Adam Sharp
@adamcsharp.bsky.social
1. Writer (https://www.adamsharp.me/)
2. Obsessed with lists
3. COMMON PEOPLE
4. THE CORRECT ORDER OF BISCUITS
5. THE WHEEL IS SPINNING BUT THE HAMSTER IS DEAD (http://geni.us/yDxa)
2. Obsessed with lists
3. COMMON PEOPLE
4. THE CORRECT ORDER OF BISCUITS
5. THE WHEEL IS SPINNING BUT THE HAMSTER IS DEAD (http://geni.us/yDxa)
Pinned
Adam Sharp
@adamcsharp.bsky.social
· Oct 19
My latest book is a collection of idioms, proverbs and slang from around the world. It's called The Wheel is Spinning but the Hamster is Dead and in the UK you can get it from these places (geni.us/yDxa). Outside UK, Blackwell's do free/fast international delivery... blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
A list of seven oxymorons...
1. Pretty ugly
2. Fairly unjust
3. Kind of mean
4. Charm offensive
5. Microsoft Works
6. Government intelligence
7. Fun run
1. Pretty ugly
2. Fairly unjust
3. Kind of mean
4. Charm offensive
5. Microsoft Works
6. Government intelligence
7. Fun run
February 5, 2026 at 5:34 PM
A list of seven oxymorons...
1. Pretty ugly
2. Fairly unjust
3. Kind of mean
4. Charm offensive
5. Microsoft Works
6. Government intelligence
7. Fun run
1. Pretty ugly
2. Fairly unjust
3. Kind of mean
4. Charm offensive
5. Microsoft Works
6. Government intelligence
7. Fun run
My favourite Hungarian phrase for describing karma at work is dexr is visszanyalt a fagyi. It means “the ice cream licked back.”
February 4, 2026 at 1:48 PM
My favourite Hungarian phrase for describing karma at work is dexr is visszanyalt a fagyi. It means “the ice cream licked back.”
Reposted by Adam Sharp
Icelandic uses various animal poop in insults. Examples: Sparðatíningur (lamb poop picking) = you’re nitpicking. Kríuskítur (arctic tern poop) = you’re super pale. Tittlingaskítur (small bird poop) = doesn’t matter/small fry. Taðskegglingur (horse poop beard) = you’ve such a bad/nonexistent beard.
The meanings of seven different types of animal poop in English…
7. Apeshit = angry
6. Batshit = unhinged
5. Bullshit = lies (or unfair)
4. Horseshit = bigger lies (or totally unfair)
3. Chickenshit = cowardly
2. Dogshit = inferior quality
1. Catshit = what you do when someone throws a ball at you
7. Apeshit = angry
6. Batshit = unhinged
5. Bullshit = lies (or unfair)
4. Horseshit = bigger lies (or totally unfair)
3. Chickenshit = cowardly
2. Dogshit = inferior quality
1. Catshit = what you do when someone throws a ball at you
February 3, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Icelandic uses various animal poop in insults. Examples: Sparðatíningur (lamb poop picking) = you’re nitpicking. Kríuskítur (arctic tern poop) = you’re super pale. Tittlingaskítur (small bird poop) = doesn’t matter/small fry. Taðskegglingur (horse poop beard) = you’ve such a bad/nonexistent beard.
A Catalan phrase that describes a situation where things go badly despite many people helping is set eren que l'agontaven i encara pixava tort. It means “seven were holding his dick, and still he was pissing crooked.”
February 3, 2026 at 3:42 PM
A Catalan phrase that describes a situation where things go badly despite many people helping is set eren que l'agontaven i encara pixava tort. It means “seven were holding his dick, and still he was pissing crooked.”
Reposted by Adam Sharp
The meanings of seven different types of animal poop in English…
7. Apeshit = angry
6. Batshit = unhinged
5. Bullshit = lies (or unfair)
4. Horseshit = bigger lies (or totally unfair)
3. Chickenshit = cowardly
2. Dogshit = inferior quality
1. Catshit = what you do when someone throws a ball at you
7. Apeshit = angry
6. Batshit = unhinged
5. Bullshit = lies (or unfair)
4. Horseshit = bigger lies (or totally unfair)
3. Chickenshit = cowardly
2. Dogshit = inferior quality
1. Catshit = what you do when someone throws a ball at you
September 5, 2024 at 4:40 PM
The meanings of seven different types of animal poop in English…
7. Apeshit = angry
6. Batshit = unhinged
5. Bullshit = lies (or unfair)
4. Horseshit = bigger lies (or totally unfair)
3. Chickenshit = cowardly
2. Dogshit = inferior quality
1. Catshit = what you do when someone throws a ball at you
7. Apeshit = angry
6. Batshit = unhinged
5. Bullshit = lies (or unfair)
4. Horseshit = bigger lies (or totally unfair)
3. Chickenshit = cowardly
2. Dogshit = inferior quality
1. Catshit = what you do when someone throws a ball at you
Alanis Morissette’s Ironic, but more literary…
🎵And isn’t it Byronic
Don’t you think
It’s like Twain on your Hemingway
It’s a free McBride when you’ve already Kincaid
It’s the Malcolm Pryce that you just didn’t take
And Hughes would’ve thought, Dave Eggers🎵
🎵And isn’t it Byronic
Don’t you think
It’s like Twain on your Hemingway
It’s a free McBride when you’ve already Kincaid
It’s the Malcolm Pryce that you just didn’t take
And Hughes would’ve thought, Dave Eggers🎵
February 3, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Alanis Morissette’s Ironic, but more literary…
🎵And isn’t it Byronic
Don’t you think
It’s like Twain on your Hemingway
It’s a free McBride when you’ve already Kincaid
It’s the Malcolm Pryce that you just didn’t take
And Hughes would’ve thought, Dave Eggers🎵
🎵And isn’t it Byronic
Don’t you think
It’s like Twain on your Hemingway
It’s a free McBride when you’ve already Kincaid
It’s the Malcolm Pryce that you just didn’t take
And Hughes would’ve thought, Dave Eggers🎵
Author names that became adjectives include Kafkaesque, Shakespearean and Byronic (and isn’t it Byronic, don’t you think?).
Here are 10 suggestions for new ones…
1. Woolfish
2. Dickish
3. Orwell-endowed
4. Austentacious
5. Mannic
6. Audenary
7. Dahlicious
8. Remarqueable
9. Seusspicious
10. Poetic
Here are 10 suggestions for new ones…
1. Woolfish
2. Dickish
3. Orwell-endowed
4. Austentacious
5. Mannic
6. Audenary
7. Dahlicious
8. Remarqueable
9. Seusspicious
10. Poetic
February 2, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Author names that became adjectives include Kafkaesque, Shakespearean and Byronic (and isn’t it Byronic, don’t you think?).
Here are 10 suggestions for new ones…
1. Woolfish
2. Dickish
3. Orwell-endowed
4. Austentacious
5. Mannic
6. Audenary
7. Dahlicious
8. Remarqueable
9. Seusspicious
10. Poetic
Here are 10 suggestions for new ones…
1. Woolfish
2. Dickish
3. Orwell-endowed
4. Austentacious
5. Mannic
6. Audenary
7. Dahlicious
8. Remarqueable
9. Seusspicious
10. Poetic
Reposted by Adam Sharp
This is who runs this account.
February 1, 2026 at 2:49 PM
This is who runs this account.
Reposted by Adam Sharp
This is who runs this account
February 2, 2026 at 3:48 AM
This is who runs this account
Reposted by Adam Sharp
This is who runs this account:
February 1, 2026 at 1:24 PM
This is who runs this account:
Reposted by Adam Sharp
My favourite way of saying “we’re on it” or “we’ll take care of that for you” is the Dutch we zullen dat varkentje wel even wassen. It means “we will certainly get that piglet washed.”
January 30, 2026 at 10:59 AM
My favourite way of saying “we’re on it” or “we’ll take care of that for you” is the Dutch we zullen dat varkentje wel even wassen. It means “we will certainly get that piglet washed.”
My favourite way of saying “we’re on it” or “we’ll take care of that for you” is the Dutch we zullen dat varkentje wel even wassen. It means “we will certainly get that piglet washed.”
January 30, 2026 at 10:59 AM
My favourite way of saying “we’re on it” or “we’ll take care of that for you” is the Dutch we zullen dat varkentje wel even wassen. It means “we will certainly get that piglet washed.”
Reposted by Adam Sharp
I've always preferred "Assault Possum".
January 29, 2026 at 6:51 PM
I've always preferred "Assault Possum".
Reposted by Adam Sharp
The word armadillo is borrowed from Spanish and simply means “little armored one.” But an even better word for an armadillo, in my opinion, is the Nahuatl ayotochtli. It means “turtle rabbit.”
January 29, 2026 at 12:03 PM
The word armadillo is borrowed from Spanish and simply means “little armored one.” But an even better word for an armadillo, in my opinion, is the Nahuatl ayotochtli. It means “turtle rabbit.”
Reposted by Adam Sharp
A Venezuelan equivalent to “that’s like the pot calling the kettle black” is cachicamo diciéndole a morrocoy conchudo. It means “that’s like the armadillo calling the tortoise shelly.”
January 29, 2026 at 12:34 PM
A Venezuelan equivalent to “that’s like the pot calling the kettle black” is cachicamo diciéndole a morrocoy conchudo. It means “that’s like the armadillo calling the tortoise shelly.”
Reposted by Adam Sharp
When I was a teenager, my grandmother took us to a natural trail that was supposedly home to armadillos. After a few minutes without seeing any, I said "here armadillo, armadillo, armadillo" with the same tone of voice you'd use to call a cat. Then we heard a rustling and an armadillo walked by.
The word armadillo is borrowed from Spanish and simply means “little armored one.” But an even better word for an armadillo, in my opinion, is the Nahuatl ayotochtli. It means “turtle rabbit.”
January 29, 2026 at 1:33 PM
When I was a teenager, my grandmother took us to a natural trail that was supposedly home to armadillos. After a few minutes without seeing any, I said "here armadillo, armadillo, armadillo" with the same tone of voice you'd use to call a cat. Then we heard a rustling and an armadillo walked by.
The word armadillo is borrowed from Spanish and simply means “little armored one.” But an even better word for an armadillo, in my opinion, is the Nahuatl ayotochtli. It means “turtle rabbit.”
January 29, 2026 at 12:03 PM
The word armadillo is borrowed from Spanish and simply means “little armored one.” But an even better word for an armadillo, in my opinion, is the Nahuatl ayotochtli. It means “turtle rabbit.”
An expression from Puerta Rican slang that describes someone who looks anxious or nervous is como cocodrilo en fábrica de carteras. It means “like a crocodile in a wallet factory.”
January 28, 2026 at 9:11 PM
An expression from Puerta Rican slang that describes someone who looks anxious or nervous is como cocodrilo en fábrica de carteras. It means “like a crocodile in a wallet factory.”
The best name I’ve ever come across for the triangular checkout divider at supermarkets is the colloquial Swiss word Kassentoblerone, or “cash register Toblerone.”
January 28, 2026 at 5:55 PM
The best name I’ve ever come across for the triangular checkout divider at supermarkets is the colloquial Swiss word Kassentoblerone, or “cash register Toblerone.”
Happy National Daisy Day and a reminder that the word daisy derives from the Old English dæġes ēage, which means “day’s eye” (because its petals open at sunrise and close at sunset).
January 28, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Happy National Daisy Day and a reminder that the word daisy derives from the Old English dæġes ēage, which means “day’s eye” (because its petals open at sunrise and close at sunset).
Five expressions that are used when bumping into someone in an unexpected place…
1. It’s a small world (English)
2. How round is the earth (Ukrainian)
3. The world is a village (German)
4. The world is a handkerchief (Spanish)
5. What an odd place to find a lobster (Irish)
1. It’s a small world (English)
2. How round is the earth (Ukrainian)
3. The world is a village (German)
4. The world is a handkerchief (Spanish)
5. What an odd place to find a lobster (Irish)
January 27, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Five expressions that are used when bumping into someone in an unexpected place…
1. It’s a small world (English)
2. How round is the earth (Ukrainian)
3. The world is a village (German)
4. The world is a handkerchief (Spanish)
5. What an odd place to find a lobster (Irish)
1. It’s a small world (English)
2. How round is the earth (Ukrainian)
3. The world is a village (German)
4. The world is a handkerchief (Spanish)
5. What an odd place to find a lobster (Irish)
Reposted by Adam Sharp
Swedish variant on the German one:
"Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two.
The pancake has no end, but is happy anyway."
"Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two.
The pancake has no end, but is happy anyway."
January 27, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Swedish variant on the German one:
"Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two.
The pancake has no end, but is happy anyway."
"Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two.
The pancake has no end, but is happy anyway."
Five phrases about the transitory nature of all things...
1. Nothing is eternal (Farsi)
2. No one’s candle is lit till dawn (Serbian)
3. No evil shall last a hundred years (Spanish)
4. All snowstorms eventually subside (Icelandic)
5. Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two (German)
1. Nothing is eternal (Farsi)
2. No one’s candle is lit till dawn (Serbian)
3. No evil shall last a hundred years (Spanish)
4. All snowstorms eventually subside (Icelandic)
5. Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two (German)
January 26, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Five phrases about the transitory nature of all things...
1. Nothing is eternal (Farsi)
2. No one’s candle is lit till dawn (Serbian)
3. No evil shall last a hundred years (Spanish)
4. All snowstorms eventually subside (Icelandic)
5. Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two (German)
1. Nothing is eternal (Farsi)
2. No one’s candle is lit till dawn (Serbian)
3. No evil shall last a hundred years (Spanish)
4. All snowstorms eventually subside (Icelandic)
5. Everything has an end, except the sausage, which has two (German)
Reposted by Adam Sharp
During the massive storms last year I was in the Yellow House in Rathfarnham, and some salty old dog at the bar told the barman that the wind was that strong "it'd tear a fiver from a Cavan man's hand".
The five best phrases I’ve heard for strong winds...
1. Blowing half a pelican (Danish)
2. Blowing hats and hay (Norwegian)
3. Blowing a hoolie (Scots)
4. Wind so strong it could blow a pig on to its hind legs (Estonian)
5. It’s so windy one of the chickens laid the same egg three times (English)
1. Blowing half a pelican (Danish)
2. Blowing hats and hay (Norwegian)
3. Blowing a hoolie (Scots)
4. Wind so strong it could blow a pig on to its hind legs (Estonian)
5. It’s so windy one of the chickens laid the same egg three times (English)
January 23, 2026 at 3:23 PM
During the massive storms last year I was in the Yellow House in Rathfarnham, and some salty old dog at the bar told the barman that the wind was that strong "it'd tear a fiver from a Cavan man's hand".