I think my pig is whistling – German idioms

Idioms and proverbs are unique in each language and may cause some confusion when they are translated literally. Here we have a list for you with some common German idioms.

To have an earworm – “Einen Ohrwurm haben“
No, this is not a German disease. “Having an earworm” is the German way of saying: “To have a song stuck in one`s head”

To let the pig out – “Die Sau rauslassen”
Used when someone is going to celebrate wildly, is going have fun or letting himself go.

I think my pig is whistling – “Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift“

Expression is meant to signify a tremendous surprise or astonishment as if a pig would start to whistle. A similar idiom meaning the same is “I think a horse is kicking me” (Ich glaub’ mich tritt ein Pferd).

Not having all cups in the cupboard – “Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben“

Referring to a person that is crazy. A similar idiom might be the English expression “Not playing with a full desk”. Other idioms having the same meaning are “To have a bird”  (Einen Vogel haben) or “To have a screw loose” (Eine Schraube locker haben).

That was for the cat – “Das war für die Katz“

Implying that something was a waste of time. There are several other German idioms including the word “cat”, for example: “To buy the cat in the bag” (Die Katze im Sack kaufen) meaning to get oneself into an unknown or risky situation without checking the conditions before.

Do the fly – “Mach die Fliege“

Demanding someone to leave quickly.

To get on one’s cookie – “Jemandem auf dem Keks gehen“

To get on somebody’s nerves. Another expression also commonly used to imply that someone is annoyed by somebody or something is “To get on one’s alarm” (Jemandem auf den Wecker gehen).

To talk around the hot porridge – “Um den heißen Brei herumreden“

Is used when someone does not have the courage to talk about something openly or when a person describes an issue roundabout, lengthy and without naming the important aspects.

Sich eine Eselsbrücke bauen – “To build oneself a donkey bridge“

This idiom refers to a mental tool that creates a connection between two ideas in order remember them more easily. For example, German pupils remind themselves of the correct writing of the word “nämlich” with the “Eselsbrücke”: “Wer nämlich mit “h” scheibt, ist dämlich.”

That’s not my beer – “Das ist nicht mein Bier”

That’s none of my business or that’s not my problem.

To tie a bear on someone  – “Jemandem einen Bär aufbinden“

To hoax or lie to someone (playfully) by tricking him to believe something untrue.

That is sausage to me – “Das ist mir Wurst“

Especially used in Bavaria but also common in other German regions, meaning I couldn’t care less. Beside this idiom we also use the expression: “Now it goes around the sausage” (Jetzt geht es um die Wurst) as the German equivalent to “Its neck, or nothing”.

I only understand train station – “Ich versteht nur Bahnhof verstehen“

Do not or do not want to understand a topic or issue.

To have the nose full – “Die Nase voll haben”

To be sick or tired of something.

Holla the woodnymp – “Holla die Waldfee”

A cry of astonishment or surprise (in a positive way). Its origin is a matter of conjecture. Some people trace it back to an ancient card game, others insist that the idiom originates from the German fairy tale “Mother Mulda” (Frau Holle).

Keep your ears stiff – “Halt die Ohren steif”

Could be translated as “Hang in there”. It is used to wish someone the best of luck or to impress one`s comfort.

To have a total sock-shot – “Einen totalen Sockenschuss haben”

Is used to say that someone is out of his mind.

You can take poison on that  –  “Darauf kannst du Gift nehmen”

This idiom expresses that an issue is irrevocably right. A suitable English equivalent might be “You can bet your life on it.”

To be on the woodway – “Auf dem Holzweg sein”

“Du bist auf dem Holzweg” is a common expression to describe that someone is wrong or mistaken.

Now we have the salad – “Jetzt haben wir den Salat”

Is used when something goes wrong or when some kind of misfortune/accident couldn’t be averted. A salad consists of different ingredients mixed together and portrays the “chaos” the idiom refers to.

So which one do you like the most? Let us know your opinion!

Tasty cultural insights – giveaway food facts

Throughout our stay in Germany we have noticed a couple interesting facts about the food culture.

Note: this is not about the most important food types or dishes but rather a quick look at some things we found to be interesting (and delicious) regarding food.

Bread. If you are the type of person who enjoys a fresh slice bread from your local bakery with most meals then Germany is THE place. Germany offers more than 300 (!) types of bread prepared fresh daily from countless bakeries throughout the country. So, if you start today you might be able to try them all during the next 10 months! Also, if you are more interested, you can visit the different bread museums in the country. The reason for such a large variety of bread options grew popular from different cultural and regional preferences. The different cities and towns had their own bread, just like everyone preferred their own tastes in sausages, beer, etc. If you think that 300 types of bread is hard to imagine, try learning the over 35 different German dialects!

However, it would take even longer if you want to try every one of the special sausages Germany has to offer. It would take around two and a half years if you each type per day. There are more than 1,000 varieties, each with different flavorings, herbs, spice mixtures, texture and size. So what’s the reason for this? Centuries ago, Germany was formed from a number of tiny territories where food was a symbol of wealth. Therefore, when cooks were needed to prepare new and special sausages they all had one guiding thought: the more meat, the wealthier everyone looked!

There is one spice that appears in almost everything that can be eaten. It is often referred to as Germany’s ‘can’t live without’ spice: Paprika! One will find it on everything from sausages to cheese, even sprinkled on potato chips, fried eggs, schnitzels and bread. You can hardly find a bag of potato chips that isn’t flavored with somehow. The simple, “just salted”-chips we all know and love don’t stand a chance against the Paprika chips in German supermarkets.

Sauerkraut? German for “Sour cabbage”. Arguably the most famous vegetable dish associated with Germany. Eating fermented, sour cabbage might not be everyone’s idea of a tasty  treat, but sauerkraut is actually a lot better than it sounds. In fact, it is fantastic. Sauerkraut goes with everything from hotdogs to burgers and schnitzel. Even great by itself as a side dish!

Between late April and May one might encounter the white asparagus phenomenon known as Spargel. While being a very healthy and yummy dish no matter how it is prepared. Spargel is waved around and embraced warmly in supermarkets all over Germany in late spring! You can see spargel served on the side or pureed with cream in what is known as ‘spargel soup’, a must try this time of year.

Did someone say beer? In Germany and especially in Bavaria, beer is considered a type of food. Let us give you some info on just how important (and awesome) beer is in Germany:

–          Germany however, will make it very hard for you to actually buy a beer! Why? Well there are over 1,500 different brands and types of beer in this country!

–          Germany is the cheapest place in Europe to buy “Bier”!

–          Germans love beer so much, that they rank second in the WORLD-WIDE beer consumption per person after Ireland.

–          And last but not least: Germans like beer so much that they even made up an expression for it: “Das ist nicht mein Bier” meaning “This is none of my business” and literally translating into “This is not my beer”.