Losing your job: how people talk about it
Swedish idioms for rumours, redundancy, tight money and starting over, the way people actually say them.
Swedes rarely talk about losing a job in official terms. They say it hangs by a thread, that it came like lightning from a clear sky, that it'll sort itself out. These expressions follow the arc from rumour to fresh start.
- 1
Det går rykten.
There are rumours going around.
Tip: Literally 'rumours walk'. Add 'om ...' for what they're about.
- 2
Jag hade på känn att något var på gång.
I had a feeling something was up.
Tip: Literally 'had on feel that something was on walk'. Two idioms in one.
- 3
Mitt jobb hänger på en skör tråd.
My job is hanging by a thread.
Tip: Literally 'hangs on a fragile thread'.
- 4
sist in, först ut
last in, first out
Tip: The everyday summary of the LAS order-of-selection rule.
- 5
att få gå
to be let go
Tip: Literally 'to get to go'. Neutral and a bit softer than being fired.
- 6
att bli visad på dörren
to be shown the door
Tip: Being asked to leave, abruptly.
- 7
Min tjänst rationaliserades bort.
My position was rationalised away.
Tip: Cut away in the name of efficiency, often by automation. Passive -s with a particle.
- 8
Det kom som en blixt från klar himmel.
It came out of the blue.
Tip: Literally 'like lightning from a clear sky'.
- 9
Det var en riktig käftsmäll.
It was a real kick in the teeth.
Tip: 'Käft' = jaw (rude), 'smäll' = bang. Strong but common.
- 10
att säga upp sig
to hand in your notice
Tip: Reflexive = you're the one quitting. Without the reflexive, someone else is letting you go.
- 11
att skiljas som vänner
to part on good terms
Tip: Literally 'to part as friends'. Used about jobs and relationships.
- 12
Bränn inga broar.
Don't burn any bridges.
Tip: Same picture as in English.
- 13
att vara tillbaka på ruta ett
to be back to square one
Tip: Literally 'back on square one', a board-game picture.
- 14
att vara mellan jobb
to be between jobs
Tip: The neutral, dignified way to say you're unemployed.
- 15
att gå och stämpla
to be on the dole
Tip: From the old days of getting a card stamped at the job centre. Still understood, a bit dated.
- 16
att dra åt svångremmen
to tighten your belt
Tip: The noun is an old word for belt that survives only in this idiom.
- 17
att få det att gå ihop
to make ends meet
Tip: Literally 'to get it to go together'.
- 18
att hålla näsan ovanför vattenytan
to keep your head above water
Tip: Swedish keeps the nose, not the head, above the surface.
- 19
Det är inte hela världen.
It's not the end of the world.
Tip: Literally 'it's not the whole world'.
- 20
Tappa inte modet.
Don't lose heart.
Tip: Literally 'drop not the courage'.
- 21
Upp med hakan!
Chin up!
Tip: Same picture as in English.
- 22
att ta en dag i taget
to take one day at a time
Tip: Literally 'take a day in the take'.
- 23
Det ordnar sig.
It'll work itself out.
Tip: Literally 'it arranges itself'. Very Swedish reassurance.
- 24
Inget ont som inte har något gott med sig.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Tip: Literally 'nothing bad that doesn't bring something good with it'.
- 25
När en dörr stängs öppnas en annan.
When one door closes, another opens.
Tip: Both verbs are passive (-s). After the 'when' clause, the verb comes next.
- 26
att ta tjuren vid hornen
to take the bull by the horns
Tip: Same picture as in English.
- 27
att ta nya tag
to make a fresh start
Tip: Literally 'to take new grips'. Starting again with fresh energy.
- 28
att sadla om
to change careers
Tip: Literally 'to re-saddle'. Retraining for a different line of work.
- 29
att ha flera järn i elden
to have several irons in the fire
Tip: Same picture as in English: several options going at once.
- 30
Det handlar om vem man känner, inte vad man kan.
It's not what you know, it's who you know.
Tip: In Sweden many jobs are filled through contacts, so this is said a lot.
- 31
att landa på fötterna
to land on your feet
Tip: Ending up fine after a fall.
- 32
att komma på fötter igen
to get back on your feet
Tip: Recovering, financially or emotionally.