' The silence ....

[BertiWooster]

.... is deafening'

' You could cut the tension with a knife'

We all know what is meant when phrases like these are used

However, is this something that is peculiar to our language - or are there similiar / equivalent phrases used in other languages ?

[Clanad]

I'm fortunate to work with native speakers of what we round eyes call Northern Cheyenne Native Americans here in the western U.S. The Tsi-Tsi-Tas or The Human Beings as they call themselves have many idiomatic phrases, such as Etaomehotsenohtovenestse napahpneehehame (can't do emphasis and pronouncing guides here) which, humorously means "my gut worm (tapeworm) is speaking or is talking by itself", when the speaker is trying to say "my stomach is growling, I'm so hungry" In Mexico a similar saying would be "No tener para un bocado" ... literally means with nothing (even a mouthful) to eat"... but idiomatically it means "I'm broke (have no money)"...
Every language has idiomatic expressions that are incomprhensible when literally translated, just like your examples, but mean a great deal to the speaker an dhis listeners...

[EngTeach]

Good answer Clanad. When studying for my degree in becoming an ESL teacher I learned that idiomatic expressions are usually the last things one learns when learning a new language. When a person grasps the humor amd idiomatic expressions of a language they are truly fluent.

[Clanad]

Thanks for that EngTeach... While I wouldn't consider myself fluent in Tse-Tseheseten, especially when I'm around the older speakers who still retain the pronunciation used by The People 200years ago or so... in fact, though they are polite in the extreme to me, they smile behind thier hand and softly say n�ohk�s�a'on�'se�mep�h�vets�h�sto'an�he... "he doesn't pronounce Cheyenne very well.."
One of my favorite Cheyenne idioms is the name for the month of January... He'konenee�e'he, literally Moon of the Hard Faces and when you think about it, here in the western U.S. that's very descriptive. In early May a very unique type of plant, found only in a few western areas is called Cheat Grass... because it looks quite like grass, but animals won't eat it. It grows quickly and early on it has a very red coloration, especially when seen in the early morning... The People call May, lierally Matse'omee�e'he... Moon of the Red Grass Up...

[MatydaLover]

Further to your answer EngTeach, one of my colleagues (of 20 years) is a lady from Bulgaria. She is very fluent in English, and needs only rare help with idioms. English homour is second-nature to her now.

We are treated to occasional eastern insights ("My neighbour's chicken is a turkey").

But the most amazing thing is that she is pretty competent at cryptic crosswords. A foreigner that more often that not completes the Daily Telegraph's unaided except in desperation ... ... it defies belief!

[DaSwede]

We've got loads of idiomatic expressions in Swedish - thirteen to the dozen - and probably all languages do, as Clanad has said. I enjoy it when new ones are born. To do a full poodle is already a minor classic here, it caught on immediately just a few years ago. (As the article author says in his/her remark it really should be "full" and not "whole", to capture the meaning.)

do a full poodle