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to be all greek to sb
01
iets niet begrijpen
used for saying that one is unable to understand the meaning of something particular
What is the origin of the idiom "be Greek to someone" and when to use it?
The idiom "be Greek to someone" originates from ancient Rome. In his play "Julius Caesar," written around 1599, William Shakespeare used a similar phrase, "It is Greek to me," to indicate that something is incomprehensible or difficult to understand. It is believed that Shakespeare's use of the phrase was inspired by the linguistic complexity of the Greek language for English speakers at the time. This expression is used when someone encounters something that is completely unintelligible or incomprehensible.
Voorbeeld
He seemed to talk sense but it sounded all Greek to me.
These technical specifications are like Greek to him, as he has no background in engineering.