Bock • einen Bock haben / bockig sein to have a tantrum Her son

Bock
30
Bock • einen Bock haben / bockig sein
to have a tantrum
Her son had a tantrum because she wouldn’t buy him an ice cream.
Bock • Null Bock haben
to be fed up (coll), cheesed off (coll), pissed off (vulg)
At lot of schoolkids get cheesed off with school at about the age of sixteen.
Bockshorn • jmd ins Bockshorn jagen
to put the wind up sbd (coll), to scare sbd stiff (coll), to scare the pants off
sbd (coll), to scare sbd shitless (vulg)
The police came and started asking questions. It put the wind up him
and now he’s disappeared.
Boden • jmd den Boden unter den Füßen wegziehen
to cut the ground from under sbd’s feet
By making this concession to the other side without warning us he cut the
ground from under our feet.
Bogen • den Bogen überspannen
to aim too high
He would have done the firm a great service with his new ideas if he had
not been over-ambitious. As it was he aimed too high and we lost a lot of
money.
Bogen • einen großen Bogen um jmd machen
to give sbd a wide berth, to steer clear of sbd (coll)
I’m steering clear of Simon at the moment, because I still owe him a hundred pounds and I can’t pay him till next month.
Bohnenstroh • dumm wie Bohnenstroh sein
to be as thick as two short planks
He is really good-looking but as thick as two short planks.
Bombe • wie eine Bombe einschlagen
to come as a bombshell
The news about the disaster came as a bombshell and influenced the
stockmarket decisively.
© Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0
31
Brechmittel
Bombe • eine Bombe platzen lassen
to put the fat in the fire (coll), to make the shit hit the fan (vulg), to pour oil
on troubled waters
When the Annual Report comes out it’ll really make the shit hit the fan.
Bombengeschäft
roaring trade
The pubs did a roaring trade in the hot weather.
Boot • in einem Boot sitzen
to be in the same boat
All the schools are in the same boat as far as shortage of cash is
concerned.
Bord • (gute Vorsätze) über Bord werfen
to throw overboard, to throw to the winds, to jettison, to cast aside
With one wild move he cast aside all his good intentions and put the same
pressure on his brother as his father had put upon him.
Braten • den Braten riechen
to smell a rat (coll), to sense something fishy (coll)
As soon as I realised how generous their offer was I smelt a rat and decided the whole thing must be a trick.
Brechmittel
to be enough to make one sick (coll), to make one throw up (coll), to make
one puke (up) (vulg)
The arrogance of her brother is enough to make you puke up on the carpet.
© Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0
Karten
104
Karten • sich nicht in die Karten schauen lassen
not to show one’s hand (coll), to play one’s hand close to one’s chest (coll)
He plays his hand so close to his chest I often don’t know what it is he’s
trying to achieve.
Karten • seine Karten auf den Tisch legen
to put one’s cards on the table (coll), to come clean (coll), to level (with
sbd), to come into the open (coll)
I’ll put my cards on the table and tell you exactly what I have in mind.
Kartenhaus • zusammenstürzen wie ein Kartenhaus
to collapse like a house of cards
The financial structure is like a house of cards – if one unexpected bill
comes in the whole thing will collapse.
Kartoffel • jmd wie eine heiße Kartoffel fallen lassen
to drop sbd like a hot potato
After a month she dropped me like a hot potato.
Kartoffeln • rin in die Kartoffeln, raus aus’n Kartoffeln
first one thing then another (coll), chopping and changing (coll)
It would be easier to work for this company if one knew what the management wanted for more than a week at a time, but they are constantly
chopping and changing.
Käseblatt
rag (coll), scandal sheet (coll)
That newspaper once had pretentions to being a serious journal but
it’s nothing but a scandal sheet now – sport and sex.
Kasse • da klingelt die Kasse
The money is rolling in.
Kasse • jmd zur Kasse bitten
to ask sbd to pay up (coll), to ask sbd to shell out (coll), to ask sbd to fork
out (coll)
Once the government has got its expensive social security system on the
statute book the taxpayer will be asked to pay up to finance it.
Kasse • getrennte Kasse machen
to go Dutch
I can’t afford to take you all out to dinner – we shall have to go Dutch.
© 2005 Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0
105
Katze
Kasse • gut bei Kasse sein
to be rolling (coll), to be in funds (coll), to have the readies (coll)
Someone’s got to pay for the next round. Who’s got the readies?
Kasse • schlecht bei Kasse sein
to be hard up (coll), to be short of the readies (coll), to be on one’s uppers
I’m sorry I can’t come to the pub with you – I haven’t got the readies.
Kastanien • für jmd die Kastanien aus dem Feuer holen
to pull sbd’s chestnuts out of the fire (coll)
Fantasia disarmed and enjoyed the moral superiority of pacifism, confident that, if necessary, their well-armed allies would pull their chestnuts
out of the fire for them.
Katze • für die Katz
There’s no point! / It’s pointless! / It’s a waste of time!
Katze • Das trägt die Katze auf dem Schwanze weg.
That’s nothing to write home about. (coll) / That’s chicken feed. (coll) /
That’s peanuts. (coll)
Katze • Wenn die Katze aus dem Haus ist, tanzen die Mäuse auf
dem Tisch. (prov)
When the cat’s away, the mice will play. (prov)
Katze • die Katze aus dem Sack lassen
to let the cat out of the bag (coll), to spill the beans (coll), to give the game
away (coll)
He gave the game away about our Christmas surprise for the children.
© 2005 Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0
Schachtel
190
Schachtel • eine alte Schachtel
to be an old bag (coll)
The school cleaners were all unfriendly old bags.
Schaden • aus Schaden klug werden
to learn by (from) one’s mistakes
We lost a lot of money at first, but we learnt from our mistakes and now
things are going well.
Schaden • Wer den Schaden hat, braucht für den Spott nicht zu
sorgen. (prov)
Don’t mock the afflicted.
Schaf • das schwarze Schaf sein
to be the black sheep
He’s always been the black sheep of the family, wasting all his money on
women and drink.
Schäfchen • sein Schäfchen ins Trockene bringen
to feather one’s nest (coll)
Roman tax collectors were often more concerned with feathering their own
nests than with sending money back to the Imperial exchequer.
Schalk • den Schalk im Nacken haben
to have the devil in one (coll), to be an imp (coll)
That child is a real imp – he has painted the bath in stripes.
schalten • schnell / langsam schalten
to be quick / slow on the uptake (coll)
© 2005 Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0
191
Schatz
You will have to explain simultaneous equations very slowly with that class
– they are not at all quick on the uptake.
schalten • frei schalten und walten können
to have a free hand
I can only make anything of the department if you give me a free hand – I
won’t have time to refer back to you for approval every five minutes.
Scham • Ich wollte vor Scham in den Erdboden versinken.
I wanted the earth to swallow me up.
Schande • Mach mir keine Schande!
Don’t let the side down! / Don’t disgrace me!
Schandtat • zu jeder Schandtat bereit sein
to be always ready for a lark (coll) / for mischief, to be game (for anything)
I’m game!
Sailors on shore leave are always ready for a lark.
scharf • scharf nachdenken
to think long and hard (coll)
It is an interesting idea, but we shall have to think long and hard about it.
Scharte • eine Scharte auswetzen
to make amends, to patch things up (coll)
They patched up their friendship as best they could after their quarrel.
Schatten • nur noch ein Schatten seiner selbst sein
to be only the shadow of one’s former self
When Oscar Wilde emerged from Reading Gaol he was only the shadow of
his former self.
Schatten • alles in den Schatten stellen
to put everything else in the shade (coll), to be streets ahead (of the field)
His competition entry was so good it put all the others in the shade.
Schatten • Große Ereignisse werfen ihre Schatten voraus.
Events cast their shadow before.
Schatz • nicht für alle Schätze der Welt
not for all the tea in China (coll)
I wouldn’t do your job for all the tea in China.
© 2005 Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0
Schwein
200
Schwein • Schwein haben
to be lucky, to be in luck, my luck’s in
I was really lucky at cards today – I had all four aces twice.
Seele • etwas liegt mir auf der Seele
sth weighs heavily on my mind
My friend’s illness weighs heavily on my mind.
Seele • sich etwas von der Seele reden
to get sth off one’s chest (coll)
I could tell something was troubling him so I told him to get it of his chest.
Then he told me the whole story.
Seele • Dann hat die liebe Seele Ruh.
That’ll put an end to the matter.
That’ll put us out of our misery. (MIND: “to put sbd out of the misery” can
also be “to kill sbd”)
Seele • jmd aus der Seele sprechen
to express exactly what sbd feels
When he said that after a bereavement one sees the whole world in black
and white he expressed exactly what we were all feeling.
Seele • jmd in tiefster Seele verletzen
to cut sbd to the quick (oft passiv)
When she left her husband he was cut to the quick.
Seele • Zwei Seelen wohnen – ach – in meiner Brust.
I’m torn. / I am a torn soul.
I’m torn between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Seelenruhe • in aller Seelenruhe
as cool as you please (coll), as cool as be damned (coll), as cool as a
cucumber
He came in here, cool as be damned, and said he had borrowed two
hundred dollars from my desk.
Segen • seinen Segen zu etwas geben
to give one’s blessing to sth
After thinking long and hard they decided to give their blessing to their
daughter’s marriage.
© 2005 Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0
201
Seite
sehen • Da kann man mal sehen!
That just goes to show.
sehen • Das kann sich sehen lassen.
to be certainly sth to be proud of
Did you see his examination result? Certainly something to be proud of.
sehen • Jeder muss sehen, wo er bleibt.
It’s every man for himself.
Seifenblase • platzen wie eine Seifenblase
to burst like a balloon, to go up in smoke
The chimera of a successful financial recovery burst like a balloon when
the stock market collapsed.
Seiltanz • einen Seiltanz vollführen
to walk the tightrope,
to do a tightrope act (coll),
to do a highwire act (coll),
to do a balancing act (coll)
The government is doing
a tightrope act, trying to
keep all members
of the coalition
happy.
Seite • Alles hat zwei Seiten
There are two sides to everything.
There are always two sides to the coin.
Seite • sich von seiner besten Seite zeigen
to put on one’s best side, to be on one’s best behaviour
The Ambassador put on his best side when his guests for the dinner party
arrived.
© 2005 Max Hueber Verlag, Ismaning. ISBN 3-19-007892-0