German Idioms and Expressions: Meanings, Origins, and Examples

German idioms are rarely translated literally. Alles in Butter isn’t about butter in the fridge, kalte Füße bekommen doesn’t always mean cold feet, and etwas an die große Glocke hängen doesn’t refer to a bell but rather to making a big deal out of something. Below is a selection of idioms with their literal translations, Russian meanings, brief histories, and examples.

Quick Reference Table of Idioms

German expression	Literal translation	How to understand it in Russian
Am längeren Hebel sitzen	to sit on the longer lever	to have power, an advantage, or leverage
Unter aller Kanone	below any standard	as bad as it gets, beyond criticism
Kalte Füße bekommen	to get cold feet	to chicken out, to lose one’s resolve
Abends werden die Bürgersteige hochgeklappt	In the evening, the sidewalks are folded up	The streets are empty in the evening
Saure-Gurken-Zeit	time of sour cucumbers	a period of inactivity or forced austerity
Abwarten und Tee trinken	wait and have some tea	we’ll see—we need to be patient
Eine Hand wäscht die andere	one hand washes the other	a favor for a favor, mutual help
Seine Schäfchen ins Trockene bringen	drive the sheep to a dry place	protect one’s money or interests
Alles in Butter	everything’s in butter	everything’s fine
Aller guten Dinge sind drei	All good things come in threes	The third time’s the charm
Die Arschkarte ziehen	to pull a card out of one’s back pocket	to end up in an unpleasant situation
Blau machen	to make blue	to skip school or work
Auf 180 sein	быть на 180	to be very angry, to be seething with rage
Etwas an die große Glocke hängen	to hang something on a big bell	to spread the word, to tell everyone

Am längeren Hebel sitzen

Literal translation: to have the upper hand.
Meaning: to have more power, resources, or influence.

A lever provides an advantage: the longer it is, the easier it is to move a heavy object. That’s why the expression am längeren Hebel sitzen is used when one side is objectively stronger than the other and can push through its decision.

This can apply to a boss in a dispute with an employee, a landlord in negotiations with a tenant, or a large company in conflict with a small contractor. The point isn’t necessarily about fairness, but rather about the balance of power.

Example: Bei den Verhandlungen sitzt der Konzern am längeren Hebel.
Translation: In negotiations, the corporation is in a stronger position.

Unter aller Kanone

Literal translation: below any cannon.
Meaning: below all criticism, very bad.

At first glance, the idiom sounds strange: die Kanone means “cannon.” But the expression is often explained through the Latin phrase sub omni canone, meaning “below any standard.” Phonetically, canone easily became associated with the German Kanone, and the image of “below any cannon” took hold in colloquial speech.

This is how people describe a flop of a movie, a poorly done job, rude service, or a result that’s hard to even evaluate on a standard scale.

Example: Der Vortrag war unter aller Kanone.
Translation: The report was below all criticism.

Kalte Füße bekommen

Literal translation: to get cold feet.
Meaning: to get scared, have second thoughts, and abandon a plan.

If someone has almost decided to do something but changed their mind at the last minute, in German you can say: er hat kalte Füße bekommen. In Russian, the closest equivalents are “chickened out” or “backed out.”

One common explanation links the expression to secret card games played in cold basements: a player with bad cards could blame the cold and leave. Today, the idiom is no longer tied to this story and is used in everyday situations—before a wedding, a business deal, an exam, or an important conversation.

Example: Am Tag vor der Hochzeit bekam er kalte Füße.
Translation: The day before the wedding, he chickened out.

In the evening, the sidewalks are rolled up

Literal translation: In the evening, the sidewalks are folded up.
Meaning: The streets are empty in the evenings; nothing is happening.

You might hear this phrase used to describe a small town or a quiet neighborhood where life practically comes to a standstill after the stores close. The image is intentionally comical: as if the sidewalks are simply put away at night until morning because no one uses them anyway.

An expression doesn’t necessarily sound mean. Sometimes it’s gentle irony about provincial quiet; other times, it’s a complaint from someone who misses the nightlife.

Example: In this village, the sidewalks are folded up in the evening.
Translation: There’s not a soul on the streets in this village at night.

Saure-Gurken-Zeit

Literal translation: the time of sour cucumbers.
Meaning: a lull, a period lacking in events, money, or opportunities.

The expression Saure-Gurken-Zeit has several explanations. In its old, colloquial sense, it refers to stockpiling for hard times: when fresh produce is scarce, people have to live off preserved foods, including pickled or sour cucumbers.

In modern German, this expression is often used to describe a period when “nothing is happening”: little news, few orders, low business activity, or a slow season. In journalism, it can refer to the summer news lull.

It can be written as Saure-Gurken-Zeit; hyphenated versions are also common, but the form with hyphens looks neater in an educational text.

Example: In the summer, many offices experience a slow season.
Translation: In the summer, many offices experience a lull.

Abwarten und Tee trinken

Literal translation: wait and have some tea.
Russian equivalent: We’ll see.

Abwarten und Tee trinken is used when all you can do is stay calm and wait. The expression works well in situations where you can’t speed up the outcome: waiting for a grade, a response to an application, an employer’s decision, or the outcome of negotiations.

The origin is usually linked to the idea of patience and calm treatment: drink herbal tea, follow the recommendations, and give it time to work. In everyday speech, the historical version is no longer important; the main meaning is “don’t get nervous, just wait.”

Example: As long as the exam results aren’t out, all I can do is wait and drink tea.
Translation: Since the exam results aren’t in yet, all I can do is wait.

Eine Hand wäscht die andere

Literal translation: one hand washes the other.
Russian equivalent: One hand washes the other.

The meaning of the idiom is a mutual favor: you helped me, so I’ll help you. The expression may sound neutral when referring to ordinary mutual assistance, but it sometimes takes on a questionable connotation if it hints at backroom deals and the exchange of favors “through personal connections.”

The Latin phrase manus manum lavat has been known for a long time, and in German, the expression has become a common way of referring to mutual benefit.

Example: I’ll help you move, and you’ll fix my bike later. One hand washes the other.
Translation: I’ll help you move, and then you’ll fix my bike. A favor for a favor.

Seine Schäfchen ins Trockene bringen

Literal translation: to herd one’s sheep to a dry place.
Meaning: to protect money, property, or personal interests in advance.

Literally, a shepherd leads his flock away from a wet pasture to protect the animals. Figuratively, a person tries to remove something valuable from a risk zone: to preserve capital, secure a backup plan, or resolve important issues before a crisis strikes.

Often, the phrase sounds critical, especially if someone managed to protect their own interests while others suffered losses.

Example: Once bankruptcy was inevitable, the managers had long since saved their own skins.
Translation: By the time bankruptcy could no longer be prevented, the managers had long since safeguarded their interests.

Alles in Butter

Literal translation: everything’s in butter.
Russian equivalent: everything’s fine, everything’s okay.

When a German says Alles in Butter, they mean that the situation is under control and there’s no cause for concern. It’s a casual, friendly phrase used to answer the question “How are you?” or to reassure the person you’re talking to.

A popular explanation links the expression to the transport of fragile glassware: glass was supposedly secured in barrels of oil so it wouldn’t break during the journey. The story may sound like a legend, but the imagery is clear: if everything is “in oil,” then everything is safely protected.

Example: Mach dir keine Sorgen, alles ist in Butter.
Translation: Don’t worry, everything’s fine.

Aller guten Dinge sind drei

Literal translation: All good things come in threes.
Russian equivalent: God loves a trinity.

This phrase is used when, after two failures, it’s worth trying a third time, or when you want to jokingly justify the number three. For example: the cake didn’t turn out right twice, so the third attempt should be better.

One explanation links the idiom to an old legal custom: a defendant could be summoned several times, and the third summons was considered decisive. But in modern German, the expression is used primarily in a casual, everyday way, without any legal connotation.

Example: Two attempts didn’t work out, but all good things come in threes.
Translation: The first two attempts failed, but the third should be successful.

Die Arschkarte ziehen

Literal translation: to pull a card out of one’s back pocket.
Meaning: to find oneself in an unpleasant situation, to draw the short straw.

This expression is a bit crude, so it’s best used only in informal speech. It means that someone has had bad luck: they’ve been stuck with the most unpleasant task, an unlucky shift, a bad option, or the consequences of someone else’s decision.

The origin is often linked to soccer: a referee might keep a red card in one back pocket and a yellow card in the other. For viewers watching black-and-white TV, the position of the referee’s hand helped them understand which card had been shown. In colloquial speech, die Arschkarte ziehen has come to be used beyond the context of soccer.

Example: Wer an Heiligabend arbeiten muss, hat die Arschkarte gezogen.
Translation: Anyone who has to work on Christmas Eve has drawn the short straw.

Blau machen

Literal translation: to turn blue.
Meaning: to skip school or work; to shirk one’s responsibilities.

Blau machen or, written as one word, blaumachen, means to skip work, school, or a class without a valid reason. In colloquial speech, this almost always refers to deliberately skipping a commitment, not to being genuinely sick.

There are various explanations for the origin of the expression. One theory is linked to Blauer Montag—“Blue Monday”—a day when artisans worked less or rested after Sunday. In an educational text, it’s important to focus not on the disputed history but on modern usage.

Example: He’s so lazy that he’d love to skip work every Friday.
Translation: He’s so lazy that he’d happily skip work every Friday.

Auf 180 sein

Literal translation: to be at 180.
Meaning: to be very angry, to be seething with rage.

When a German says ich bin auf 180, they aren’t stating a speed but describing an emotional state: their anger is at its peak. The number 180 is associated with the image of high speed and a situation that’s heating up.

This idiom is suitable for everyday situations: a boss is annoyed, a parent is angry, or a driver is frustrated in traffic. In formal speech, it’s better to replace it with neutral words like sehr wütend sein.

Example: After that call, she was on 180.
Translation: After that call, she was beside herself with anger.

Etwas an die große Glocke hängen

Literal translation: to hang something on a big bell.
Meaning: to spread the word, to make information too public.

Before the advent of mass media, important news could indeed be announced by ringing a bell: the sound would gather people and signal that something significant had happened. It is precisely this image of public announcement that has been preserved in the idiom.

Today, etwas an die große Glocke hängen most often means “to tell everyone,” and sometimes even “to blab about something that would have been better kept within a small circle.” The phrase works well for personal news, work plans, or rumors.

Example: Ich bin schwanger, aber du musst das nicht gleich an die große Glocke hängen.
Translation: I’m pregnant, but there’s no need to tell everyone right away.

How to Learn German Idioms

1. Learn the expression as a whole, not as separate words. Kalte Füße bekommen works as a unit, not as the sum of “cold” and “feet.”
2. Pay attention to register. Die Arschkarte ziehen sounds crude, while Abwarten und Tee trinken sounds neutral and mild.
3. Add your own example. A single short phrase from your own life is more helpful than a long explanation of its origin.
4. Compare them with their Russian equivalents, but don’t translate them literally when speaking. The Russian phrase “ниже плинтуса” and the German unter aller Kanone have the same meaning but are structured differently.

FAQ

Can German idioms be translated literally?

Good for memorization—yes; for actual speech—usually not. A literal translation helps you visualize the image, but in conversation, you need to use the established German phrase and understand its figurative meaning.

Which idioms are suitable for beginners?

It’s easiest to start with neutral and common phrases: Alles in Butter, Abwarten und Tee trinken, Eine Hand wäscht die andere, auf 180 sein. It’s best to first learn to recognize coarse and colloquial expressions, and only then use them yourself with caution.

Why does a single idiom sometimes have several versions of its origin?

Idioms often originated in spoken language, so their exact source cannot always be proven. For German learners, it’s more important to know the modern meaning, register, and typical situations in which they’re used.