"Faire mouche" in French means to hit the bull's eye, hit the nail right on the head; "die Fliege machen" or "eine Fliege machen" in German means to clear off, get lost: though both translate literally as "do (the) fly". But sparing the life of this pesky insect is regarded as an act of kindness in Spain, Sweden, Latvia and France. The following is a selection of some choice European expressions that hit the nail - and not the fly - on the head.

If you look like you wouldn't hurt a fly, it's because you're of an unequivocally gentle character, unable to harm the tiniest thing. Big, impulsive hands - whether they belong to the president of the USA or not - are unwelcome, no matter who you are in Europe, from France: faire de mal à une mouche, Germany: er könnte keiner Flige etwas zu Leide tun, Spain: No haría daño ni a una mosca, Sweden: ej göra en fluga förnär, to Latvia: neizdarīs mušai pāri. Yet one of the most famous morals from Aesop's fable is: beware a wolf in sheep's clothing. Is Obama sending an indirect message as he meets fellow G8 leaders in Italy? L'habit ne fait pas le moine - the cowl does not a monk make, as the French and English aphorisms go - you can't judge someone on their appearance. The French also surmise that the fiendishly cunning are like un loup à l'apparence de brebis (a wolf that looks like a lamb), echoing the Spanish saying: es un lobo con piel de cordero (a wolf with lamb's skin).