Each German idiom below comes with what its words literally say, what it means and how other languages put the same idea. To see every language at once, open the side-by-side page for weather and places.
-
lit. ‘it’s raining string’
It is raining very heavily.
Elsewhere
-
lit. ‘it’s sow-cold’
It is bitterly cold.
Elsewhere
-
Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen
lit. ‘where fox and hare say goodnight’
A very remote place, far from towns and people.
Elsewhere
- EN The middle of nowhere
- FR Au diable vauvert
- ES En el quinto pino
- IT A casa del diavolo
- JA 陸の孤島
-
lit. ‘a cat’s jump’
A very short distance away.
Elsewhere
- EN A stone’s throw
- FR À deux pas
- ES A tiro de piedra
- IT A due passi
- JA 目と鼻の先
-
Da steppt der Bär
lit. ‘the bear is tap-dancing there’
There's a lively party or a lot going on somewhere.
Elsewhere
- FR Faire la java
- JA お祭り騒ぎ
Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest are waiting for their own page and a check by a native speaker.