German Idioms – Part 3

German idioms are an important part of everyday German. They come up all the time in both written and spoken German. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare German idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen

Literally: Where fox and hare say goodnight to one another
English equivalent: In the middle of nowhere

Um den heißen Brei herumreden

Literally: to talk around the hot porridge
English equivalent: to beat around the bush

Da steppt der Bär

Literally: The bear dances there
English equivalent: To have a good party, to have a blast

Sich zum Affen machen

Literally: to make an ape of yourself
English equivalent: to make a fool of yourself

Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen

Literally: to hit the nail on the head
English equivalent: to do exactly the right thing

Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen

Literally: You can take poison on that.
English equivalent: You can bet your life on that.

Die Kirche im Dorf lassen

Literally: to leave the church in the village
English equivalent: to not get carried away