27 German idioms to display the German’s love for fairy tales and sausages

What is the connection between German idioms, story tales and sausages? Weather it is Michael Ende’s “The Never Ending Story” (“Die Unendliche Geschichte”), Erich Kästner’s “Emil and the Detectives” (“Emil Und Die Detektive”) or Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel”, German storytelling reveals a rich culture and a millennial tradition.

But did you now that this country produces over 1200 different types of sausages? Surely the opulent German cuisine would have also infiltrated the expressive Teutonic language, as we can see from the following German idioms.

Kein Schwein war da

Translation: There weren’t any pigs there

Meaning: Not worth going, a bad place to be (to understand this idiom you need to keep in mind the German’s love for sausages.

27 German idioms to display the German’s love for fairy tales and sausages/ Kein Schwein war da - Not worth going
27 German idioms to display the German’s love for fairy tales and sausages/ Kein Schwein war da – Not worth going

Das ist mir Wurst

Translation: That’s sausage to me

Meaning: That doesn’t matter

Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei

Translation: Everything has an end. Only the sausage has two

Meaning: All good things must end (but said with a lot more feeling)

Sie spielt die beleidigte Leberwurst

Translation: She’s playing the insulted sausage

Meaning: She’s all worked up (said with lots of gusto)

27 German idioms to display the German’s love for fairy tales and sausages. Sie spielt die beleidigte Leberwurst - She’s all worked up
27 German idioms to display the German’s love for fairy tales and sausages. Sie spielt die beleidigte Leberwurst – She’s all worked up

Eine Extrawurst haben

Translation: To get an extra sausage

Meaning: To ask for special treatment 

Er muss zu allem seinen Senf dazugeben

Translation: He has to add his mustard to everything

Meaning: Give his two cents worth 

Wir haben zusammen noch keine Schweine gehütet!

Translation: We haven’t kept any pigs together

Meaning: We don’t know each other all that well

Wir haben zusammen noch keine Schweine gehütet - We don’t know each other all that well

Schwein haben

Translation: To have a pig

Meaning: To be lucky. Obviously to Germans having a pig means a lot more that having a cow means to the English speaking world.

Mein Englisch ist unter aller Sau

Translation: My English is under all pig

Meaning: My English is really bad

Wie die Kuh vorm neuen Tor dastehen

Translation: Like a cow standing in front of a new door

Meaning: Confused, much like someone faced with a new situation

Der Elefant und das Lamm - Amazon
Der Elefant und das Lamm – Amazon

Da liegt der Hase im Pfeffer!

Translation: There’s a rabbit in the pepper

Meaning: something that is depressing, a catastrophe.

Da steppt der Bär

Translation: That’s where the bear dances

Meaning: A great party

Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden

Translation: To tie a bear to someone

Meaning: to deceive someone into accepting something false

Der Löwe und der Hund  - Amazon
Der Löwe und der Hund – Amazon

Affentheater

Translation: Monkey theatre

Meaning: An outrageous behavior (Its origin lies back in the 19th century and the ambulant animal fun shows)

Sie hat ein Kater

Translation:She has a tomcat

Meaning: She’s got a hangover

Das ist ein Katzensprung

Translation: That’s a cat jump

Meaning: Something is very close, a stone’s throw away

Der Gepard und der Hund - Amazon
Der Gepard und der Hund – Amazon

Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof

Translation: Life is no pony farm

Meaning: Life is not easy

Vogel friss oder stirb

Translation: Bird eat or die

Meaning: Pretty straight forward. It’s a do or die situation. 

Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf her

Translation: The fish starts stinking from the head

Meaning: Problems always start at the top (so very true in politics)

Sie hat einen Vogel

Translation: She has a bird

Meaning: She is mentally ill

Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen

Translation: Where fox and hare say goodnight to one another

Meaning: in the middle of nowhere, in a remote location (and surely not in a story book)

Da liegt der Hund begraben

Translation: That’s where the dog’s buried

Meaning: That’s the heart of the matter – when you want to show that you know what the situation is about

Katze in Sack kaufen

Translation: To buy a cat in a sack

Meaning: To buy something without inspecting it first

Wer weiß, warum die Gänse barfuß gehen

Translation: Who knows why the geese go barefoot

Meaning: That’s just the way it is

Schlafen wie ein Murmeltier

Translation: Sleep like a marmot

Meaning: Sleep like a log

Tomaten auf den Augen haben

Translation: To have tomatoes in your eyes

Meaning: Not being able to see the obvious

Klar wie Kloßbrühe

Translation: clear as dumpling broth

Meaning: crystal clear

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2 Replies to “27 German idioms to display the German’s love for fairy tales and sausages”

  1. Thank you for stopping by, Juniper.
    Your comment is “as good as gold” – much appreciated 🙂

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