Croatian sayings that baffle the locals

Croatia

Across Croatia, there is an abundance of sayings, expressions, and proverbs used in daily speech and writing.

But when you take a moment to stop and really listen or read them, you might wonder—what do they even mean, and why are they used in certain contexts?

As daily Večernji list writes, this very topic sparked a discussion on the Croatian Reddit forum under the thread: Expressions we use every day that make no sense.

The author started off with this question:

“Why do we say ‘tri, četiri, sad’ (three, four, go) to start a race, competition, or bet? I’ve been trying to make sense of it, but I can’t.

Three isn’t the first number, and four isn’t the last. Why doesn’t it start from 0 or 1? And if it has to start with 3 and has three countdown steps, why not go 3, 2, 1? I don’t get it.”

3,2,1 go is the common saying in English, but Croatians use the peculiar 3,4,go.

The first reply quickly followed, with a user attempting to explain:

“One, two, one, two” is used to test sound systems. So then ‘three, four, go’ is used to avoid confusion.”

Another phrase that confuses people is “spava kao beba”(sleeps like a baby).

Many explained that it’s used because babies supposedly sleep peacefully, even amidst noise and voices around them. However, some find the comparison absurd, pointing out that their children were constantly waking up, crying, and jerking at every little sound.

One of the expressions we hear almost daily which the thread pointed out was: “Što se mora, nije teško”(What must be done isn’t hard).

However, as one user pointed out, this is entirely nonsensical because “it’s usually the things that must be done that are the hardest to do.” Another user clarified: “The point is that there’s no choice; it simply has to be done.”

Many users also delved into expressions they questioned for grammatical correctness.

For example: “Maslinovo ulje” (olive oil). Maslina is feminine, so shouldn’t it be ‘maslinino ulje’?”

Others noted: “‘Najomiljeniji’ (most beloved) isn’t grammatically correct. Something can only be ‘omiljen’ (beloved), as that’s already the highest degree.”

Another baffling saying is “Plavuša”. 

Many question why, in Croatian, a blonde-haired girl is referred to as a “plavuša,” which literally translates to “blue-haired girl.”

The explanation lies in Old Croatian, where the term “plav” was used to describe light colours, including shades of white and golden yellow.

Finally, someone asked: “Can anyone explain to me what ‘čiča miča, gotova je priča’ means at the end of every fairy tale or fable? Where does it come from? Even three editors, two history professors, and one Croatian language professor couldn’t explain it to me.”

Others gave a brief explanation for this apparent nonsense:

“It’s only used because it rhymes…”