50 idioms in German

That is where the dog is buried → That is where the real problem lies, the hidden root of the matter. Used when you finally uncover the cause of everything.

In English: That's the crux of the matter

To buy the cat in the sack → To close a deal without inspecting what you are getting. Used to warn someone before a blind purchase.

In English: To buy a pig in a poke

To let the cat out of the sack → To reveal a secret that was being kept. Used when someone finally tells everyone what they wanted to know.

In English: To let the cat out of the bag

That's where the bear tap-dances → The party is going to be wild, the place will be buzzing. Used to talk someone into coming along.

In English: That's where the party's at

To swat two flies with one flyswatter → To solve two problems with a single action. Used when one effort produces two results.

In English: To kill two birds with one stone

To have a bird → To be a bit mad, to come out with something completely senseless. It usually comes with the gesture of tapping your forehead.

In English: To have a screw loose

To have pig → To be very lucky, especially to escape something bad by a hair. Used right after the scare.

In English: To luck out

To have tomatoes on your eyes → To miss something that is right in front of you. Used when the person is hunting for what is in plain sight.

In English: It's right under your nose

That is sausage to me → I don't mind either way, I have no preference at all. Used to say the choice makes no difference to you.

In English: It's all the same to me

To find a hair in the soup → To find fault with everything, complaining about a detail even when all is well. It describes someone who is never satisfied.

In English: To nitpick

To play the offended liver sausage → To sulk over something trivial and make sure everyone notices. It is said with a hint of gentle mockery.

In English: To get one's nose out of joint

That is not my beer → Not my problem, not my responsibility. Used to step back from someone else's mess.

In English: That's not my problem

To add one's own mustard → To give an opinion nobody asked for, to butt into the conversation. Almost always said with irritation.

In English: To put in one's two cents

To have a full nose → To be sick of something, to be unable to stand the situation any longer. Used when patience has run out.

In English: To be fed up

To press one's thumbs for someone → To hope things go well for someone. It is the German gesture equivalent to crossing your fingers.

In English: To keep one's fingers crossed

Breaking of neck and leg → Good luck! You wish the opposite precisely so as not to jinx it, before an exam, an opening night or a journey.

In English: Break a leg

To put one's hand in the fire for someone → To trust someone completely, to the point of guaranteeing their character to others.

In English: To vouch for someone

To stick one's head in the sand → To run from a problem by pretending it does not exist. Used to criticise anyone avoiding reality.

In English: To bury one's head in the sand

To write something behind one's ears → To take a warning firmly to heart so as never to forget it. It nearly always comes as a telling-off.

In English: To get it into one's head

To have hairs on one's teeth → To be tough, to answer back and give as good as you get. Said of someone you do not mess with.

In English: To not take any nonsense

It is raining strings → It is absolutely pouring, a heavy and unbroken rain. Used every day to complain about the weather.

In English: It's raining cats and dogs

Out of a clear sky → Suddenly, with no warning at all. Used for unexpected news and events.

In English: Out of the blue

The morning hour has gold in its mouth → Those who start early get more done. Used to encourage someone to get up early.

In English: The early bird catches the worm

It is highest railway → Time is desperately short, we have to act now. Used to hurry someone along.

In English: It's high time

To push something onto the long bench → To put a task off indefinitely, always leaving it for later. Used to chase up someone who keeps stalling.

In English: To put something on the back burner

To be yesterday's snow → To be old news, something that no longer matters. Used to close off a topic that has been settled.

In English: To be water under the bridge

To hit the nail on the head → To say exactly the right thing, to pinpoint the heart of a question. Used to praise an observation.

In English: To hit the nail on the head

To reach deep into one's pocket → To spend rather more on something than you would like. Used when talking about expensive purchases.

In English: To dig deep into one's pocket

To throw money out of the window → To burn money for nothing, spending it on something utterly useless. Used to criticise an outlay.

In English: To throw money down the drain

To roll one's sleeves upwards → To get down to serious work, to muck in. Used when the talking stops and the doing starts.

In English: To roll up one's sleeves

No master has yet fallen from the sky → Nobody is born knowing how; everything takes practice. It is meant to console someone who has stumbled at the start.

In English: Nobody's born an expert

To live on a big foot → To lead an expensive life, spending freely on comfort and luxury. It usually carries a critical edge.

In English: To live it up

To have butterflies in one's belly → To be in love, with that fluttering in the stomach that comes at the start of a romance. Used among friends.

In English: To have butterflies in one's stomach

To bring someone up the palm tree → To make someone furious, to drive them out of their mind. Used for anyone who irritates on purpose or by habit.

In English: To drive someone up the wall

To drive out of one's own skin → To lose patience and explode with anger. Used when someone can no longer contain their irritation.

In English: To hit the roof

To give someone a basket → To turn down a romantic invitation or a proposal. Used mainly of the person on the receiving end.

In English: To turn someone down

The heart slips into the trousers → To be gripped by sudden fear and lose your nerve at the decisive moment. Used before exams, speeches and frights.

In English: One's heart sinks

To pour oil on the fire → To make an already tense situation deliberately worse. Used for anyone who provokes at the worst moment.

In English: To add fuel to the fire

I only understand railway station → I have not understood a single thing that was said. Used in the face of confusing or overly technical explanations.

In English: It's all Greek to me

To leave the church inside the village → Not to overdo it, to keep a sense of proportion. Used to calm someone who is making a drama of things.

In English: To not get carried away

To pour someone pure wine → To tell the whole truth, even when it is unpleasant. Used before delivering hard news.

In English: To come clean with someone

To look over the rim of one's plate → To see beyond your own small world and consider other perspectives. Widely used in study and work contexts.

In English: To think outside the box

There we have the salad → Now we're in trouble — said when the mess you could see coming has finally happened.

In English: Now we're in a fine mess

To walk on someone's biscuit → To wear someone's patience down, to irritate them endlessly. Used among friends and in everyday complaints.

In English: To get on someone's nerves

To make blue → To skip work or school with no real reason. Used for the day when the person simply does not turn up.

In English: To skive off

To ride black → To take the bus, underground or train without paying the fare. It is the standard term for this in Germany.

In English: To fare-dodge

To annoy oneself black → To be furious about something, consumed with anger. Used above all in the face of injustice.

In English: To be seeing red

To float on cloud seven → To be walking on air with happiness, usually because of a new love or good news.

In English: To be on cloud nine

Under four eyes → Alone, between two people and nobody else listening. Widely used to ask for a private word.

In English: In private

To see through pink glasses → To see everything as far lovelier than it is, overlooking the flaws. Used above all of someone in love.

In English: To see through rose-tinted glasses