Tako ashi - octopus legs - and other Japanese idioms
So on the train today I studied my book of Japanese idioms. There were a few that stood out and made an impression on me - enough so that by the end of the day I had used them in casual conversation at least once each.
The first is “takoashi haisen” which translates to “octopus legs electric cords.” When used this essentially means that some cables are a tangled mess.
The second is “nekobaba suru” which translates to “cat poop.” When used it essentially means “finders-keepers,” which I am sure you are saying… huh?!? Well, it comes from the cat’s instinct to cover its toilet with soil, and practically means “no one will miss this.”
There were plenty of other idoms that have “tako” / octopus and “neko” / cat in them. Like “tako beya” which is equivalent to “pig sty” in english, and “nekojita” which means your tongue is sensitive to hot food. 
In the end, I think the biggest improvement in my ability to speak good Japanese is going to come from employing idioms. Needless to say, people talk in idioms, it’s just natural, so by knowing how to talk in idioms I’ll be able to express things much more naturally.
“Needless to say” = 犬が西向きゃ尾は東 = “A dog points west, his tail points east.” 
