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SOCIAL

12 eccentric German idioms to get your head around

12 eccentric German idioms to get your head around

This latest instalment of The Local List hopes to shine a little light on some of the charming eccentricities of the German language.

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<b>Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden:</b> Literally - to tie a bear on someone. The closest English equivalent would be “to put one over someone” - or to bamboozle them. When you’ve just moved to Austria, you’ll most likely be the subject of this phrase.Photo: Shutterstock
<b>Die Kirche im Dorf lassen:</b> Literally - leave the church in the village. Austrians like to play it safe. And this idiom conveys that beautifully. It warns you to not go too far, and to avoid taking risks. Calm down, buddy - die Kirche im Dorf lassen.</b>Photo: Ahmed Rabea
<b>Wer weiß, warum die Gänse barfuß gehen:</b> Literally - Who knows why the geese go barefoot. An artful way to say, “that’s just how it is”. Life is filled to the brim with pointless and idiotic realities. 99% of adulthood is wading through this bog of contradictions without thinking too much about it, making this idiom a handy one.Photo: Martin Eayrs
<b>Eine einzige Nuss rappelt nicht im Sacke.</b> Literally - A single nut doesn't rattle in the sack. The perfect illustration of an opaque translation. Funnily enough, the best way to understand this idiom is through the German “einmal ist keinmal” - once is never (a single event is not statistically significant or one can be forgiven the first time one makes a mistake). Photo: MG Kafkas
<b>Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf her.</b> Literally - the fish starts stinking from the head. An excellent one. Specifically because it attacks the age old human tradition of those at the top dodging blame. The phrase means that the problems start at the top. Remember this one whenever the next economic crisis rolls around.Photo: Greg King
<b>Ich bin keine Kuh, die man melken kann.
</b> Literally - I'm not a cow to be milked. Save this one for your friend that always expects you to buy them beer, cigarettes, or food. You’re not made of money, damn it.Photo: American Committee for KEEP inc
<b>Mit Pauken und Trompeten durchfallen.</b> Literally - To go down with drums and trumpets. To fail is to be human. The real distinction is in how we fail. This saying means to fail gloriously, guns blazing.Photo: Paul Townsend
<b>Er hat das Pulver nicht gerade erfunden.</b> Literally - He didn't exactly invent gunpowder. A put down reserved for the less intelligent among us. When someone isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, or a little bit, shall we say, 'slow'.Photo: Arthur Chapman
<b>Wer Feuer frißt, scheißt Funken.</b> Literally - He who eats fire s**ts sparks. A masterpiece of German idiomatic art. It’s a warning - he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.Photo: Dren88
<b>Das ist ein Streit um des Kaisers Bart.</b> Literally - An argument over the emperor's beard. If you ever find yourself in an argument with an Austrian and they resort to semantic arguments, drop this one on them. The English equivalent would be “to split hairs”. That is, to make small and overly fine distinctions.Photo: Thaddaus Zoltkowski
<b>Einen Vogel haben:</b> Literally - to have a bird [in the head]. When a German speaker asks you, “Hast Du einen Vogel?”, they’re not enquiring about your pet ownership. They’re calling you crazy. If someone has asked you this and you told them about your African Grey named Marjorie, then we're sorry to break the bad news.Photo: A Koto
<b>Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei.</b> Everything has an end, only the sausage has two. What list of German language idioms would be complete without referencing Wurst? This one’s meaning isn’t hard to understand, but it’s beautiful in its Teutonic pragmatism and simplicity.Photo: Eole_Wind


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