A2Business
Am Hungertuch nagen
To suffer from extreme poverty, to be very poor
In German
Am Hungertuch nagen
am hoon-ger-tookh nah-gen
Literal Translation
Literal TranslationTo gnaw on the hunger cloth
Meaning
MeaningTo suffer from extreme poverty, to be very poor.
Equivalent:"To barely scrape by"
Origin:During times of famine, people were so hungry they would metaphorically try to gnaw on anything, even a 'hunger cloth' (a cloth used to cover food, or just any cloth out of desperation).
Example Sentences
Example Sentences- 1
Nach dem Verlust seines Jobs nagt er am Hungertuch.
After losing his job, he's barely scraping by.
- 2
Viele Künstler müssen am Hungertuch nagen, bevor sie Erfolg haben.
Many artists have to scrape by before they achieve success.
FAQ
How do you say "To suffer from extreme poverty, to be very poor" in German?
"To suffer from extreme poverty, to be very poor" in German is "Am Hungertuch nagen" (am hoon-ger-tookh nah-gen). Example: Nach dem Verlust seines Jobs nagt er am Hungertuch..
Related
To take charge, to assume control and leadership of a situation or task
Das Heft in die Hand nehmen
das heft in dee hant nay-men
To waste money, to spend lavishly and carelessly
Geld zum Fenster hinauswerfen
gelt tsum fen-ster hee-nous-ver-fen
To not succeed, to not get anywhere financially or professionally
Auf keinen grünen Zweig kommen
ouf kine-en groo-nen tsveig kom-en
To secretly give someone money or a gift, often as a bribe or an unofficial payment
Jemandem etwas zustecken
yeh-man-dem et-vas tsoo-shtek-en
To have a comfortable, secure, and well-paying job or position, often obtained through connections or privilege rather than pure merit
Ein warmes Plätzchen haben
ine var-mes pletz-khen hah-ben
To work extremely hard, to exert oneself to the point of exhaustion
Sich den Buckel abarbeiten
zikh den boo-kel ap-ar-bye-ten
