That's Greek to me or It's (all) Greek to me is an idiom in English, expressing that something is not understandable.
The idiom is typically used with respect to the foreign nature, complexity or imprecision of verbal or written expression or diagram, often containing excessive use of jargon, dialect, mathematics, science, symbols, or diagrams. The metaphor makes reference to Greek (either ancient or modern), as an archetypal foreign form of communication both written and spoken. Technically, the phrase is classified as a dead metaphor, meaning that its components cannot be used separately, unlike for example the dormant metaphor "foot of the hill", which permits saying "that hill has a tree at its foot".
Origins
It may have been a direct translation of a similar phrase in Latin: "Graecum est; non legitur" ("it is Greek, [therefore] it cannot be read"). This phrase was increasingly used by monk scribes in the Middle Ages, as knowledge of the Greek alphabet and language was dwindling among those who were copying manuscripts in monastic libraries.
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Shall we begin?
1. Drachma-tic Irony
:-( :-)
2. ARS GRATIA ARTIS - Spectaculars have moved from the big screen...
FYI: Although it's Latin and not Greek, the famous MGM maxim “ARS GRATIA ARTIS” is grammatically incorrect. (Click here to learn why.)
3. ...to very small screens.
Say what?
4. This story makes as much sense as the "history" being taught in Texas.
5. Pig Latin
6. Democracy is believed to have originated in Greece;
but, thanks to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, it may end in the United States of America.
7. The Greeks Encounter German Engineering
Beware of Germans bearing gifts.
8. Archimedes would say this comic's description of the scientific method doesn't float.
Because it starts with conjecture and through experimentation eliminates all answers that are not supported by repeatable, independently corroborated proof, the scientific method actually simplifies answers to complex questions.
9. Can you identify the language the inclusion of which is purely symbolic?
;-p
10. Much Ado About Nothing
floccinaucinihilipilification |ˌfläksəˌnôsəˌnīˌhiləˌpiləfiˈkā sh ən|nounthe action or habit of estimating something as worthless. (The word is used chiefly as a curiosity.)
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin flocci, nauci, nihili, pili (words meaning ‘at little value’ ) + -fication . The Latin elements were listed in a well-known rule of the Latin Grammar used at Eton College, an English public school.
11. Spot the word with a Greek origin in this comic.
Go on! Don't dilly-dally! Get on with it, you dolt!
12. Portuguese Plethora Produces Plurality Problem
Can you feel the sting of grammatical ambiguity?
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