setjast í helgan stein

Icelandic

Etymology

Literally, “to sit in a holy stone”. The older form of the idiom was stejast í stein, meaning "to join a monastery".

Verb

setjast í helgan stein

1. (idiomatic) to retire, to go into retirement

References

• Icelandic Web of Science: Ég er sagður sestur í helgan stein. Hvar finn ég „helga steininn“!? (“They say I've sat in a holy stone, where can I find this holy stone!?”)
• Directorate of Health — Information about the idiom