German: Idioms That Make No Sense Literally
30 German idioms that sound absurd word for word. Front: the German idiom. Back: the literal translation and what it actually means.
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#1
Q:Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof.
- A:Lit. "I only understand 'train station'" → I don't understand a thing
#2
Q:Das ist nicht mein Bier.
- A:Lit. "That's not my beer" → Not my problem
#3
Q:Tomaten auf den Augen haben
- A:Lit. "to have tomatoes on your eyes" → to miss something obvious
#4
Q:Da steppt der Bär.
- A:Lit. "The bear is tap-dancing there" → It's a wild party
#5
Q:Ich glaub, mein Schwein pfeift!
- A:Lit. "I think my pig is whistling!" → I can't believe it!
#6
Q:Jetzt geht's um die Wurst.
- A:Lit. "Now it's about the sausage" → It's now or never
#7
Q:Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei.
- A:Lit. "Everything has an end, only the sausage has two" → All good things come to an end
#8
Q:die Katze im Sack kaufen
- A:Lit. "to buy a cat in a sack" → to buy something without checking it
#9
Q:Schwein haben
- A:Lit. "to have a pig" → to be lucky
#10
Q:Ich drücke dir die Daumen.
- A:Lit. "I'm pressing my thumbs for you" → Fingers crossed for you
#11
Q:einen Kater haben
- A:Lit. "to have a tomcat" → to have a hangover
#12
Q:Da liegt der Hund begraben.
- A:Lit. "That's where the dog is buried" → That's the heart of the matter
#13
Q:jemandem auf den Keks gehen
- A:Lit. "to walk on someone's biscuit" → to get on someone's nerves
#14
Q:seinen Senf dazugeben
- A:Lit. "to add your mustard" → to give an opinion nobody asked for
#15
Q:die Nase voll haben
- A:Lit. "to have a full nose" → to be fed up
#16
Q:Hals- und Beinbruch!
- A:Lit. "Break your neck and leg!" → Break a leg! Good luck!
#17
Q:Das ist mir Wurst.
- A:Lit. "That's sausage to me" → I couldn't care less
#18
Q:Ich bin fix und fertig.
- A:Lit. "I'm fixed and finished" → I'm completely exhausted
#19
Q:jemandem einen Bären aufbinden
- A:Lit. "to tie a bear onto someone" → to tell someone a tall tale
#20
Q:die Kirche im Dorf lassen
- A:Lit. "to leave the church in the village" → don't exaggerate
#21
Q:Hummeln im Hintern haben
- A:Lit. "to have bumblebees in your bottom" → to be unable to sit still
#22
Q:unter aller Sau
- A:Lit. "below any sow" → absolutely terrible
#23
Q:Mit ihm ist nicht gut Kirschen essen.
- A:Lit. "It's not good to eat cherries with him" → He's hard to deal with
#24
Q:Das ist nur ein Katzensprung.
- A:Lit. "It's just a cat's jump" → It's very close
#25
Q:sich zum Affen machen
- A:Lit. "to make a monkey of yourself" → to make a fool of yourself
#26
Q:um den heißen Brei herumreden
- A:Lit. "to talk around the hot porridge" → to beat around the bush
#27
Q:den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen
- A:Lit. "to hit the nail on the head" → to be exactly right
#28
Q:Lügen haben kurze Beine.
- A:Lit. "Lies have short legs" → Lies are soon found out
#29
Q:Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm.
- A:Lit. "The early bird catches the worm" → Early risers get ahead
#30
Q:Ende gut, alles gut.
- A:Lit. "End good, all good" → All's well that ends well