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 Read & Listen German Idioms No. 501 - 550    

Idioms No. 501 - 550
     
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No. Listen German Idiom   English Translation  
       
501.   jemandem (←dative) den Laufpass geben to give somebody their marching orders
    ['je:mandəm de:n 'laufpas 'gebən]  
    Literally: to give someone the running pass  
       
502.   die Beine hochlegen to put one's feet up
    [di: 'bainə 'ho:xle:gən]  
    Literally: to put the legs up  
       
503.   eine Randerscheinung sein to be on the fringes
    ['ainə 'rantʔɛɐʃainʊŋ zain]  
    Literally: to be an appearance of fringe  
       
504.   unter keinen Umständen under no circumstances
    ['ʊntɐ 'kainən 'ʊmʃtɛndən]  
       
505.   krumme Dinger drehen to pull off something crooked
    ['krʊmə 'dɪŋɐ 'dre:ən]  
    Literally: to turn crooked things  
       
506.   Da ist etwas im Busch. There is something cooking.
    [da: ɪst 'ɛtvas ɪm bʊʃ]  
    Literally: There is something in the bush.  
       
507.   Es geht mir durch Mark und Bein. It goes right through me.
    [ɛs ge:t mi:ə dʊrç mark ʊnt bain]  
    Literally: It goes me through marrow and bone.  
       
508.   ein Gedächtnis wie ein Sieb haben to have a memory like a sieve
    [ain gə'dɛçtnɪs vi: ain zi:p 'ha:bən]  
       
509.   aus seinem Dornröschenschlaf erwachen to wake up and smell the coffee
    [aus 'zainəm dɔrnˈrø:sçənʃla:f ɛɐ'vaxən]  
    Literally: to wake up from one's little thorn rose sleep  
       
510.   Das musste ja so kommen! That had to happen!
    [das 'mʊstə ja: zo: 'kɔmən]  
    Literally: That really had to come this way!  
       
511.   Ich werde es erst einmal überschlafen. I will sleep on it first.
    [ɪç 've:ɐdə ɛs e:ɐst 'ainma:l y:bɐ'ʃla:fən]  
    Literally: I will oversleep it once first.  
       
512.   der Zahn der Zeit the ravages of time
    [de:ɐ tsa:n de:ɐ tsait]  
    Literally: the tooth of time  
       
513.   putzmunter sein to be full of beans
    [pʊts'mʊntɐ zain]  
    Literally: to be perky  
       
514.   Wir haben nichts dem Zufall überlassen. We left nothing to chance.
    [vi:ə 'ha:bən nɪçts de:m 'tsu:fal y:bɐ'lasən]  
    Literally: We left nothing to the coincidence.  
       
515.   jemandem (←dative) eine Kugel durch den Kopf jagen to blow somebody's brains out
    ['je:mandəm 'ainə 'ku:gəl dʊrç de:n kɔpf 'ja:gən]  
    Literally: to chase a bullet through somebody's head  
       
516.   Halb so wild! Never mind!
    [halp zo: vɪlt]  
    Literally: Half as wild!  
       
517.   Jetzt fällt's mir wieder ein! Now I remember!
    [jɛtst fɛlts mi:ə 'vidɐ ain]  
    Literally: Now I remember it again!  
       
518.   Ich konnte keinen klaren Gedanken fassen. I couldn't think straight.
    [ɪç 'kɔntə 'kainən kla:rən gə'daŋkən 'fasən]  
    Literally: I could not grasp a clear thought.  
       
519.   nur ein Rädchen im Getriebe sein to be just a small cog in the machine
    [nu:ə ain 'rɛ:tçən ɪm gə'tri:bə zain]  
    Literally: to be just a small wheel in the transmission  
       
520.   jemanden (←accusative) wie eine heiße Kartoffel fallen lassen to drop someone like a hot potatoe
    ['je:mandən vi: 'ainə 'haisə karˈtɔfəl 'falən 'lasən]  
    Literally: to let someone fall like a hot potatoe  
       
521.   sich unwohl fühlen to feel unwell
    [zɪç 'ʊnvo:l 'fy:lən]  
    Literally: to feel oneself unwell  
       
522.   Oben hui, unten pfui. Outside swank, inside rank.
    ['o:bən hui 'ʊntən pfui]  
    Literally: At the top wow, at the bottom yuck.  
       
523.   Das ist nicht ganz unrichtig. There is some substance to that.
    [das ɪst nɪçt gants 'ʊnrɪçtɪç]  
    Literally: That is not entirely incorrect.  
       
524.   Woher nehmen und nicht stehlen? Where on earth am I going to get that from?
    [vo'he:ɐ 'ne:mən ʊnt nɪçt 'ʃte:lən]  
    Literally: Where take it from and not steal?  
       
525.   jemandem (←dative) Flügel verleihen to lend somebody wings
    ['je:mandəm 'fly:gəl fɛɐ'laiən]  
       
526.   bis über beide Ohren verliebt sein to be head over heels in love
    [bɪs 'y:bɐ 'baidə 'o:rən fɛɐ'li:pt zain]  
    Literally: to be in love up to both ears  
       
527.   himmelhoch jauchzend, zu Tode betrübt on top of the world, down in the dumps
    ['hɪməlho:x 'jauxtsənt tsu: 'to:də bə'try:pt]  
    Literally: sky-high exulting, sad to death  
       
528.   Man kann niemanden zu seinem Glück zwingen. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
    [man kan 'ni:mandən tsu: 'zainəm glʏk 'tsvɪŋən]  
    Literally: You cannot force anyone to be happy.  
       
529.   den Verstand verloren haben to be out of one's mind
    [de:n fɛɐ'ʃtant fɛɐ'lo:rən 'ha:bən]  
    Literally: to have lost the mind  
       
530.   wie aus Eimern gießen to rain pitchforks
    [vi: aus 'aimɐn 'gi:sən]  
    Literally: to pour like out of buckets  
       
531.   etwas nicht auf sich sitzen lassen not to take something
    ['ɛtvas nɪçt auf zɪç 'zɪtsən 'lasən]  
    Literally: to not let something sit on oneself  
       
532.   den Teufel mit dem Beelzebub austreiben to replace one evil with another
    [de:n 'tɔyfəl mɪt de:m 'be:ltsəbu:p 'austraibən]  
    Literally: to drive out the devil with the Beelzebub  
       
533.   In der Kürze liegt die Würze. Brevity is the soul of wit.
    [ɪn de:ɐ 'kʏrtsə li:kt di: 'vʏrtsə]  
    Literally: In the shortness lies the spice.  
       
534.   Das ist eine faustdicke Lüge! That's a whopping lie!
    [das ɪst 'ainə 'faustdɪkə 'ly:gə]  
    Literally: That is a fist thick lie!  
       
535.   Es gibt keinerlei Hoffnung mehr. There is no vestige of hope.
    [ɛs gi:pt 'kainɐlai 'hɔfnʊŋ me:ɐ]  
    Literally: There is no hope at all anymore.  
       
536.   sich durch jemanden auf den Schlips getreten fühlen to feel offended by somebody
    [zɪç dʊrç 'je:mandən auf de:n ʃlɪps gə'tre:tən 'fy:lən]  
    Literally: to feel like stepped on one's tie by somebody  
       
537.   aus der Schule rausfliegen to be kicked out of school
    [aus de:ɐ 'ʃu:lə 'rausfli:gən]  
    Literally: to fly out of the school  
       
538.   Auf gar keinen Fall! No way!
    [auf ga:ɐ 'kainən fal]  
    Literally: On no case at all!  
       
539.   Darum geht es gar nicht. That's not the point.
    ['da:rʊm ge:t ɛs ga:ɐ nɪçt]  
    Literally: About that it does not go at all.  
       
540.   Mach mir keine Schande! Don't let me down!
    [max mi:ə 'kainə 'ʃandə]  
    Literally: Do not make disgrace to me!  
       
541.   jemandem (←dative) den Kopf waschen to give somebody a piece of one's mind
    ['je:mandəm de:n kɔpf 'vaʃən]  
    Literally: to wash somebody the head  
       
542.   zum alten Eisen gehören to be on the scrap heap
    [tsʊm 'altən 'aizən gə'hø:rən]  
    Literally: to belong to the old iron  
       
543.   Not ist der Liebe (←genitive) Tod. When poverty comes in, love flies out.
    [no:t ɪst de:ɐ 'li:bə to:t]  
    Literally: Need is the death of the love.  
       
544.   So eine Schweinerei! What a mess!
    [zo: 'ainə ʃvainə'rai]  
    Literally: Such a piggishness!  
       
545.   es zu bunt treiben to go too far
    [ɛs tsu: bʊnt 'traibən]  
    Literally: to drive it too colourfully  
       
546.   jemanden (←accusative) auf den Tod nicht ausstehen können to hate somebody's guts
    ['je:mandən auf de:n to:t nɪçt 'ausʃte:ən 'kœnən]  
    Literally: to not be able to endure someone to the death  
       
547.   ein Dach über dem Kopf haben to have a roof over one's head
    [ain dax 'y:bɐ de:m kɔpf 'ha:bən]  
    Literally: to have a roof over the head  
       
548.   arm dran sein to be poorly off
    [arm dran zain]  
       
549.   jemandem (←dative) Honig ums Maul schmieren to butter somebody up
    ['je:mandəm 'ho:nɪç ʊms maul 'ʃmi:rən]  
    Literally: to smear somebody honey around the trap  
       
550.   Das ist meine Sache! That's my business!
    [das ɪst 'mainə 'zaxə]  
    Literally: That is my thing!  
 
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