Significado
To have a guilty conscience
Contexto cultural
In Czech politics, this is the most common idiom used to describe scandals. It's so ubiquitous that cartoonists often draw politicians with literal bricks of butter on their heads. Similar dairy-based metaphors exist in neighboring Slavic countries, but the 'butter on head' version is specifically iconic to the Czech and Slovak linguistic space. The phrase is often linked to the figure of the 'trhovkyně' (market woman), a staple character in Czech village stories who is often portrayed as gossipy but sometimes dishonest herself. On Czech Twitter (X), you will see the butter emoji 🧈 used as a shorthand to call out someone's hypocrisy in a thread.
The Comeback King
This is the ultimate 'No U' card in Czech. Use it sparingly but firmly when someone is being hypocritical.
Don't say 'v hlavě'
Saying 'máslo v hlavě' makes you sound like you're calling someone a 'butter-brain' (stupid), not a hypocrite.
Significado
To have a guilty conscience
The Comeback King
This is the ultimate 'No U' card in Czech. Use it sparingly but firmly when someone is being hypocritical.
Don't say 'v hlavě'
Saying 'máslo v hlavě' makes you sound like you're calling someone a 'butter-brain' (stupid), not a hypocrite.
Political Fluency
If you use this while discussing the news with Czechs, they will be very impressed with your cultural knowledge.
Ponte a prueba
Fill in the missing words to complete the idiom.
Nekritizuj mě, máš taky ______ na ______.
The correct idiom is 'mít máslo na hlavě'.
Which situation best fits the idiom 'mít máslo na hlavě'?
Which person has 'máslo na hlavě'?
The idiom refers to hypocrisy and having a guilty conscience.
Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the verb 'mít'.
Petr: 'Proč ten politik tak mlčí?' Jana: 'Protože ______ máslo na hlavě.'
The subject is 'ten politik' (he), so we use the third person singular 'má'.
Match the idiom to its meaning.
Mít máslo na hlavě
The idiom is about guilt and hypocrisy.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Ayudas visuales
Banco de ejercicios
4 ejerciciosNekritizuj mě, máš taky ______ na ______.
The correct idiom is 'mít máslo na hlavě'.
Which person has 'máslo na hlavě'?
The idiom refers to hypocrisy and having a guilty conscience.
Petr: 'Proč ten politik tak mlčí?' Jana: 'Protože ______ máslo na hlavě.'
The subject is 'ten politik' (he), so we use the third person singular 'má'.
Mít máslo na hlavě
The idiom is about guilt and hypocrisy.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Preguntas frecuentes
10 preguntasIt's not vulgar, but it is confrontational. Use it with friends or when debating, but maybe not with your boss unless you have a very close relationship.
Yes! You can say 'Mám máslo na hlavě' to admit you've made a mistake and aren't in a position to judge.
Absolutely. It's a classic that hasn't aged. You'll find it all over Czech social media.
It literally means 'To have butter on the head'.
Yes, the idiom is fixed. You cannot substitute it with margarine or oil!
You can say 'Má na hlavě pořádný kus másla' (He has a real piece of butter on his head).
The formal equivalent would be 'mít špatné svědomí' (to have a bad conscience) or 'být vinný' (to be guilty).
Probably not, unless you are talking about a past mistake you learned from in a very creative way. It's a bit too casual.
Slovak uses it identically. Polish and Russian have similar concepts but different metaphors.
Because butter melts in the sun, symbolizing how secrets are revealed when things get 'hot' or public.
Frases relacionadas
Mít čisté svědomí
contrastTo have a clean conscience
Kázat vodu, pít víno
similarTo preach water, drink wine
Mít na triku
similarTo have something on one's shirt / to be responsible for
Sypat si popel na hlavu
builds onTo pour ashes on one's head
