![]() ![]() The connection with pigs and luck is not surprising, as not so long ago having a pig would mean wealth and a good store of food. ![]() Of course the sausage comes from somewhere, and there are also a good stock of pig-related German idioms. 25 German Abbreviations You Need to Know.’Why are you playing the insulted liver sausage?’ I have recently discovered you can buy t-shirts with this printed on them, and I am sorely tempted. This is like ‘giving your two cents’, or contributing your thoughts on the matter.Īnd my very favourite sausage idiom, is when you’re sulking about pretty much anything, someone can call you out by asking: Warum spielst du die beleidigte Leberwurst? Which literally means ‘to give your mustard’. Of course, you can respond with your own sausage-related idiom: sein Senf dazu geben That doesn’t sound bad? Only it means you’re asking for special treatment, and there may not be any sausages on offer at all so put away the extra spicy mustard you keep in your bag. If someone snarkily comments you’re asking ein Extrawurst haben, literally they are saying you are asking for an extra sausage. Which literally means ‘everything has an end, only the sausage has two’. There is the famous one: Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei I have a special love for sausage-themed German idioms. Which makes literal translations of German idioms particularly hilarious. German idioms are no different, in fact, they involve pigs and sausages constantly. Farm animals crop up a lot in English idioms, like going on a wild goose chase (to go on a long complicated trip for a pointless reason), and not counting chickens before they are hatched (don’t count on good things until they are a sure thing). These little phrases are a fascinating window into a culture’s history, bringing up important parts of life a hundred or more years ago. Why are we talking about dogs all of a sudden? But their meanings are so well known, we find them hard to explain in plain language. Even the extremely common phrase ‘barking up the wrong tree’ in English, meaning your thinking is going in the wrong direction, is very disorientating to non-native speakers when dropped into conversation. I’m sure you can think of a few in your own mother tongue. ![]() They are often intensely regional, and hilarious when taken literally. Idioms are a cultural shorthand to explain a feeling or behaviour in a vivid way. ![]()
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