German Idioms & Proverbs

To keep one's fingers crossed for good luck

To annoy or irritate someone

To be clumsy or unskillful, especially with manual tasks

To have something under control or to manage it well

To be fed up with something; to have had enough

To turn a blind eye; to overlook a minor transgression

To rack one's brain; to think very hard about a problem

To live in grand style and spend a lot of money, often more than one can really afford

To give someone the cold shoulder; to treat someone in an unfriendly or dismissive way

To prick up one's ears; to listen intently or carefully

To have a weight lifted off one's mind; to feel a great sense of relief

To be extremely happy or in love; to be in seventh heaven

To die; to kick the bucket

To spring up rapidly and in large numbers

To feel completely comfortable and at ease in a particular situation or environment

To be unable to see the overall situation or main point because one is too focused on minor details

A sudden, unexpected, and often shocking event

A great commotion or fuss over something insignificant; a tempest in a teapot

One single positive sign is not enough to conclude that a general positive trend or outcome has begun

To ignore or avoid a problem by pretending it doesn't exist, like an ostrich

To postpone or temporarily suspend something

To be very experienced, cunning, and resourceful; to be a seasoned hand

It's raining heavily; it's pouring down

To say something indirectly and tactfully instead of stating it openly; to hint at it

To meet with strong resistance or insuperable obstacles; to run into a brick wall

To act contrary to prevailing opinion or trends; to go against the grain

Children often resemble their parents in character or behavior; like father, like son/daughter

In a remote, desolate, or isolated place

That's old news; that's irrelevant or outdated

To abandon someone in a difficult situation; to leave someone in the lurch

To introduce new ideas or energy into a situation; to revitalise

A person who appears friendly or harmless but is actually dangerous or malicious

To be based on an unstable or unreliable foundation; to be precarious

It's a very small, insignificant amount compared to what is needed; a drop in the ocean

After a difficult period, things will improve; every cloud has a silver lining

To waste money, to spend lavishly and carelessly

To economize, to live more frugally due to financial difficulties

To use one's savings, often implying an emergency or unexpected need

To earn an exorbitant amount of money, often with little effort or through questionable means, or simply a surprisingly large sum

To buy something without properly inspecting it, often leading to a bad deal or disappointment

To not succeed, to not get anywhere financially or professionally

To save money, to put money aside for later

To suffer from extreme poverty, to be very poor

To secretly give someone money or a gift, often as a bribe or an unofficial payment

To have a comfortable, secure, and well-paying job or position, often obtained through connections or privilege rather than pure merit

To work extremely hard, to exert oneself to the point of exhaustion

To prepare for hard work, to get ready to tackle a task with determination

Even small contributions or earnings, when accumulated, can amount to something significant

One should take advantage of an opportunity while it is available and favorable

One should stay active and busy; inactivity leads to decline in skills or physical/mental fitness

To receive the largest portion or share of something, often unfairly or disproportionately

To be extremely wealthy, to have an abundance of money

To spend money freely and generously, often for entertainment or to get things done

For a very low price, very cheaply

To enjoy the positive results or rewards of one's hard work and efforts

To take charge, to assume control and leadership of a situation or task

To make a great effort, to work very hard and diligently

To stay focused, persistent, and informed; to keep up with developments or a task

To keep one's fingers crossed for someone, to wish someone good luck

Everything is fine, all is well, everything is in order

To be completely exhausted, worn out

To get on someone's nerves, to annoy someone

To kill two birds with one stone, to achieve two things at once

To hit the nail on the head, to describe a situation or problem exactly

To fail to see something obvious, even though it is right in front of one

To put in one's two cents, to offer an unsolicited opinion or comment

To be inseparable, very close friends

To pull someone's leg, to tease or fool someone

A stone's throw away, a very short distance

To sweep something under the rug, to hide or ignore a problem

To lose one's train of thought, to forget what one was saying

To postpone something indefinitely, to put something on the back burner

To think outside the box, to broaden one's horizons

To let the cat out of the bag, to reveal a secret

To lie through one's teeth, to tell outrageous lies

To twist someone around one's little finger, to manipulate someone easily

To be able to trust someone completely, to be partners in crime, to be very close friends

To pull someone's leg, to tell someone a tall tale or lie

That's undeniable, there's no denying it, that's a fact

To test something thoroughly, to examine something in detail

To understand nothing at all, to be completely confused

To lead someone astray, to trick or deceive someone, to put someone in a difficult situation

To be in despair, extremely frustrated, or desperate

To be absolutely furious about something; to be livid

To have a pounding heart because of nerves, excitement or being in love

To be overjoyed, extremely happy and excited

To cause someone deep emotional pain, usually due to disappointment in love or betrayal

To endure pain or a difficult situation with determination and without complaining

To feel utterly exhausted, worn out, or beaten, as if one has been broken on a wheel (an old torture device)

To be extremely scared or frightened

To declare openly where one stands; to stop hedging and take a clear position

To get extremely scared or frightened; to suddenly lose courage

To be on edge, extremely tense, or highly irritable; to be at the end of one's tether

To wish someone good luck or success

To be very close, intimately connected, and in perfect harmony with someone

To scare someone greatly; to terrify someone

To be utterly devastated, heartbroken, or extremely sad

To ruin someone's good mood or make them unhappy

To confide in someone, to share one's deepest feelings, thoughts, or worries

To be extremely angry, to the point of feeling like one might explode

To make someone cry or bring tears to their eyes, either from sadness, emotion, or even laughter

To worry, to be concerned or anxious about something

To give someone a fright or a scare

To feel uncomfortable, uneasy, or not oneself; to be ill at ease

To be extremely happy, delighted, or overjoyed

To ignore someone or treat them in an unfriendly, aloof, or dismissive manner

To skip work or school, to take a day off without permission

To dislike someone and be unfriendly towards them

To be extremely angry, to lose one's temper

To be pessimistic, to expect the worst

To give permission, to approve something

To lie shamelessly and without restraint; to tell someone outrageous lies

In writing, in black and white; official proof or documentation

To be an unremarkable, inconspicuous, or shy person

To be within the normal or acceptable range; everything is fine

To have a clean record and nothing to hide; to be innocent of any wrongdoing

To be inexperienced, naive, or very young

To be the outcast, the odd one out, or the problematic member of a group or family

To see things overly optimistically, to be naive or unrealistic about a situation

To deceive someone, to mislead them, to pull the wool over someone's eyes

To be very envious or jealous

To be in for a rude awakening, to experience a big, unpleasant surprise or shock

To promise someone immense wealth, prosperity, or everything they could wish for; to promise the moon

The common thread, the main theme or recurring motif in a story, argument, or series of events

To give someone a very special, honorable, or lavish welcome

To blush deeply, usually from embarrassment, anger, or exertion

To be overly pessimistic, to exaggerate difficulties, to portray something in an excessively negative light

To surrender, to give up, to admit defeat

To have a succession of green traffic lights, allowing smooth and uninterrupted passage

To be naive, innocent, or overly trusting

To be crazy; to have a screw loose

To be lucky; to have good luck

To go to the dogs; to fall on hard times

To wait and see; to be patient

To have something weighing on one's mind; to have something to confess

To cast pearls before swine; to offer something valuable to those who cannot appreciate it

To not exaggerate; to keep things in perspective

To rip someone off; to swindle someone

To offend someone; to step on someone's toes

To be the fifth wheel; to be superfluous

To do something effortlessly; to pull something out of a hat

To stand up to someone; to defy someone

To do something on one's own initiative; to do something independently

To guard something like the apple of one's eye; to protect something very carefully

To jump in at the deep end; to face a new challenge without preparation

To have something in the bag; to have something secured

A weight is lifted off someone's mind; to feel relieved

To not take something lightly; to take something seriously

To pump someone for information; to extract information with difficulty

To speak in private; to have a private conversation

To make an exception for someone; to give someone special treatment

To offer help to someone; to reconcile with someone

To have something on one's record; to have a blot on one's copybook

To eat someone out of house and home; to be a financial burden