March 1, 2009: It's Greek to Me!

[Clodfobble]

Did you know that the expression "it was Greek to me" was first coined by Shakespeare? Yep, Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2. But what do the Greeks say, when they find something to be incomprehensible? Well, turns out they have expressions that indicate something is either "Arabic" or "Chinese." But what idioms do those cultures use as the pinnacle of confusing nonsense? Wait, wait, this could get complicated. Let's make a chart. Or rather, let's just look at one that someone else already made, posted on Strange Maps.





Looks like we're not alone; five other languages reference Greek. The most universally-confusing language is apparently Chinese, with eleven languages deferring to its incomprehensibility. And the only language the Chinese think is beyond them? Oh, just the language of God.