Common Idioms

Idioms give flavor to language and show cultural mindset, so learning them helps you sound more natural and clever.

Food Idioms

Food idioms often relate to taste, cooking, and eating, reflecting everyday experiences around meals.

German Idiom	English Idiom	Literal Translation	Meaning
Das ist nicht mein Bier	That's not my problem	That is not my beer	It's not my concern
Jemandem Honig ums Maul schmieren	To flatter someone excessively	To spread honey around someone's mouth	To butter someone up
Ins Fettnäpfchen treten	To put one's foot in it	To step into the grease pot	To make an embarrassing mistake
Den Apfel nicht weit vom Stamm fallen lassen	The apple doesn't fall far from the tree	To not let the apple fall far from the trunk	Children resemble their parents
Sich die Rosinen rauspicken	To cherry-pick	To pick out the raisins	To choose only the best parts

German Example	English Translation
🍞 Er will das Brot für sich alleine haben.	He wants to have the bread all to himself.
☕ Lass uns bei einer Tasse Kaffee reden.	Let’s talk over a cup of coffee.
🍳 Das ist kein Grund, alles auf einmal zu braten.	That’s no reason to fry everything at once.
🍰 Sie hat das Stück Kuchen immer schön eingeteilt.	She always divided the piece of cake nicely.
🥨 Zum Frühstück gibt’s eine kleine Brezel und große Pläne.	For breakfast there’s a small pretzel and big plans.

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Animal Idioms

Animal idioms draw on traits of animals to describe human behavior, making descriptions vivid and memorable.

German Idiom	English Idiom	Literal Translation	Meaning
Da liegt der Hund begraben	That's the crux of the matter	That's where the dog is buried	That's the real issue
Jemandem einen Bären aufbinden	To tell someone a tall tale	To tie a bear on someone	To deceive or trick someone
Auf den Hund kommen	To go to the dogs	To come onto the dog	To fall on hard times
Schwein haben	To be lucky	To have pig	To have good luck
Die Kuh vom Eis holen	To solve a difficult problem	To get the cow off the ice	To resolve a tricky situation

German Example	English Translation
🐺 Er gibt sich weiter als Wolf im Schafspelz.	He passes himself off as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
🐝 Sie arbeitet wie eine fleißige Biene.	She works like a busy bee.
🦊 Das war eine listige Fuchsidee.	That was a clever fox idea.
🐸 Er springt von einem Thema zum anderen wie ein Frosch.	He jumps from one topic to another like a frog.
🐘 Das Problem ist wie ein Elefant im Raum.	The problem is like an elephant in the room.

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Nature Idioms

Nature idioms use elements like weather, plants, and terrain to convey emotions and situations, tapping into universal experiences.

German Idiom	English Idiom	Literal Translation	Meaning
Jemandem geht ein Licht auf	Someone realizes something	A light goes on for someone	To have an insight
Ins Gras beißen	To bite the dust	To bite the grass	To die
Unter die Haube kommen	To get married	To come under the hood	To tie the knot
Den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht sehen	Can't see the forest for the trees	To not see the forest for so many trees	To be unable to see the big picture
Etwas geht den Bach runter	Something goes downhill	Something goes down the stream	To deteriorate

German Example	English Translation
🌧️ Heute fällt alles ins Wasser.	Today everything falls into the water. (Everything’s canceled.)
🌱 Das Projekt steckt noch in den Kinderschuhen.	The project is still in its infancy.
🌪️ Er wirbelte das Thema durch den ganzen Raum.	He swept the topic through the whole room.
🌞 Nach dem Streit kam wieder Sonnenschein.	After the quarrel, sunshine returned.
🍂 Die Stimmung war herbstlich und ruhig.	The mood was autumnal and calm.

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Summary

Idioms enrich language and reflect culture, so learning common ones in categories like food, animals, and nature helps you understand and express nuances naturally.

Last updated: Tue Sep 16, 2025