German Idiom 1 Flashcards
ein Fisch auf dem Trockenen
a fish out of water
Da liegt der Hund begraben
That’s the heart of the matter
Die Daumen drücken!
Keep your fingers crossed!
Viel Glück! Ich drücke dir die Daumen!
Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen
Literally: Where fox and hare say goodnight to one another
English Equivalent: In the middle of nowhere or out in the sticks
Ich bin fix und fertig
Literally: I’m quick and ready
English Equivalent: I’m wiped out or I’m exhausted
Du nimmst mich auf den Arm!
Literally: You’re taking me on your arm!
English Equivalent: You’re pulling my leg!
Das ist ein Katzensprung
Literally: That’s a cat’s jump
English Equivalent: It’s a stone’s throw away
Schlafen wie ein Murmeltier
Literally: Sleep like a woodchuck [marmot]
English Equivalent: Sleep like a log
um den heißen Brei herumreden
Literally: to talk around the hot porridge
English Equivalent: to beat around the bush
‘Rede nicht um den heißen Brei herum’
Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen
Literally: You can take poison on that
English Equivalent: You can bet your life on that
sich zum Affen machen
Literally: Make an ape of yourself
English Equivalent: Make a fool of yourself
zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen
Literally: kill two flies with one swat
English Equivalent: to kill two birds with one stone
eine Extrawurst haben
Literally: to ask for an extra sausage
English Equivalent: to ask for special treatment
Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen
Literally: put heaven and hell in motion
English Equivalent: to move heaven and earth
Da steppt der Bär
Da brennt die Luft!
Literally: The bear dances there
English Equivalent: It will be a good party
Tomaten auf den Augen haben
Literally: to have tomatoes on one’s eyes
English Equivalent: to be oblivious to what is going around you
den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen
Literally: to hit the nail on the head
English Equivalent: to hit the nail on the head
Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof
Literally: I only understand “train station.”
English Equivalent: It’s all Greek to me
weggehen wie warme Semmeln
Literally: Go like warm rolls
English Equivalent: Go or sell like hot cakes
Er muss zu allem seinen Senf dazugeben
Literally: To add your mustard to it
English Equivalent: Give their two cents worth
wie seine Westentasche kennen
Literally: to know something like one’s waistcoat pocket
English Equivalent: to know like the back of one’s hand
Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben
Literally: Don’t praise the day before the evening.
English Equivalent: Don’t count your chicks before they hatch
ein Ohr abkauen
Literally: to chew someone’s ear off
English Equivalent: to talk someone’s ear off
klar wie Kloßbrühe
Literally: clear as dumpling broth
English Equivalent: crystal clear
dumm wie Bohnenstroh
Literally: as dumb as a bean straw
English Equivalent: as thick as a brick
die Kirche im Dorf lassen
Literally: to leave the church in the village
English Equivalent: to not get carried away
ich habe Schwein gehabt
Literally: I’ve had a pig!
English equivalent: I’ve had a stroke of luck!
Lügen haben kurze Beine
people who lies will not go very far
Fix und fertig
‘I’m exhausted’.
Ich glaube ich spinne
I think I am going crazy
Mist!
Damn!
Einen Kater haben
You had too many pilsners at your friend’s party and regret it the following morning? Well, being hungover happens and you can surely make it through the day. But if you want to tell your German friends how you feel, you’ll need to say literally ‘I have a cat’: ‘ich habe einen Kater’.
Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei
Everything must end.
Germany is a land of sausage and poets, and that’s probably why Germans came up with this popular poetic wisdom: ‘everything has an end, only the sausage has two’. Pragmatism and simplicity: the German conception of beauty.
Das ist mir Wurst.
It’s all the same to me.
Literally: It’s a sausage to me.
Es geht um die Wurst.
It’s do or die / now or never / the moment of truth.
Literal: It’s about the sausage.
Äpfel mit Birnen vergleichen.
Comparing apples and oranges
Literally: Comparing apples and pears
In des Teufels Küche sein.
To get into hot water
Literal: In the devil’s kitchen
Dir haben sie wohl etwas in den Kaffee getan.
You’ve got to be kidding.
Literally: You’ve probably done something in/to the coffee
Die Radieschen von unten anschauen/betrachten
To be pushing up daisies (to be dead)
Literally: To see/view the radishes from below
Stochere nicht im Bienenstock.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Literally: Don’t poke around in the beehive.
Er hat einen dicken Kopf.
He’s got a hangover.
Literally: He has a fat head.
Was ich nicht weiß, macht mich nicht heiß.
What you don’t know, won’t hurt you.
Literally: What I don’t know won’t burn me.
Er fällt immer mit der Tür ins Häuschen.
He always gets right to the point/just blurts it out.
Literally: He always falls into the house through the door.
Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Literally: What little Hans didn’t learn, adult Hans never will.
Wenn man dem Teufel den kleinen Finger gibt, so nimmt er die ganze Hand.
Give an inch; they’ll take a mile.
Literally: If you give the devil your little finger, he’ll take the whole hand.
am Ball bleiben
Literal translation: to stay on the ball
Or, in proper English: to keep the ball rolling / to stay on top of things
am Katzentisch sitzen
Literal translation: to sit at the cat table
Or, in proper English: to be excluded / to be relegated to the children’s table
aus der Reihe tanzen
Literal translation: to dance out of line
Or, in proper English: to march to a different tune
