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Read & Listen | German Idioms | No. 801 - 850 |
Idioms No. 801 - 850 |
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No. | Listen | German Idiom | English Translation | ||
801. | jemandem (←dative) steht das Wasser bis zum Hals | somebody is up to his/her neck in it | |||
['je:mandəm ʃte:t das 'vasɐ bɪs tsʊm hals] | |||||
Literally: to somebody the water stands up to his/her neck | |||||
802. | Reden ist Silber, Schweigen ist Gold | Talk is silver, silence is golden. | |||
['re:dən ɪst 'zɪlbɐ 'ʃvaigən ɪst gɔlt] | |||||
803. | den Anstandswauwau spielen | to play gooseberry | |||
[de:n 'anʃtantsvauvau 'ʃpi:lən] | |||||
Literally: to play the decency bow-wow | |||||
804. | Hier lässt es sich aushalten. | It's not a bad place. | |||
[hi:ə lɛst ɛs zɪç 'aushaltən] | |||||
Literally: Here you can endure it well. | |||||
805. | jemandem (←dative) einen Bären aufbinden | to feed somebody a line | |||
['je:mandəm 'ainən 'bɛ:rən 'aufbɪndən] | |||||
Literally: to bind a bear up on somebody | |||||
806. | jemandem (←dative) was vom Pferd erzählen | to tell somebody a cock-and-bull story | |||
['je:mandəm vas fɔm pfe:ɐt ɛɐ'tsɛ:lən] | |||||
Literally: to tell somebody something about the horse | |||||
807. | Wird schon schiefgehen! | It'll turn out OK! | |||
[vɪrt ʃo:n 'ʃi:fge:ən] | |||||
Literally: Will really go crooked! | |||||
808. | vom Hölzchen aufs Stöckchen kommen | to wander from topic to topic | |||
[fɔm 'hœltsçən aufs 'ʃtœkçən 'kɔmən] | |||||
Literally: to come from the small piece of wood on the little stick | |||||
809. | viel reden, wenn der Tag lang ist | to tell somebody anything | |||
[fi:l 're:dən vɛn de:ɐ ta:k laŋ ɪst] | |||||
Literally: to talk much if the day is long | |||||
810. | zu Kreuze kriechen | to eat humble pie | |||
[tsu: 'krɔytsə 'kri:çən] | |||||
Literally: to crawl to cross | |||||
811. | in festen Händen sein | to have a steady boyfriend/girlfriend | |||
[ɪn 'fɛstən 'hɛndən zain] | |||||
Literally: to be in firm hands | |||||
812. | Und wenn du dich auf den Kopf stellst! | You can talk until you're blue in the face! | |||
[ʊnt vɛn du: dɪç auf de:n kɔpf ʃtɛlst] | |||||
Literally: And even if you stand yourself on the head! | |||||
813. | schwer auf Draht sein | to be on one's toes | |||
[ʃve:ɐ auf dra:t zain] | |||||
Literally: to be heavily on wire | |||||
814. | sich am Riemen reißen | to get a grip on oneself | |||
[zɪç am 'ri:mən 'raisən] | |||||
Literally: to rip oneself at the strap | |||||
815. | Bleibe im Land und nähre dich redlich. | Dwell in the land and you shall be fed. | |||
['blaibə ɪm lant ʊnt 'nɛ:rə dɪç 're:tlɪç] | |||||
Literally: Stay in the country and nourish yourself honestly. | |||||
816. | Du hast wohl einen Sonnenstich! | The sun must have addled your brain! | |||
[du: hast vo:l 'ainən 'zɔnənʃtɪç] | |||||
Literally: You probably have a sunstroke! | |||||
817. | mit jemandem (←dative) Tacheles* reden | to do some straight talking to somebody | |||
[mɪt 'je:mandəm 'taxələs 're:dən] | |||||
Literally: to talk straight to somebody | |||||
*Yiddish: tachles = aim, purpose | |||||
818. | in die Jahre kommen | to be getting on in years | |||
[ɪn di: 'ja:rə 'kɔmən] | |||||
Literally: to come in the years | |||||
819. | sein wahres Gesicht zeigen | to show one's true face | |||
[zain 'va:rəs gə'zɪçt 'tsaigən] | |||||
820. | Nabelschau betreiben | to contemplate one's own navel | |||
['na:bəlʃau bə'traibən] | |||||
Literally: to run navel show | |||||
821. | mucksmäuschenstill sein | to be as quiet as a mouse | |||
[mʊksmɔysçən'ʃtɪl zain] | |||||
Literally: to be murmur mousie still | |||||
822. | Das glaube ich gern. | I quite believe it. | |||
[das 'glaubə ɪç gɛrn] | |||||
Literally: I believe that with pleasure. | |||||
823. | es sich nicht aus den Rippen schneiden können | to not be able to produce it out of thin air | |||
[ɛs zɪç nɪçt aus de:n 'rɪpən 'ʃnaidən 'kœnən] | |||||
Literally: to not be able to cut it out of the ribs | |||||
824. | Ich dachte, mich trifft der Schlag! | I was as if struck by a lightning! | |||
[ɪç 'daxtə mɪç trɪft de:ɐ ʃla:k] | |||||
Literally: I thought the stroke hits me! | |||||
825. | sich etwas durch den Kopf gehen lassen | to mull over something | |||
[zɪç 'ɛtvas dʊrç de:n kɔpf 'ge:ən 'lasən] | |||||
Literally: to let something go through one's head | |||||
826. | soviel Ahnung davon haben wie eine Kuh vom Sonntag | to not have got the faintest idea of it | |||
[zo: fi:l 'a:nʊŋ da'fɔn ha:bən vi: 'ainə ku: fɔm 'zɔnta:k] | |||||
Literally: to have as much idea of it as a cow of the Sunday | |||||
827. | Ich glaub', ich steh' im Wald! | I think I got off at the wrong station! | |||
[ɪç glaup ɪç ʃte: ɪm valt] | |||||
Literally: I think I am standing in the forest! | |||||
828. | Saure-Gurken-Zeit | silly season/summer recess | |||
['zaurə 'gʊrkən tsait] | |||||
Literally: sour cucumber time | |||||
829. | sich den Arsch aufreißen | to bust one's arse | |||
[zɪç de:n arʃ 'aufraisən] | |||||
Literally: to rip open oneself the arse | |||||
830. | immer auf dem Sprung sein | to be always on the go | |||
['ɪmɐ auf de:m ʃprʊŋ zain] | |||||
Literally: to be always on the jump | |||||
831. | Wem das Glück aufspielt, der hat gut tanzen. | He dances well to whom fortune pipes. | |||
[ve:m das glʏk 'aufʃpi:lt de:ɐ hat gu:t 'tantsən] | |||||
Literally: Whom the fortune plays has good dancing. | |||||
832. | vor Wut kochen | to be foaming with rage | |||
[fɔɐ vu:t 'kɔxən] | |||||
Literally: to boil with rage | |||||
833. | sich bei jemandem (←dative) einschleimen | to kiss someone's ass | |||
[zɪç bai 'je:mandəm 'ainʃlaimən] | |||||
Literally: to slime in to somebody | |||||
834. | auf jemandem (←dative) herumhacken | to pick on somebody | |||
[auf 'je:mandəm hɛ'rʊmhakən] | |||||
835. | Vergib ihnen, denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun! | Forgive them for they know not what they do! | |||
[fɛɐ'gi:p 'i:nən dɛn zi: 'vɪsən nɪçt vas zi: tu:n] | |||||
836. | auf gut Deutsch | in plain English | |||
[auf gu:t dɔytʃ] | |||||
Literally: on good German | |||||
837. | sich etwas einfallen lassen | to come up with an idea | |||
[zɪç 'ɛtvas 'ainfalən 'lasən] | |||||
Literally: to let oneself fall something in | |||||
838. | die Gelegenheit beim Schopf packen | to grasp at an opportunity | |||
[di: gə'le:gənhait baim ʃɔpf 'pakən] | |||||
Literally: to grasp the opportunity by the shock of hair | |||||
839. | Das hat mir gerade noch gefehlt! (iron) | That's all I needed! (iron) | |||
[das hat mi:ə gə'ra:də nɔx gə'fe:lt] | |||||
Literally: That I have just missed additionally! | |||||
840. | Gut Ding will Weile haben. | Slow and steady wins the race. | |||
[gu:t dɪŋ vɪl 'vailə 'ha:bən] | |||||
Literally: Good thing wants to have while. | |||||
841. | Haste* was, biste* was. | Wealth brings status. | |||
['hastə vas 'bɪstə vas] | |||||
Literally: Have you got something, you are something. | |||||
haste = hast du, biste = bist du | |||||
842. | jemanden (←accusative) an die Kandare nehmen | to keep a tight rein on somebody | |||
['je:mandən an di: kan'darə 'ne:mən] | |||||
Literally: to take somebody at the bit | |||||
843. | jemandem (←dative) den Mund wässrig machen | to make somebody's mouth water | |||
['je:mandəm de:n mʊnt 'vɛsrɪç 'maxən] | |||||
Literally: to make somebody the mouth watery | |||||
844. | Das ist nicht mein Fall. | That's not my cup of tea. | |||
[das ɪst nɪçt main fal] | |||||
Literally: That is not my case. | |||||
845. | so gern ich auch möchte | much as I would like | |||
[zo: gɛrn ɪç aux 'mœçtə] | |||||
Literally: as with pleasure I would like | |||||
846. | mit Sack und Pack | with bag and baggage | |||
[mɪt zak ʊnt pak] | |||||
Literally: with sack and package | |||||
847. | jemandem (←dative) etwas um die Ohren hauen | to beat somebody round the head with something | |||
['je:mandəm 'ɛtvas ʊm di: 'o:rən 'hauən] | |||||
Literally: to beat somebody something round the ears | |||||
848. | Wurzeln schlagen | to put down roots | |||
['vʊrtsəln 'ʃlagən] | |||||
Literally: to hit roots | |||||
849. | Hinten Lyzeum, vorne Museum. | Young from behind, old from in front. | |||
['hɪntən ly'tse:ʊm 'fɔrnə mu'ze:ʊm] | |||||
Literally: At the back secondary school for girls, at the front museum. | |||||
850. | Außen fix, innen nix! | All show and no substance! | |||
['ausən fɪks 'ɪnən nɪks] | |||||
Literally: On the outside quick, on the inside nothing! | |||||
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