people, and Scandinavia is no different. Before reading Cows on Ice and Owls in the Bog, I would have regarded many of the Scandinavian sayings to be completely bonkers. But since reading this book, many of Scandinavian sayings are now starting to make sense. There are still a few sayings that, even when explained, still don’t quite make sense, but that is probably to be expected with the difference in culture from the reader and the speaker. After reading roughly fifty-six sayings, I do feel more educated about the Scandinavian culture. Within the book, you will learn about their love and high-regard for berries and oatmeal as well as some of their history, which will help explain why they compare someone’s intelligence to a train when they wish to insult them. Like some English words, some of their phrases are the way they are because of a history of mispronunciation and being similar sounding to another word. Overall, this is a humorous, educational, and highly entertaining read!