/viː diː ˈøːlzaʁˌdiːnən/ lit. ‘like sardines in oil’
German idiom, colloquial. Packed tightly together in a crowded place.
Draft Not yet checked by a native German speaker.
How do people use Wie die Ölsardinen
?
Colloquial, for packed trains, buses and concerts. It follows a verb of squeezing: “wir standen wie die Ölsardinen”, “eingepfercht wie Ölsardinen”, “zusammengequetscht wie die Ölsardinen”.
Also said wie Ölsardinen, wie die Sardinen
Wie die Ölsardinen
in real sentences
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Die Passagiere in den Stadtbussen sind wie Ölsardinen zusammengepfercht.
Passengers are packed in like sardines on city buses.
Tatoeba, sentence by Dani6187, translation by sacredceltic, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Wie die Ölsardinen
come from?
The picture is the tin of sardines in oil, fish laid head to tail with no gap. German Wiktionary lists “wie die Ölsardinen” as an idiom on the “Ölsardine” page but has no entry for it yet. No first use is recorded.
Mistakes learners make with Wie die Ölsardinen
Leaving out the oil: plain “Sardinen” is understood, but the set phrase is “Ölsardinen”, the tinned kind.
Other German idioms like Wie die Ölsardinen
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