Don’t Milk a Sleeping Krag

How In-World Idioms Build More Immersive Worlds

Tal Valante Kilim

May 21, 2025

Have you ever read a fantasy or sci-fi novel where everyone talks like they’re from New Jersey circa 2020?

Nothing kills immersion faster.

If your world is unique, your characters’ language should reflect that.

And no, I don’t mean building a whole conlang (unless you’re Tolkien and have a few decades to spare).

I’m talking about one of the easiest, most delightful ways to make your world feel alive:

Inventing your own idioms.

Language Is Culture

Every culture has sayings: short, flavorful phrases that carry wisdom, warning, or humor.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
“Barking up the wrong tree.”
“Throw someone under the bus.”

These aren’t just fun—they reveal how a culture thinks.

So in your world, instead of “don’t push your luck,” maybe they say:

“Don’t milk a sleeping krag.”
(Where Krag is a dangerous mountain mammal with a temper.)

It’s weird. It’s local.

And it immediately tells the reader: this place is not our world.

What This Adds to Your Story

✅ Instant flavor without info-dumping

✅ A sense of lived-in culture

✅ Subtle emotional tone (serious, funny, ominous—it’s up to you)

✅ A deeper connection to the world’s values and threats

Bonus: readers remember these.

They quote them.

They feel them.

That’s the good stuff.

How to Invent One

Here’s a fun trick:

Pick a common saying, proverb, or idiom.
Ask yourself: What does it really mean?
Finally, ask yourself: How would the locals say it in terms that are unique to your setting?

That’s all it takes.

For example, let’s take the familiar saying: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

It’s all about choosing to keep a small, certain reward over gambling on a bigger prize.

Now, imagine your characters live in a desert world. What would that same idea sound like there?

In a place where survival hinges on water, a “win” might be as simple—and sacred—as a few drops.

So maybe their version is:

“A drop in the jug beats a far-off oasis.”

Remember, you only need a few sprinkled in to create a powerful effect.

A Prompt to Try

Pick one character from your story and one region or culture they come from.

Now ask:

What is a common phrase this character uses?

How could I say it natively in their world?

Try writing one such saying. Then another. Watch your world open up.

If you enjoyed this, hit the ❤️ and share it with other world-builders in your orbit.

Because sometimes the difference between a decent setting and a vivid one is a single weird saying.

Until the week flips,