/das ˈzaːnəˌhɔɪ̯pçən/ lit. ‘the little cap of whipped cream’
German idiom, everyday. Something extra that makes a good thing even better.
How do people use Das Sahnehäubchen
?
Everyday German, found in sports interviews, travel tips and car reviews alike. It works as “das ist das Sahnehäubchen” or with “als” (as), the way the Redensarten-Index lists it: “etwas als Sahnehäubchen bekommen”. It still means the real thing too, the dollop of whipped cream on a hot chocolate or a slice of cake.
Also said das Sahnehäubchen auf der Torte
Das Sahnehäubchen
in real sentences
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Der Swimmingpool im Garten war das Sahnehäubchen.
The swimming pool in the garden was the icing on the cake.
Tatoeba, sentence by al_ex_an_der, translation by sundown, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Diese Aufgabe ist das Sahnehäubchen auf meinem Kuchen.
This task is the icing on my cake.
Tatoeba, sentence by carlosalberto, translation by carlosalberto, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Das Sahnehäubchen
come from?
German Wiktionary explains it as a compound of Sahne (cream) and Häubchen (little bonnet), so it’s the small swirl of whipped cream that sits on a coffee, a hot chocolate or a slice of cake. The figurative sense, something good added to something already good, grows straight out of that picture. No date is recorded for when people started using it that way.
Mistakes learners make with Das Sahnehäubchen
Translating “icing on the cake” word for word as “der Zuckerguss auf dem Kuchen”. German puts whipped cream on top instead, so the idiom is “das Sahnehäubchen”.
Other German idioms like Das Sahnehäubchen
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?
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