A2Daily

Den Kürzeren ziehen

To draw the short straw, to get the worse end of a deal, to be at a disadvantage

In German

Den Kürzeren ziehen

den KYR-tser-en TSEE-en

Literal Translation

To pull the shorter one

Meaning

To draw the short straw, to get the worse end of a deal, to be at a disadvantage.

Equivalent:"To draw the short straw; To get the short end of the stick"

Origin:It comes from drawing lots with straws or sticks of different lengths: whoever drew the shorter one lost.

Example Sentences

1
In der Verhandlung hat er leider den Kürzeren gezogen.
Unfortunately, he came off worse in the negotiation.
2
Wenn man nicht gut vorbereitet ist, zieht man oft den Kürzeren.
If you are not well prepared, you often end up with the short end of the stick.

FAQ

How do you say "To draw the short straw, to get the worse end of a deal, to be at a disadvantage" in German?

"To draw the short straw, to get the worse end of a deal, to be at a disadvantage" in German is "Den Kürzeren ziehen" (den KYR-tser-en TSEE-en). Example: In der Verhandlung hat er leider den Kürzeren gezogen..

To go downhill, to go to ruin, to fail

Den Bach runtergehen

den BAHKH ROON-ter-gey-en

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

Etwas unter den Teppich kehren

ET-vas UN-ter den TEP-pich KEY-ren

To give someone a hint, to jog someone's memory, to help someone get started

Jemandem auf die Sprünge helfen

YE-man-dem owf dee SHPRYNG-e HEL-fen

To have a thick skin, to be resilient, not easily offended

Ein dickes Fell haben

ayn DICK-es FELL HAH-ben