American Reacts to the 10 Funniest German Idioms

My name is Sean Huggins, I'm from America and living in Germany. Watch as I react to German videos, memes, compilations and more. American reacting to German culture, this should be funny!
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Original video: • The 10 Funniest German...
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[@FeuerruepelLP]

Da wird ja der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt, ich glaube mein Schwein pfeift.

[@bigrock9637]

I love the therm hotdog butter, i'll implement it in my life from now on 😂

[@johanneshalberstadt3663]

Ah! Die Verbindung von "Leber" und "Stimmung" findet mam auch in dem Sprichwort "Dir ist wohl 'ne Laus über die Leber gelaufen!" ("Apparently a louse has walked over your liver" meaning:"Man, you're in a bad mood, huh?")

[@bernhardkrickl3567]

Und dann war da noch Larissa (Martina Hill), die in einem Sketch die Redewendung kombinierte: "Welche beleidigte Laus ist dir denn über die Leberwurst gelaufen?". Ich hab mich weggeschmissen. :)

[@neb-taui-djeser1060]

"Wie ein Schwein ins Uhrwerk glotzen" - "To stare like a pig into the clockwork" - being clueless looking at something technical

[@andreash3132]

Schicht im Schacht (end of the shift in the tunnel)= That's it!, Der Drops ist gelutscht (the bonbon has been sucked) = It's all over!, Ende Gelände (end of terrain) = That's it!, Holla die Waldfee (Holla, the forrest fairy)= Holy Toledo!

[@Roberternst72]

Well, Holy Guacamole-y, Batman!

[@gwendojin5457]

Da steppt der Bär - "The bear dances there" - Used to describe a very lively event or party. Das ist nicht mein Bier - "That's not my beer" - It's not my problem or business. Tomaten auf den Augen haben - "To have tomatoes on one’s eyes" - To be oblivious to what is going around you. Schwein haben - "To have a pig" - To be very lucky. Jetzt geht’s um die Wurst - "Now it’s about the sausage" - Now things are getting serious. Um den heißen Brei herumreden - "To talk around the hot porridge" - To beat around the bush. Die Daumen drücken - "Press the thumbs" - To keep one’s fingers crossed. Den Löffel abgeben - "To give away the spoon" - To pass away. Nicht das Gelbe vom Ei - "Not the yellow of the egg" - Not the best. Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei - "Everything has an end, only the sausage has two" - Everything must come to an end. Ins Gras beißen - "To bite into the grass" - To die. Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen - "To make an elephant out of a mosquito" - To make a big deal out of something small. Kopf hoch - "Chin up" - Don’t let things get you down. Auf den Hund kommen - "To go to the dogs" - To fall into decay or to become poor. Das fünfte Rad am Wagen sein - "To be the fifth wheel" - To be superfluous or unnecessary. Die Katze im Sack kaufen - "To buy the cat in the sack" - To buy something without inspecting it first. Die Kirche im Dorf lassen - "To keep the church in the village" - Don't get carried away. Jemandem die Daumenschrauben anlegen - "To put the thumbscrews on someone" - To coerce someone into doing something. Wie auf heißen Kohlen sitzen - "To sit on hot coals" - To be in a state of anxiety or anticipation.

[@YukiTheOkami]

The engmish equivalent to "ins Gras beißen" is " to bite the dust" 😅

[@Rincy42]

"sich die Radieschen von unten angucken" - "to look at the radishes from below" - to be dead and buried "Wie ein Elefant im Porzelanladen" - "Like an elephant in a china-shop" - to be quite clumsy "jemandem ein x für ein u vormachen" -"to pretend to someone an x is a u" - to con or swindle someone (It comes from the roman times when a coin worth 10 would have the roman ten X on it and a coin worth five would have V or U on it. So a barkeep would take your X and tell you it was a V/U and you do not get money back.) "Wo gehobelt wird, da fallen Späne" - "Where there is plaining work done, chips will fall" - Indicating that a situation or decision will not only have positive consequences. Also often indicating that hard choices will have to be made. "Wer zuerst kommt, mahlt zuerst" - "Whoever comes first, is milling first" - Usually a reminder to be punctual, indicating that punctual people will benefit from being punctual and or from queing. (Originating in the middle ages when peasants would bring their grain to public mills, that would mill the grin in the order of the peasants arriving) "Lügen haben kurze Beine" - "Liars have short legs" - Meaning that it is not beneficial to lie and that the truth will come out anyway. (You cannot outrun the truth with short legs) "Wer im Glashaus sitzt sollte nicht mit Steinen werfen" -"Whoever sits in a glass house , should not throw around stones/boulders" - Reminding people to not point out the errors/mistakes of others especially when one has or displays the same shortcomings. "Der Ton macht die Musik" - "The sound/tone/note makes the music" - a reminder to be civil and friendly in conversation, because that way you get your point across best. "Es ist nicht alles Gold was glänzt" - "Not everything that glitters is gold" - The first impression can be wrong (And this is used in english pretty much the same way I think) "Einbildung ist auch eine Bildung" - "Imagination is a kind of education too" - Playing on the word "Bildung" (education) in "Einbildung" (Imagination). It is usually used for people who are quite arrogant and/or full of themselves while clearly having no clue what they are talking about. "Wer rastet, der rostet" - "If you rest, you rust" - Basically to always be ready to experience new things. "Jetzt ist aber Schicht im Schacht" - "It is [end of] shift in the shaft now" - Originating from german mining culture. It indicated that something has come to an end or is over. Often used to angrily indicate that ones patience has run out. "Das kostet nen Appel und nen Ei" - "It costs an apple and an egg" - when something is a bargain. Somtimes used to inicate something is cheap an of bad quality. (of course it is bad, i only paid an apple and an egg for it) "Ein blindes Huhn findet auch mal ein Korn" - "even a blind chicken will sometimes find a grain" - usually used to encourage people who have fallen on hard times. But sometimes used ironically to indicate that even a moron can be lucky (and well off) sometimes. There is a kinda coloquialised version "Auch ein blinder Säufer findet mal 'nen Korn" - "Even a blind drunkard will sometimes find a corn schnapps" "Wer andern eine Grube gräbt fällt selbt hinein" - "Whoever diggs a hole for others [to fall in], will in the end fall into it themselves" - A saying reminding you that being mean to others does not fare well in the long run. "Was Du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf morgen" - "Do not delay things you can do today until tomorrow" - basically to try to not procrastinate and do your work, because it will only pile up if you delay it.

[@eisikater1584]

@@YukiTheOkami "Another one bites the dust" by Queen, still one of my favorite songs. Unfortunately, Freddie Mercury had to give away the spoon too soon.

[@Stefan-rr5ds]

Da geht mir aber Einer ab! 🤭😜

[@FeuerruepelLP]

Da wird der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt. Ich glaube mein Schwein pfeift. Das sind für mich böhmische Dörfer. Über die Klinge springen. Über den Jordan gehen. Über den eigenen Schatten springen. Auf dem Holzweg sein. Jemanden auf den Arm nehmen. Jemanden durch den Kakau ziehen. Jemanden einen Bären aufbinden. Jemanden reinen Wein einschenken. Etwas geht durch die Decke. Mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schießen. Mit den Wölfen heulen. Jemanden etwas durch die Blume sagen. Man bedenke dann noch die ganzen deutschen Sprichwörter und Bauernregeln......

[@chrisrudolf9839]

9:20 Her explanation for the origin of "Klappe zu, Affe tot" is most likely wrong. The truth is much less morbid. The saying was created by a High German misinterpretation of an old Low German saying "Klappe to, Affe To". In low German, Affe meant Öffnung, so the saying originally meant: "the lid is shut, the opening is closed". The assumpion that it originated literally from a show monkey being dead and therefore the show not happening pops up now and then throughout the internet, but it is a 20th century layman's assumption with no evidence to back it up at all. I say most likely wrong, because AFAIK there is no surefire evidence (loke early mentionings of the saying in a written Low German text) either, but that explanation is much more likely. A monkey show at a fair being surprisingly cancelled because the monkey died was not such a frequent occasion that it would likely become proverbial. Also, the idiom is usually used when something WAS just going on that now has definitively ended, whereas in the case of the monkey show, the monkey would probably not die during a performance, but viewers would show up to find the performance cancelled from the start.

[@nephistar]

Nice info! Thanks for sharing!

[@marcgutgesell794]

Ein typisch deutscher Kommentar 🙂

[@BR618]

Wer wartet auch nur drauf, dass er ihr Leberwurst statt Teewurst vorsetzt? 🎶

[@winny4765]

The hangover thing: Decent people with a hangover would say-in former times - I am sick, I have a Katarrh . meaning a bad stomach irritation with headache, like a beginning flue. So from Katarrh to Kater is only a small linguistic step.

[@perdurabo4285]

"Er schaut wie ein Auto - nur nicht so schnell" - "He looks like a car - but not so fast" means he is very surprised. This one comes from the older style of cars ,which lights often look like eyes wideopen and when you are very surprised ,you probably look like these cars

[@krccmsitp2884]

Das passt wie Arsch auf Eimer! = That fits like ass on bucket! = That goes well together.

[@Brazzelkanal]

Thank you for "Hot Dog Butter", will use it from now on 😂😂😂

[@Gaston413]

"Don't get on my nerves/cookie" is the non-vulgar form. There are also the vulgar forms "Don't get on my Eggs/Sack (testicles/scrotum)"

[@leolewinsky5102]

Mein lieber Herr Gesangsverein, ( my dear Mr. Singingclub) means "holy moly". Ich glaub ich spinne, ( I think I am spinning) means "I think I'm about to go crazy". Wo sich Fuchs und Has' gute Nacht sagen, (where fox and hare say good night to each other) means "in the middle of nowhere". Ist doch Jacke wie Hose, (this is jacket like pants) means "there is no difference" "its just the same"

[@katertom]

The word “Kater” for a hangover is derived from “catarrh” (“Katarrh” in German) as it sounds similar.

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

To add some of my mustard: 6:00 It was not the mustard which was expensive - all spices were expensive, and mustard was one of the more affordable. So they used it to replace the more expensive spices. (Since mustard could also be made at home, they used often their own recipe and sometimes different types of mustard for different dishes.) 9:27 That is a popular and often cited explanation, but it could also have its origins in Low German, where the word "apen" means "open". The idea of a trained monkey within a box seems to me also rather strange - normally a trained monkey would be presented at a leash, not behind some lid. But puppet shows had often some monkey puppet which would at the end of the show vanish behind the lid of the puppet theatre, and I can very well imagine the puppeteer answering the call for more with that phrase... 14:06 "Keks" kann also refer to your head or brain - "einen weichen Keks haben" = having a soft cookie means not quite right in the head (referring to encephalomalacia, softening of the brain tissue).

[@SkadiNoatun]

Now we have the salat!

[@mws7347]

13:20 "einen Kater haben" comes from the similar sounds of "einen Katarrh haben" = "having a catarrh"

[@sockentoaster7327]

Not only is "Hangover"-"Kater"-"male cat" but also "muscle soreness" is "Muskelkater" meaning "muscle male cat" or "muscle hangover"

[@marrykurie48]

"Da beißt die Maus keinen Faden ab." (The mouse bites no thread off here) = That's just the way it is.

[@maireweber]

"sich ans Hirn langen" is so much better than facepalm!

[@Ace-Of-Spades---]

The phrase "like Hempels under the sofa" also exists in the variant "... under the caravan." I once heard the story in Hamburg that this phrase goes back to Hagenbeck (today a large zoo, in the early days still a traveling circus). They probably had a pretty sloppy employee back then who simply swept his garbage under the caravan. Of course, this poured oil on the mills of people who associated traveling people with dirt and inconvenience anyway. Strangely enough, many sayings from Rotwelsch, the language of crooks, beggars and the traveling people, have passed into common usage. A saying like this could have made it into the language in a somewhat distorted form.

[@friedrichkarle1224]

i started to say to a french friend "tout est fromage" and she found it so funny that she started to use it

[@oport3453]

I stand on your Videos

[@chrissmartin4137]

The "Kater" originates from "Katarrh" related to having a cold with headaches. Drunk to much yesterday? No, it´s only a katarrh ....

[@soewenue]

12:40 it is the same with "hinz and kunz", which means anyone in a derogatory way

[@samuelmatheis]

I believe, the idea behind that German Term is like an errection towards or for something or, you know, that pointy cartoon dog posture, when a bait/odor-source is targeted. So maybe "standing FOR or TO(WARDS) something" would do it?

[@jojo14040]

Da leck mir doch den Zückerli! (Lick my candystick)- I can't believe this I think my pig whistles!

[@Roberternst72]

„Nicht (mehr) alle Latten am Zaun haben“ - to not (any longer) have all the pickets on your fence. Closest British equivalent: „being short a Shilling to a Pound“; non-idiomatic you‘d say that the person is either not quite smart or not quite sane.

[@andreamuller9009]

Nicht (mehr) alle Tassen im Schrank , is the same

[@EmonTyrgar]

Adding to the whole "lid closed, monkey dead" idiom and it's origin. Since it's about a monkey who was presented in a box with a lid, I'm pretty sure that the keeper would close the lid at the end of the day and shoo off some curious kids, telling them off with that phrase. Like... if the monkey was dead, so was any discussion to "just let me take one last look, just once!"

[@winny4765]

That reminds me of the famous cat in the box in context with Physics 😀

[@marrykurie48]

@@winny4765 Do you refer to Schrödiger's cat here?

[@winny4765]

@@marrykurie48 😀😀😀 Absolutely correct.

[@bastian6625]

My mustard added here. You're welcome. :)

[@RikaMagic-px6bk]

Same

[@odolism]

Papperlapapp! 😄

[@mws7347]

"Es ist höchste Eisenbahn ... " = "It is the highest railway ... " The source is a play of Adolf Glaßbrenner. In "Ein Heiratsantrag in der Niederwallstraße" (1847), there is an absent-minded man who is constantly mixing up words saying: "Es ist die allerhöchste Eisenbahn, die Zeit ist schon vor drei Stunden angekommen." = "It is the highest railway, the time arrived three hours ago."

[@sharkinahat]

Du hast nicht alle (Tassen im Schrank). You don't have all (glasses in your cupboard). Means that someone isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer (he might in fact be a spoon).

[@suessigkeitenlp]

So'n Käse benutz ich auch oft.

[@I_lovehobbylos]

Same

[@odolism]

Schmarrn!😄

[@suessigkeitenlp]

Ah geh weider

[@johanneshalberstadt3663]

I thinl there is an adjacent meaning or application of "lid closed, monkey dead" more in the line of "There's it, nothing to see anymore, nothing interesting anymore, let's move on" (which makes a little more sense with the reportetd origin of the dead monkey, that was there to attract an audience)

[@Splattercat82]

well, here's my mustard

[@Daniel-Deveraux]

Da werd ich fuchsteufelswild - I'm going foxdevilswild - That makes me furious/I'm going to be mad as hell

[@robby_roboter]

Feli - Best german export

[@reactwithhuggs]

🤣 underrated comment

[@eisikater1584]

In German, I sometimes say: "Ich habe zwei Kater, aber heute sind's drei." (I have two tomcats, but today they are three.) edit: Didn't read everything, but I got twelve of my favorites in groups of three by topic: From popular songs: "(Du musst doch nur) den Nippel durch die Lasche zieh'n" - Follow the fine instruction manual (from the song "Der Nippel" by Mike Krüger about ununderstandbale instructions) "Hier fliegen gleich die Löcher aus dem Käse" - Here the holes are flying out of the cheese, meaning: now the party rocks hard (from a carnival song by Gottlieb Wendehals) "das Bruttosozialprodukt steigern" - increase the GDP, meaning: working overtime (from the song "Bruttosozialprodukt" by Geier Sturzflug) From the road: "Karnickelsprit" - rabbit fuel. The fuel beginners allegdly have in their tank when they can't get to a smooth start once the traffic light turns green. (Mind that Germans usually don't drive automatics.) "(jemand hat) Diesel gesoffen" - (someone) drank Diesel, meaning: talking incoherently. ("Sag mal, hast du Diesel gesoffen?") "Panzer" - tank (the military vehicle), meanings: a. huge SUV, b. vehicle with defective and thus loud exhaust pipe From crafstmenship: "Dünnbrettbohrer" - thin board driller, meaning: someone who is weak in arguing. "sich einen reindübeln" - to put a dowel into yourself, meaning: to deliberately get drunk hard or smoke a huge joint. "behämmert sein" - to be behammered, meaning: to be or act stupid (syn.: "bescheuert sein") Bavaria Special (for Feli): "Zefix!" - "Jesus!" (from Latin "crucifixus"), expresses anger or astonishment. "Ja mei." - "So what." "Oachkatzlschwoaf" - Squirrel's tail.

[@heikekerber6968]

Das ist ja ein Käse, aber das ist mir Wurst. That‘s really cheese, but it is sausage to me.

[@JonasReichert1992]

Interesting- to some of this Idioms i didn’t know where and how they came to be. I am German.

[@creaturion_cosplay]

hot dog butter ha ha

[@dirkst73]

When do you write your first book, Sean? hahaha 😀 would buy it!

[@Mukhambiel]

Hotdog butter? You are insane! o.O Das geht auf keine Kuhhaut! Literally: This doesn't fit on a cows skin. It refers to the beliefs in the middle age that satan wrote the sins of a human down. There was no paper back then, so he write the sins down on, well a cows skin. And when a human had too much sins it did'nt fit on the cows skin anymore.

[@berserker6702]

Geht ne Bockwurst um die Ecke und kämmt sich und warum weil Pudding keine Gräten hat. (Go a Bockwurst around the corner and comb yourself and why because pudding has no bones.) Do you say if a joke wasn't funny

[@BlackWater_49]

0:51 Not... ...even close...

[@JonasReichert1992]

I know someone whose name is actually Hempel.

[@Rincy42]

have you ever looked underneath their sofa? :D

[@JonasReichert1992]

@@Rincy42 Year but since it’s Judge and a Radiologist the sofa is so big that you can’t see everything below 😂

[@Rincy42]

@@JonasReichert1992 seems Like a cave Expedition is needed 😅

[@JonasReichert1992]

@@Rincy42 which i would never do since i watched a few Videos on youtube regarding this topic😂

[@Rincy42]

@@JonasReichert1992 😂

[@susannelehmann7649]

da boxt der Pabst im Kettenhemd.. *g

[@bobe.thomas]

You're the first, but I'm the second ;-) But out in the boonies (in der Pampa) in OWL-NRW... sigh..

[@andreamuller9009]

My favorite was always: Du bist wie ein frischgef*cktes Eichhörnchen -You're like a freshly f*cked squirrel... that's when someone is nervous, fidgety and very excited at the same time... I think that comes from the joke with the squirrel and the hedgehog... We have a lot of sick animal jokes, just don't check that, it's embarrassing for us.🤫😏

[@Ace-Of-Spades---]

I don't know that at all. Instead, we say "You look like...." when someone looks very tired and disheveled.