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Englisch:
Idioms
- Redewendungen
Redewendungen lassen eine Sprache
leben. Die wörtliche Übersetzung einer deutschen Redewendung
ins Englische, würde das Gegenüber nicht verstehen.
Der Gebrauch von Redewendungen lässt
Sie selbstbewusster wirken und gibt dem Gesagten eine größere
Bedeutung.
Nachfolgend finden Sie
englischsprachige Redewendungen, jeweils mit Erläuterung des
deutschen Gegenstücks. In einem Beispielsatz wird das Idiom
angewandt.
A
tissue of lies -
Von
A bis Z erfunden
The
story Gill told us about meeting the famous pop star in Las
Vegas is just a tissue of lies. I know for a fact she has never
even been to the USA.
And
I am left holding the baby -
Und
ich bin der Angeschmierte
You
all go out and enjoy yourselves and let me do the washing up. I
don't mind being left holding the baby.
Are
you telling me porkies?
- Führst du mich an der Nase herum?
What
you have just told me sounds so incredible I think you must be
telling me porkies.
As
happy as a pig in muck - Sich
sauwohl fühlen
Sally
was obviously very satisfied with her new job as she looked as
happy as a pig in muck.
As
like as two peas in a pod -
Sich
wie ein Ei dem anderen gleichen
Although
the two girls were not twins, they were as like as two peas in a
pod.
As
sparks fly upwards -
Mit
allergrößter Sicherheit
As
sure as sparks fly upwards the economic situation will improve.
As
sure as ten dimes buy a dollar (Amerika) -
So
sicher wie das Amen in der Kirche
As
sure as ten dimes buy a dollar our team will win the next
baseball match.
As
to the manner born
-
Für
etwas wie geschaffen sein
She
rides a horse as to the manner born.
At
the drop of a hat - Ohne
zu zögern
It
doesn't matter when you ask Anne for help; she'll be there at
the drop of a hat.
Between
me and you and the gatepost -
Unter uns gesagt...
Between
you and me and the gatepost, I don't think Paul really has got a
girl- friend, but don't tell anyone I told you so, will you?
But
now the shoe is on the other foot
-
Aber
jetzt ist es gerade umgekehrt
But
now the shoe is on the other foot and I have the advantage over
you.
Come
hell or high water -
Komme
was wolle
However
much work we have on next month, come hell or high water I'm
going to have some time off.
Dice
are loaded against him
- Seine
Chancen sind gering
Joe
hasn't got much chance of getting that job - the dice are loaded
against him.
Do
you see any green in my eye?
- Hältst du mich für einen Dummkopf?
You
can't imagine I would take your remark seriously, or do you see
any green in my eye?
Don't
make such a song and dance about.. -
Mache
nicht so eine Geschichte daraus
I
do wish you wouldn't make such a song and dance about the
Millers coming to dinner; it's really nothing special.
Don't
teach your grandmother to suck eggs -
Gib
niemandem der mehr Erfahrung hat als du Ratschläge
Telling
Amy how to run a household is like teaching your grandmother to
suck eggs.
Don't
tell me a cock-and-bull story - Erzähle
mir keine Märchen
Please
don't tell me any more of your cock-and-bull stories as I don't
believe a word you say.
From
the horse's mouth -
Aus
berufenem Munde
You
can rely on the information I gave you - I got it from the
horse's mouth.
He
bent over backwards
- Er
hat alles Erdenkliche getan
Rory
is a good chap - he bent over backwards to help me when I was in
trouble.
He
can wait until the cows come home
- Da
kann er lange warten
He'll
have to wait until the cows come home before he finds a
publisher who is interested in publishing what he has written.
He
doesn't know chalk from cheese
- Er
ist weltfremd
Don't
ask Edmund what's going on in the world - he doesn't know chalk
from cheese.
He
drove her round the bend - Er
machte sie wahnsinnig
He
drove her round the bend by constantly talking about football, a
subject which didn't interest her in the least.
He
faced the music - Er
akzeptierte die Kritik
The
Minister faced the music and resigned when it was revealed he
had accepted a bribe from a building company in return for a
favour he had done for them.
He
flogged a dead horse
- Er
verschwendete seine Kraft
He
simply flogged a dead horse by trying to grow anything in his
garden; the soil was too poor and the strong winds just blew
everything down.
He
fought teeth and nails
- Er
kämpfte auf Teufel komm raus
Henry
fought tooth and nail to win the election. He did everything to
make sure he would be successful.
He
gave me a square deal -
Er
machte mir einen fairen Preis
I
enjoy doing business with George Barnet as I know he will always
give me a square deal.
He
got off scot-free
- Er
ist ungeschoren davongekommen
People
were very surprised when the judge let the accused off
scot-free. Most of them thought he deserved to go to prison.
He
has a face as long as a fiddle - Er
ist sehr enttäuscht
One
can see how disappointed Julian is, his face is as long as a
fiddle today.
He
has an oar in everyone's boat
- Er
hat überall seine Finger drin
Jim
seems to be involved in a great many activities; he has an oar
in everyone's boat.
He
has been taken for a ride
- Er
wurde irre geleitet
Poor
Kevin has been taken for a ride again. That's what comes of
believing everything anybody says.
He
has put his back into it
- Er
hat sich dafür mächtig ins Zeug gelegt
In
order to complete the job quickly, Arthur really put his back
into it.
He
has something on the ball
- Er
hat was auf dem Kasten
John's
a clever chap you know - he has something on the ball.
He
has too much on his plate
-
Er
hat zu viel zu tun
Jake
can't take on any extra work at the moment as he already has too
much on his plate.
He
hasn't got a foot to stand on
- Er
hat keine guten Argumente
Doug
hated going away on holiday but he hadn't got a foot to stand on
when he tried to persuade his wife to stay at home instead.
He
held his nose to the grindstone
- Er
arbeitet ununterbrochen
Justin
has been working so hard recently; he has held his nose to the
grind- stone for months now.
He
is in for a bad time
- Ihm
steht noch Ärger ins Haus
Chris
is in for a bad time at home since his wife discovered he wasn't
doing overtime as he said he had been.
He
is off his chump
- Er
ist außer sich vor Aufregung
What
is the matter with Wilfred this morning? He is acting as though
he is off his chump.
He
is on a par with
- Er
ist ebenbürtig mit
He
is on par with any intellectual you may care to name.
He
is out to gain his ends
-
Er
unternimmt alles, um sein Ziel zu erreichen
Nothing
will stand in Gary's way to success - he is out to gain his
ends.
He
is swimming in deep waters - Er
befindet sich in Schwierigkeiten
Edward's
situation is not too good at the moment - he is swimming in deep
waters.
He
is within a whisker of achieving it
- Er
ist dabei, es zu erreichen
The
research scientist is within a whisker of finding a cure for
that illness.
He
is within an ace - Drauf
und dran sein
The
runner was within an ace of winning the race when he had to give
up because he fell over.
He
kept mum about the matter
-
Er
schwieg sich über die Sache aus
We
were relieved that Jim kept mum about the matter and didn't make
it public.
He
poured oil on troubled water -
Er
beruhigte die Gemüter
In
his diplomatic way he succeeded in pouring oil on troubled
water.
He
pulled the strings
- Er
hat Beziehungen spielen lassen
It
was quite obvious to the other members of staff that Simon had
pulled some strings to get his new job.
He
puts on his thinking-cap - Er
denkt über ein Problem nach
Oliver
never makes a sudden decision, but puts on his thinking-cap
before he decides anything.
He
runs for office (Amerika)
- Er
bewirbt sich um dieses Amt
This
is the last time he can run for office as he has already been in
office three times already.
He
sent me from pillar to post - Er
schickte mich von Pontius zu Pilatus
It
was terrible when I went to the embassy to renew my passport.
The officer in charge sent me from pillar to post before I
finally reached the right office.
He
took up the cudgels for his friend -
Er
ergriff Partei für seinen Freund
Loyal
as ever, Harry took up the cudgels for his friend and defended
him.
He
was caught red-handed -
Er
wurde auf frischer Tat ertappt
He
couldn't deny he was the culprit as he was caught red-handed.
I
am at a loose end - Ich
weiß nicht, was ich tun soll
Now
that I have retired I am at a loose end.
I
have other fish to fry -
Ich
habe wichtigere Dinge zu tun
Don't
waste my time with such unimportant matters, I've got other fish
to fry.
I
made it by the skin of my teeth
- Ich
schaffte es mit knapper Not
I
was relieved to have caught the train even though I did it by
the skin of my teeth with not a second to spare.
I
shook my sides with laughter
- Ich
schüttelte mich vor Lachen
I
shook my sides with laughter at her description of the funny
scenes.
I
think no small beer of him
- Ich
habe eine hohe Meinung von ihm
Although
Steve is not too popular with most people, I personally think no
small beer of him.
I
wait for the cat to jump
- Ich
möchte erst sehen, wie der Hase läuft
Before
I decide which side to join, I wait for the cat to jump.
I
was caught with my pants down
- Ich
war vollkommen unvorbereitet
I
was caught with my pants down as the last thing I had expected
was for an inspection to take place without any previous
warning.
I
wiped the floor with him
-
Ich
brachte ihm eine demütigende Niederlage bei
I
waited for ages for the opportunity to wipe the floor with my
opponent. After that I knew he didn't stand a chance against me.
It
came pat to his purpose -
Es
kam ihm sehr gelegen
He
had been longing to retire so it came pat to his purpose when
the firm closed down and he could leave with a golden handshake.
It
is a far cry from...
-
Es ist ganz anders als..
Where
I live now is a far cry from where I grew up. When I was a child
I lived in the poorest area in town, now I live in one of the
best areas.
It
is no use crying over spilt milk -
Es
hat keinen Sinn, über das Gewesene zu lamentieren
Whatever
you do you can't change the situation so it is no use crying
over spilt milk.
It
sets my teeth on edge -
Es
geht mir durch Mark und Bein
It
sets my teeth on edge to see people throwing their rubbish away
in the street.
It
stands to reason that
- Es ist logisch, dass
It
stands to reason that if you don't invest you won't get any
returns.
It's
a thousand pities she did not come
- Es
ist sehr, sehr schade, daß sie nicht kam
It's
a thousand pities Sarah didn't come - so many people were
looking forward to meeting her.
It's
not worth a rap - Vollkommen
wertlos
The
table you bought that is supposedly an antique is a fake and not
worth a rap.
It's
quite another cup of tea - Das
ist ein anderes paar Schuhe
What
you have just said has nothing to do with the matter in hand.
It's quite another cup of tea.
It's
rabbit out of the wood -
Es
kommt wie gerufen
The
order we have just received from that company is like a rabbit
out of the wood because it means we won't have to go on short
work.
I'll
warrant you! -
Ich könnte es schwören!
I'll
warrant you, you won't find a better restaurant in town.
Not
a cat in hell's chance - Überhaupt
keine Chance
She
hasn't got a cat in hell's chance of winning that case in court.
Not
on your Nellie!
-
Um nichts in der Welt!
No,
I won´t apologise. Not on your Nellie!
She
burnt the midnight oil
- Sie arbeitete bis spät in die Nacht
Just
before her final exams. Penny had to burn the midnight oil
because she hadn't done much work up to then.
She
did it in the nick of time - Sie
hat es gerade noch geschafft
Anne
took out a credit in the nick of time, just before the interest
rate went up.
Something
is right up one's street - Es
passt ihm gut
The
idea of spending a long weekend at the seaside is right up my
street. It's just what I need at the moment.
That
just takes the biscuit
-
Das
ist der Gipfel
"That
takes the biscuit" I said to Jim after he had interrupted
me for the tenth time that day.
That's
a different kettle of fish
- Das
ist doch was ganz anderes
If
you had told me beforehand your reason for wanting to be in
charge of that project it would have been a different kettle of
fish altogether and I would have shown more understanding.
The
ball's in your court
- Jetzt sind Sie dran
I've
told you my plans now the ball is in your court and you can tell
me what you intend to do.
The
boot is on the other leg
- Die
Sache ist gerade umgekehrt
You
thought I was going to do overtime so that you could go home
early, did you? Now the boot is on the other leg and you will
have to stay late instead.
The
chickens come home to roost -
Die
Konsequenzen werden spürbar
People
think they can get away with things but the chickens usually
come home to roost and they are found out.
The
long and the short of it - Kurz
gesagt
The
long and the short of the matter is we are not going to be given
permission to build the new factory in that location.
The
straw which breaks the camel's back
- Das
Ausschlaggebende
The
straw which finally broke the camel's back in their relationship
was when Mike saw his girlfriend out with another man.
Then
he got down to brass tacks
- Dann
kam er zur Hauptsache
After
talking round the subject for some time, he finally got down to
brass tacks.
There
are no strings attached
- Es
ist mit keinen Bedingungen verbunden
The
salesman assured me there would be no strings attached if I took
out a subscription for the magazine. I could cancel it whenever
I wanted.
There
is a fly in the ointment
- Die
Sache hat nur einen Haken
I'm
afraid the new project has a fly in the ointment - we can't
afford to finance it at the moment.
There's
neither rhyme nor reason in that - Das
hat weder Hand noch Fuß
There
is neither rhyme nor reason in what you are going to do. Why
don't you think about it again?
They
enlightened me on that subject -
Sie
klärten mich über dieses Thema auf
I
knew nothing about cost accounting before I joined the company,
but they soon enlightened me on that subject.
They
gave him a taste of his own medicine
- Sie
schlugen ihn mit seinen eigenen Waffen
They
were so fed up with the way he behaved that they decided to give
him a taste of his own medicine.
This
is driving me over the brink
- Dies
treibt mich noch zur Verzweiflung
My
neighbour's constant complaints about everything are driving me
over the brink.
Through
the good offices of.. -
Mit Hilfe von..
Through
the good offices of one of the local councillors your
application for planning permission has been passed.
To
be at cross purposes -
Aneinander
vorbeireden
There
is no point in our continuing our conversation as we seem to be
at cross purposes with one another.
To
be at one's wits' end
- Mit
seinem Latein am Ende sein
Denise
was at her wits' end when she realised she had lost her purse
with all her money in it.
To
be clued up on something -
Über
etwas im Bilde sein
Perhaps
you could clue me up on latest developments before we go into
the meeting.
To
be in keeping with
- Übereinstimmen
mit
We
should change our range of products to be in keeping with the
demands made by the consumers.
To
be in tune with one another
- Mit
jemandem übereinstimmen
That
department works very efficiently because everyone is in tune
with one another.
To
be incumbent upon one
- Es
als seine Pflicht sehen
They
felt it was incumbent upon them to take care of their elderly
parents.
To
be without rhyme or reason -
Weder Hand noch Fuß haben
I simply can't understand why you did that; your action
is without rhyme or reason.
To
break a fly on the wheel - Mit
Kanonen nach Spatzen schießen
It's
like breaking a fly on the wheel to try to redevelop that area.
To
carry coals to Newcastle -
Eulen
nach Athen tragen
Giving
flowers to someone who owns a flower shop is like taking coals
to Newcastle.
To
catch the ball on the bounce
- Die
Gelegenheit beim Schopf packen
If
a good opportunity presents itself then one shouldn't hesitate
to take it but catch the ball on the bounce.
To
clear the decks for action
-
Vorbereitungen
treffen
If
you want to move house in spring, we had better start clearing
the decks for action.
To
cost a pretty penny
- Eine
Menge kosten
It
will cost a pretty penny to have our house redecorated; I think
we should do it ourselves and save some money.
To
cudgel one's brains
- Fest
über etwas nachdenken
Let's
all cudgel our brains then we may come up with a suitable
solution.
To
do one's level best
- Sein
Bestes geben
We
can't promise to deliver your order by the end of next week, but
we will do our level best.
To
do one's utmost
- Sein
möglichstes tun
We'll
do our utmost to help you. The rest is up to you.
To
drum up business
- Das
Geschäft in Schwung bringen
We'll
have to do some more advertising if we want to drum up some more
business.
To
go through with something
- Eine
Sache durchziehen
Now
we've started this we had better go through with it.
To
keep a stiff upper lip - Die
Ohren steifhalten
Keeping
a stiff upper lip is considered more acceptable in Britain than
showing one's emotions.
To
make mountains out of molehills -
Aus
einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen
Don't
take any notice of Kitty she tends to make mountains out of
molehills and things are rarely as dramatic as she makes them
out to be.
To
make no bones about it -
Aus
seinem Herzen keine Mördergrube machen
She
didn't try to disguise the fact that she was displeased; in fact
she made no bones about it.
To
play merry hell with -
Ein
Durcheinander erzeugen
The
fault in the electric circuit played merry hell with the bank's
computer system.
To
play one's cards well -
Seine
Möglichkeiten nutzen
If
you play your cards well you might find yourself in line for
promotion.
To
put oneself into sombody else's shoes -
Sich
in die Lage von jemandem anderen versetzen
Don't
judge anyone else because you can't put yourself into anybody
else's shoes.
To
reach deadlock -
Am
toten Punkt angekommen sein
U.N.
peace conferences often reach deadlock because one nation can't
agree with the other.
To
reach rock bottom -
Auf
dem Nullpunkt sein
Ruth's
spirits reached rock bottom when her husband died and she
thoought she could never be happy again.
To
run an eye over something
- Etwas
kurz überfliegen
Could
you run an eye over this report before I hand it in?
To
rush a decision
- Eine
überstürzte Entscheidung treffen
Take
your time deciding - you needn't rush your decision.
To
sound a person out - Bei
jemandem auf den Busch klopfen
If
you want to know what our boss thinks of the idea I can sound
him out for you if you like.
To
stand head and shoulders above the rest
- Den
anderen haushoch überlegen sein
We
interviewed many candidates for the job, but it was obvious that
one young lady stood head and shoulders above the rest.
To
stick to the rules - Sich
an die Regeln halten
Club
members are requested to stick to the rules.
To
stir up a hornets' nest - In
ein Wespennest stechen
The
government stirred up a hornets' nest when they suggested women
should continue working until the age of sixty-five.
To
stretch it too far
-
Etwas
zu weit treiben
It's
stretching it too far to expect us to believe the fancy story
you've just told us.
To
suit the action to the words - Den
Worten Taten folgen lassen
Having
said all that, we'll now suit the action to the words.
To
swim between two waters - Zwischen
zwei Stühlen sitzen
Until
you make a final decision you will be swimming between two
waters.
To
take one's courage in both hands -
Sich
ein Herz fassen
Now
why don't you take your courage in both hands and apply for that
job?
To
take something in good part -
Etwas
nicht übelnehmen
He
put up with a lot of teasing because he was so fat, but he took
it in good part.
To
take the line of least resistance -
Den
Weg des geringsten Widerstands gehen
In
order to avoid trouble with her husband over the years, she took
the line of least resistance.
To
the top of one's bent - Bis
zum Äußersten seiner Möglichkeiten
We
promise to do the top of our bent to get your order out on time.
To
think the world of somebody -
Große
Stücke auf jemanden halten
He
was heartbroken when his mother died as he thought the world of
her.
To
tie up the loose ends
- Die
letzten Details besprechen, erledigen
Before
we start the campaign, we'll have another meeting in order to
tie up the loose ends.
To
trespass upon somebody's patience
- Jemandes
Zeit über Gebühr in Anspruch nehmen
I
don't mind if you ring me, but I would prefer you not to
trespass upon my patience.
To
turn a blind eye on something
- Ein
Auge zudrücken
The
ticket inspector said he would turn a blind eye to the fact that
I hadn't got a valid ticket but warned me never to travel
without a valid ticket again.
To
turn over a new leaf -
Einen
neuen Anfang machen
After
having failed to complete several courses of training, Zoe
decided to turn over a new leaf and finish the course she was
on.
To
vest somebody with full powers
- Jemanden
mit allen Vollmachten versehen
I
have great trust in you and would like to vest you with full
powers in my affairs.
To
worm one's way out of a difficulty -
Sich
aus einer schwierigen Lage herauswinden
Larry
was an expert at worming his way out of difficult situations.
We
are all singing from the same song sheet -
Wir
sitzen alle im gleichen Boot
In
this time of economic recession we are all singing from the same
songsheet and share the same problems and worries.
What
are you driving at? -
Worauf willst du hinaus?
What
are you driving at? Could you explain more clearly what you
mean?
What's
the score? -
Wie steht es?
What's
the latest score in the men's finals at Wimbledon?
When
all's said and done - Nachdem
alle Fakten berücksichtigt wurden
When
all's said and done the project doesn't seem to be so
practicable after all.
With
knobs on! -
Und
ob!
You
can say that again with knobs on!
With
one hand behind one's back -
Etwas
mit links erledigen
That's
easy enough to do. I can do it with one hand behind my back.
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