English-German Idioms Glossary
Idioms | Redewendungen • C
An Annotated Glossary: English to German
An annotated collection of idioms, sayings, and proverbs in German
Also see the articles on idioms listed on the Idioms and Sayings: Contents page.
GLOSSARY GUIDE: To find an idiom, saying, or proverb, look for it alphabetically by key word or key phrase. Example: To find "to kill two birds with one stone," you could look under "B" for "birds," "K" for "kill," or "S" for "stone" (when the glossary is complete). All idioms or sayings are listed in English with a German translation.
C
can of worms > to open a (whole new) can of worms
die Büchse der Pandora öffnen ("open Pandora's box")
carry > to carry coals to Newcastle (sell refrigerators to Eskimos)
Eulen nach Athen tragen ("owls to Athens")
castle > A man's home is his castle.
Daheim bin ich König.
Daheim ist daheim. ("no place like home")
Trautes Heim, Glück allein. ("no place like home")
castles in Spain / castles in the air
Luftschlösser
Schlösser im Mond ("on the moon")
castles > to build castles in the air.
Luftschlösser bauen
cat > When the cat's away, the mice will play.
Katz' aus dem Haus, rührt sich die Maus.
Ist die Katze aus dem Haus, so tanzt die Maus.
catch > but there's a catch
Die Sache hat ein Aber. (see Section A)
Da steckt der Haken. (Shakespeare: "There's the rub!")
cats and dogs > It's raining cats and dogs.
Es regnet in Strömen. ("raining in torrents")
Charity begins at home.
Nächstenliebe beginnt zu Hause.
chickens > Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
Man soll das Fell des Bären nicht verteilen, bevor man ihn erlegt hat.
("don't divide the bear skin before you kill the bear")
Christmas comes but once a year.
Man muss die Feste feiern, wie sie fallen.
Clothes make the man.
Kleider machen Leute.
come clean > to come clean, make a clean breast of it
Farbe bekennen (see Section F)
cooks > Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Viele Köche verderben den Brei.
cup > That's not my cup of tea.
Das ist nicht mein Fall.
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IDIOMS > German Idioms and Sayings
MORE > Idioms and Sayings: Contents
QUIZ > German Proverb Quiz 1
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German particles like doch can have many meanings. It all depends on the context and your mastery of these small words that can cause big problems. Learn the idiomatic uses of particles!
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