Tracing the origins of German idioms (14) Idioms derived from historical events

alle Brücken hinter sich abbrechen/abheben/ abbrennen/ verbrennen to cut off one's retreat and sever all old relations

When the ancient Roman general Caesar led his troops to attack foreign countries, he often burned the ships and made the soldiers You cannot retreat, you must either win or die.

After the scandal, he cut off all ties with his hometown and went to the United States alone. .

Familie Schulz hatte gro?e Schwierigkeiten, sich in Kanada einzuleben. It is difficult to adapt to life in Canada, but it is impossible to return to China because they have cut off all escape options.

auf der B?renhaut liegen 〖口〗 Lazy, doing nothing

According to the records of historian Tacitus, the main jobs of ancient Germanic men were fighting and hunting. But usually he has nothing to do, lying on the bear skin and sleeping all day long. Housework and farm work are all handled by the old, weak, women and children. Nowadays, lazy people and idle people are also called B?renh?uter.

Wenn er den ganzen Tag auf der B?renhaut liegt, wird er es nie schaffen.

If he had been wandering around like this all day long, he would never have been able to do this.

Wie, am helllichten Tag liegst du auf der B?renhaut und tust gar nichts? Wie willst du denn die Prüfung schaffen?

Why, you are still lying in bed in broad daylight, what's the matter? Don't do it either? How can you pass the exam?

ausgehen wie das Hornberger Schie?en〖口〗No results, busy in vain

There are different origins of this idiom statement. Some people believe that this happened centuries ago in the village of Hornberg in the Black Forest. In order to welcome the visit of a prince, the local residents continued to test-fire mortars. However, when the prince arrived, they found that the ammunition had been used up.

Die Bürgerversammlung ging aus wie das Hornberger Schie?en: der alte Bürgermeister blieb.

The citizens' rally was in vain: the old mayor stayed on.

Da weder die Vorschl?ge der Regierung, noch die der Opposition durchdrangen, ging die Debatte aus wie das Hornberger Schie?en.

Since neither the ruling party nor the * proposals have been Adopted, the debate goes nowhere.

bis in die Puppen 〖口〗A long time, very late

In the 18th century, there was a square in the Berlin Zoo called "Superstar". There are many statues from Greek and Roman mythology erected there. Berliners jokingly call them puppets (Puppen).

If you walk to that place from the city center, it's a long distance. Later, the idiom extended its meaning from space to time.

Ja, willst du denn heute bis in die Puppen aufbleiben? Es ist doch schon Mitternacht.

Yes, are you going to sleep until midnight today? It's already twelve o'clock in the middle of the night.

Die letzten N?chte bin ich so sp?t ins Bett gekommen. - Morgen werde ich mal bis in die Puppen schlafen.

I sleep too late these days. ——I will have to sleep a little longer before getting up tomorrow.

das Ei des Kolumbus Columbus’ eggs, a simple solution (to solve difficult problems), a way to solve problems out of urgency

After Columbus discovered the New World, some people were unconvinced and thought that as long as there was a ship, it would be better. If the ship keeps sailing west, it will eventually reach America. Columbus took out an egg, put it on the table, and asked who could stand it up, but no one could answer. Columbus cracked the tip of the egg open a little, and the egg stood upright on the table. He said: "What could be simpler than this? But some people discovered it, and some people couldn't. The difficult thing is to be the first to think of it!"

Das Ei des Kolumbus war es, die Tischbeine zu vertauschen. Dann passten sie, und der Tisch wackeltenicht mehr.

The simplest way is to change the legs of the table, so that it fits just right and the table will no longer shake.

Der Hausmeister drückte nur gegen die verklemmte Tür und da sprang das Schloss auf. Das Ei des Kolumbus.

The house manager just pushed the jammed door, and the lock spring Bounced open. It's really like "Columbus' eggs", very simple.

das Gras wachsen h?ren〖spoken, sarcastic〗thinks he is smarter than others

Excerpted from "Nuremberg City Chronicle": He can hear the grass growing. He inherited all his wisdom from Solomon and all his sensitivity from Aristotle.

This young journalist is extremely sensitive and provided our department with some rare information. Known news.

Deinem Bruder kann man wirklich nichts Neues erz?hlen; er wei? alles besser und glaubt vorauszusehen, was im politischen Leben geschehen wird.

Nothing is news to your brother; he is so well-informed that he thinks he can predict what is going to happen in politics. He may be the kind of person who can hear the grass growing.

den Rubikon überschreiten〖雅〗Take drastic measures and make major decisions

Rubikon was a region between ancient Italy and Gaul (administered by Julius Caesar) province) at the junction of rivers.

In 49 BC, Caesar resolutely led his troops across the river and fought a decisive battle with the Roman consul Pompey. And thus ascended to the throne.

With the rejection of the ultimatum, a decisive step was taken and war broke out.

When Napoleon took drastic measures to start a war with Russia, only a few people had the foreboding. To, what does this mean.

ein Hansdampf in allen Gassen sein〖colloquial, derogatory〗well-informed person, know-it-all

Hans is the abbreviation of Johannes, which has long been one of the common names of Germans. From the 14th to the 17th centuries, almost 1 in 4 people was named Hans. Since people from the upper class rarely use this name, the name gradually takes on a derogatory connotation. Especially after the attributive is added, the derogatory meaning becomes more prominent, such as: Plapperhans (rapper), Prahlhans (braggart), Schmalhans (skinny ghost), Hans Narr (fool), etc. Hansdampf (also written as: Hans Dampf) is said to be a well-known figure in Gotha in the 19th century. Now, there is a hotel named after him.

Wenn Sie wissen wollen, was in unserer Stadt passiert, dann brauchen Sie nur unsern Fritz zu fragen,der ist Hansdampf in allen Gassen.

If you want to know what news is happening in this city , just ask our Fritz, who is a well-informed source.

?berall führt Peter das gro?e Wort, und tats?chlich erweckt er den Eindruck, über alles genau Bescheid zu wissen. Wenn du von ihm aber etwas Bestimmtes erfahren m?chtest, merkst du, dass er nur oberfl?chlich informiert ist. Er ist eben ein Hans Dampf in allen Gassen.

Peter talks everywhere and really leaves people with the impression of knowing everything. However, if you want to know something specific from him, you will find that he only knows a little bit about it. He is such a "half-full" person, mixed but not good.

einen Narren an jm./etw. gefressen haben〖口〗prefer someone/something

The Narr here originally refers to the jester in the medieval court. They were employed by princes and nobles for people's entertainment. This idiom means to like someone so much that you are almost in a daze, as if you have eaten a fool.

Gro?mutter hat an ihrem jüngsten Enkel einen Narren gefressen. He can do anything that is not allowed.

Die Andernoth mit ihrem Zopf glotzt er an. Er hat an dem Zopf einen Narren gefressen.

He stared at Andernoth, staring at her braid in a daze, he was fascinated got this braid.

etw. auf die hohe Kante legend〖口〗Save (money)

etw. auf der hohe Kante haben〖口〗Save money

There are different opinions on the origin of this idiom. Some people think that it refers to people wrapping a large number of coins in rolls and placing them high on the edge of a wall shelf or cabinet (Kante). There is also a legend that during the Holy Roman Empire, one day when Frederick the Great (1121-1190) was inspecting the stables, he found a stack of talers (silver coins) lying on the edge of a board. At this time, the emperor asked the groom why he put the taler here. The groom replied that it was kept for future use. The next day, the emperor sent someone to send 10 bright thalers to the groom, and attached a note: pile it up again and don't spend it randomly.

Man wei? nicht, was kommt. Daher solle man immer etwas Geld auf die hohe Kante legend.

No one knows what will happen tomorrow, so you have to save some money on hand .

Many people lost their entire savings due to the war.

jm. spanisch vorkommen〖口〗 feels a little strange and strange

When the Spanish monarch Karl V (1519-1556) also served as the German emperor, people were concerned about the various Spanish things he introduced. Customs and concepts all feel strange and out of place.

Wo hat sie nur immer das viele Geld her? Das kommt mir spanisch vor.

Where does he always get so much money? I feel something is wrong about this.

Mein Vater ist sonst immer pünktlich zu Hause und jetzt ist er noch nicht da. My father always comes home on time, but now he still I felt a little strange when I didn't arrive home.

jm./für jn. b?hmische D?rfer/ein b?hmisches Dorf sein 〖口〗Someone knows nothing about this, it is a rare thing for someone

B? hmen (Bohemia) is the old name of western Czechoslovakia. Many place names in the area are pronounced in Czech and are unfamiliar to Germans. This idiom became popular after the Thirty Years' War. During the war, the area was almost razed to the ground, and it was rare to see villages that were not destroyed.

Sie ist zwar gut in Mathematik, aber die übrigen Prüfungsf?cher sind ihr b?hmische D?rfer.

Although her math scores are good, she knows nothing about other exam subjects .

Latein und Griechisch waren ihm, wie man zu sagen pflegt, b?hmische D?rfer.

Latin and Greek, as the saying goes, he knew nothing about .

nach Canossa/Kanossa gehen A humiliating plea, forced to surrender

ein Gang nach Canossa/Kanossa A journey of humiliation, a road to humiliation

Middle Ages , the German Emperor Henry IV offended Pope Gregory VI and was excommunicated. Later, Henry IV personally went to Kanossa, where Gregory was stationed, and stood barefoot in the snow for three days and three nights to express his repentance and was pardoned.

No one wants me to apologize humiliatingly, I would rather give up everything. don't want.

Jetzt noch mal vor meinen Vater treten, nachdem ich mich erst so stolz von ihm abgewendet habe? DenGang nach Canossa bringe ich nicht fertig.

I think back then, I was so proud from You walked away from your father, do you want to go to him now? I won't do this kind of dishonorable thing.

Because he offended his shareholders, he had no choice but to plead guilty.

Potemkinsche D?rfer Illusion, deception

Potemkin was originally a general and favorite of Empress Catherine II of Russia. In 1787, the Empress patrolled along the Dnieper River. In order to claim credit, he ordered the poor and dirty villages in the south to be transformed into prosperous model villages. Later generations called this "model" that deceived public opinion the "Potemkin Village."

Das Werk sieht gro?artig aus. Die Empfangshalle solltest du mal sehen. Aber das sind alles nur Potemkinsche D?rfer. Im Grunde ist es so gut wie pleite.

This factory It looks very grand on the surface, but you should go see the reception hall! But it's all just a "Bozokin Village", in fact it's almost a rag.

She couldn't believe what he was saying. In her opinion, these are all hypocrisy.

Pyrrhussieg's Pyrrhic Victory

In 279 BC, the ancient Greek king Pyrrhus defeated the Roman army at a terrible cost. At that time, he said: "If we fight like this with the Romans again, we will be finished!" Due to his severe loss of vitality, he was finally defeated by the Romans.

I finally got my boss to step down. But it's just a Pyrrhic victory, and the new boss is even more annoying.

Als er Clay in Grund und Boden geboxt hatte, nannten die Kritiker das einen Pyrrhussieg, weil erMonate brauchte, um seine Verletzung auszukurrieren.

When he knocked Clay out in a boxing match After his death, critics called it a "Pyrrhic victory" because it took him several months to recover from his injuries.

weder Fisch noch Fleisch sein〖口〗neither fish nor fowl, neither three nor four

It comes from the European religious reform period in the early 16th century. At that time, Catholicism advocated abstinence and vegetarianism (fish was also considered vegetarian), and priests could not get married; while Protestantism advocated vegetarianism, and priests could get married. There were some believers at that time who were hovering between the two. "Neither fish nor meat" refers to these people who hold a wait-and-see attitude and sit on the fence.

If anyone can Just let him make his position clear! His comments on our proposals at the meeting yesterday were completely ambiguous.

Er geh?rt keiner Partei an und sagt selbst von sich, er sei in dieser Hinsicht weder Fisch noch Fleisch.

He does not belong to any party and prides himself on being impartial in this regard Not leaning.

wie Gott in Frankreich leben〖口〗live a life like a fairy

One theory is that the origin of this idiom comes from the Kaiser Maximilian I (Maximilian, 1493- 1519) mouth. He said: "If I could become God and have two sons, I would keep the older one by my side and let the younger one be the king of France." This reflected his envy of the French king's absolute power to rule like a god. . Another theory is that the idiom came from shortly after the end of the French Revolution, when the worship of reason replaced belief in Christianity, "God" was eliminated, and there was nothing to do or worry about. Others believe that the "God" here refers to the French clergy, who lived a very prosperous life.

Auf dieser Insel ist es herrlich zu leben. Not bad. The accommodation is comfortable, the food is good, and the price is not expensive. It's like living a life like a god.

Krause won the jackpot in the Lottery lottery and now lives a fairy-like life.