Cyphernaut - Idiomatic Expressions (German-Deutsch)
According to the dictionary, an idiom is an accepted phrase or expression having a different meaning from the literal meaning of each individual word. They are many common idiomatic expressions in English such as "Bite the bullet" and "That's for the birds". It's interesting to see that some idiomatic expressions in English don't make as much sense or allude to something completely different in German when taken literally. It's also interesting to note that many sayings have to do with beer, sausage, food or animals.
The table below presents some common English idiomatic expressions and their corresponding translation in German.
| Idiomatic Expressions | |
|---|---|
| English | German |
| To talk privately with someone. | Mit jemandem unter vier Augen sprechen. (Literal trans. To talk with someone under four eyes.) |
| To make a mountain out of a molehill. | Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen. (Literal trans. To make an elephant out of a mosquito.) |
| When in Rome, do as the Romans. | Andere Länder, andere Sitten. (Literal trans. Other lands, other customs.) |
| Bite the bullet. | In den sauren Apfel beißen. (Literal trans. Bite into the sour apple.) |
| All things come to an end. | Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei. (Literal trans. Everything has an end. Only the sausage has two.) |
| It clashes. It doesn't match. | Das passt wie die Faust aufs Auge. (Literal trans. That fits like the fist on the eye.) |
| You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. | Mit Speck fängt man Mäuse. (Literal trans. With bacon, you catch mice.) |
| The toilet. | Wo der Kaiser zu Fuß hingeht (Literal trans. Where the emperor goes on foot.) |
| Its now or never. or The moment of truth. | Es geht um die Wurst. (Literal trans. Its about the sausage.) |
| You've made your bed, now you must lie in it. | Was man sich eingebrockt hat, muss man auch auslöffeln. (Literal trans. What you have brewed, so you must drink.) |
| Out in the middle of nowhere. | Wo sich die Füchse gute Nacht sagen. (Literal trans. Where the foxes say good night.) |
| To be henpecked. | Ein Pantoffelheld sein. or Unter dem Pantoffel stehen. (Literal trans. To be a slipper hero or to stand under the slipper.) |
| That's for the birds. | Das ist alles für die Katz. (Literal trans. That's all for the cat.) |
| My head is spinning. | Mir raucht der Kopf. (Literal trans. My head is smoking.) |
| He's not quite all there. | Bei ihm rieselt schon der Kalk. (Literal trans. With him, the calcium is trickling.) |
| That's old hat. | Das ist kalter Kaffee. (Literal trans. That is cold coffee.) |
| That's no bed of roses. | Das ist kein Honiglecken. (Literal trans. That is not licking honey.) |
| To put one's foot in one's mouth. | Ins Fettnäpfchen treten. (Literal trans. To step into the greasebowl.) |
| To be nuts or crazy. | Hast du einen Vogel? (Literal trans. Do you have a bird[in your head]?) |
| To be dumb or stupid. | Dumm wie Bohnenstroh. (Literal trans. To be dumb as bean straw.) |
| There's no cure for stupidity. | Gegen Dummheit gibt es keine Pillen. (Literal trans. There are no pills for stupidity.) |
| That's clear as mud. | Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. (Literal trans. I understand only the train station.) |
| To stink to high heaven. | Wie ein Bock stinken. (Literal trans. To stink like a goat.) |
| To have a sharp tongue. | Hat Haare auf den Zähnen (Literal trans. To have hair on the teeth.) |
| That's none of your business. | Das ist nicht dein Bier. (Literal trans. That's not your beer.) |
| You can't take it with you(when you die). | Das letze Hemd hat keine Taschen. (Literal trans. The last shirt has no pockets.) |
| I could care less. | Das ist mir Wurst. (Literal trans. That's sausage to me.) |
| Looks like a million bucks. | Wie aus dem Ei gepellt. (Literal trans. Looks like a peeled egg.) |
| Well, I never! | Ich glaube mich knutscht ein Elch. (Literal trans. I think I've been smooched by an elk.) |
| I don't feel like it. | Ich habe keinen Bock. (Literal trans. I don't have a goat.) |
| He's a wimp. | Er ist ein Warmduscher. (Literal trans. He showers warm.) |
| Get lost. | Mach die Fliege. (Literal trans. Do the fly.) |
| He's a grouch. | Mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen. (Literal trans. He's not a good one to eat cherries with.) |
| Don't bother with him. | Bei dem sind Hopfen und Malz verloren. (Literal trans. For him hops and malt are lost.) |
| I was lucky. | Ich habe ein Schwein gehabt. (Literal trans. I had a pig.) |