American reacts to 10 IMPORTANT Idioms to use while in Germany
2023 ж. 9 Мам.
64 204 Рет қаралды
Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to 10 IMPORTANT Idioms when in Germany
Original video: • 10 Essential IDIOMS Th...
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Jemanden über den Tisch ziehen is in my experience not used, if you destroy someone, only if you rip someone off
"Jemand über den Tisch ziehen" could at best explained with "to *scam/betray* somebody" :)
You have to see it visually: two people sitting on opposite sides of the table and holding a piece of string. Both hold exactly one half of the string and its middle is in the middle of the table. When one person gets greedy and wants to have “a better deal” where the cost-performance-ratio is not balanced, the person would strongly pull the string to his/ her side and therefore pulling the other person “over the table”.
@@sissi007bm no that not mean the idiom
@@NEXIS981 Very successfully though.
Correct. Scamming someone simply means that "someone" made a bad contract. You get cheated out of stupidity.
"Ich stehe auf dem Schlauch" - a lot of times Ryan reacts to German memes 😅
You mean „slauch“?
@@mirpbreit No, Schlauch. Like hose. You don't get it.
@@mirpbreit it is false written in the video, "Schlauch" is hose, but the spelling was right (btw. german 'Hose/n' means Trouser/s / pant/s, you get it: 2 hose for 2 legs = one trousers, or another example german "Windhose" = small Tornado )
another one with the same meaning would be: eine lange Leitung haben. to have a long (telephone) line.
which can be explained like that: if there is a long line it takes a considerable amount of time for a message to rech you/ get to you.
The pharmacy thing must be regional... in my 41 years as a German I have never once heard that 😅
I've never heard someone saying "Das ist eine Apotheke"/"This is a pharmacy" as well but I do know the term "Apothekerpreise"/"pharmacist prices" for astronomical prices
@@WiesoNurMistnamen Me too. I only know: "Das ist ein Saftladen" = "This is a Juice Store" 😂
Maybe, you hear it often in my region of northern Germany.
My first thought was that he misunderstood the sentence and it actually was "Das ist eine Hypothek" (that's a morgage/loan). It sounds similar if spoken fast and if you are new to the german language. Would make a lot of more sense.
It's pretty common in the area where I grew up, southern part of lower Saxony.
"Das ist eine Apotheke"... I've never heard that before
me neither
"Preise wie in der Apotheke" kenn ich.
the prices in pharmacies are all about the same. So it's no use comparing prices and looking for the cheapest one. "Das ist eine Apotheke" means you have to pay the asking price or the price here is high and non-negotiable
Vielleicht wird es eher regional benutzt. Bei uns ist es normale Umgangssprache.
never heard that also, here in Austria it is called "that costs an avalanche"😅
"Einen Kater Haben" is apparently from the word "Katarrh" in German ("Catarrh" in English) which was used to describe all sorts of illnesses, so when you felt under the radar after having been drunk, you would say "ich habe einen Katarrh" to basically deflect from being drunk to being sick. And like many things in the German language, words tend to get simplified over time, misunderstood, or just replaced with a similar sounding word (hence "Kater" which is a male cat). In a similar vein, Germans wish each other "Guten Rutsch" on the last day of the year, which literally translates to "good slide". The word "Rutsch" in this case originated from a Hebrew word "Rossch" which means "Beginning", but was "Germanized" like this. There is really a great deal of similar words and expressions in German.
There is even the word "Strahlenkater" (xray-male cat?) ^^. It is the feeling after you got influenced by a very high radioactive dose. With Strahlenkater you have mostly to vomit, feel thirsty and you have a bad feeling in the stomach and in the guts. And the whole skin feels numb / clammy (klamm). So almost similar to a Kater caused by alcohol-overdose ;)
Another explanation is that the term "Kater" is derived from the Middle High German word "kater" or "katerin," which means "drinker." This is because after a night of heavy drinking, one often feels very thirsty and needs to drink a lot of water or other fluids.
"Kater" sounds similar to "Katarrh" (catarrus is Latin for "the snuffles" or snot), but it is not the (only) origin. In the 16th century a beer (variety) was called "Kater" which "scratched the person who drank too much of it in the head at the (following) morning" (rough translation of a citation from 1575). This "scratching" was then sometimes also called "Kater" or "Katzenjammer" (cat's yammering or caterwauling). "Katzenjammer" was used by students since the 18th century to describe general indisposition, especially after too much alcohol, but also ruefulness ("moralischer Katzenjammer" - moral caterwauling, to have the mopes, being depressed after oneself's misdemeanor). "Kater" as general word for hangover came presumably first into fashion in Leipzig in the 19th century and was then used all after Germany.
I thought, catarrh is the origin of Qatar.
Same with Bei Hempels unterm Sofa. It used to be a "Kasper", derived from "Hampel". And a Kasper wasn't tidy.
"Sich die Beine in den Bauch stehen" is reflexive ("sich" indicating that it is done to or by oneself) and directional ("in" can mean the English in, but also into). So I'd rather translate it as "to stand your legs into your own belly". The image is rather that of someone's body slowly sinking down onto their own feet while waiting for ages.
Came here to say that 😄
@@F_Karnstein Got you covered, bud. 😅
Yep. Sadly KZhead has no downvote counter, so Ryan didn't know if he's reacting to good it bad source material.
@@prunabluepepper It has, but is only visible to the uploader.
PS: Furthermore, that construct tells that the verb is the cause for the movement, something that's not easily expressed in English. So "the standing has pushed the legs into the belly" (or something like that) would need to be attached to the English translation to make it complete.
My introverted butt is jumping over its own shadow writing this comment... I press all my thumbs for you one day being able to understand German culture without constantly standing on a hose. German proverbs in particular are like cabbage and turnips, we already know that by now I guess. But I won't pull you over the table by saying there are way more sayings and proverbs out there. To keep the chruch in the village, I don't want to write an ell long comment, fearing you'll stand your legs into your stomach (not that I would expect you to stand while reading this). My English is not the yellow from the egg anyways. Hope you won't have a male cat after attending Oktoberfest!
That comment made me laugh so hard
This was really good but a male cat is IIRC a tomcat.
Wow, what a comment! 😊 Let's just hope he's not on the woodway.
That was really cute :)
Nicely done... But now, it's enough! What to far goes, goes to far..
I’m 55 and NEVER heard the idiom “This is a pharmacy”… People more commonly say “these are pharmacy prices”…
it's regional. I think the mor common phrase is just: It is pig expensive (es ist sauteuer) :D
In der Elektronikbranche haben meine damaligen Kollegen einige Lieferanten wegen deren Preisen schon als Apotheke bezeichnet. Diese Lieferanten waren schnell und hatten meist das Gewünschte auf Lager, aber eben sehr hohe Preise. (from Germany) In the electronics industry, my colleagues at the time referred to some suppliers as pharmacies because of their prices. These suppliers were fast and usually had what they wanted in stock, but their prices were very high.
Apothekerpreise translates into pharmacist prices rather than pharmacy prices
@@Vivi-ux4wg I have never heard anyone of speak of “Apothekerpreise” but only “Apothekenpreise” as the first would imply that it is a singular event (as in, a few individual chemists/pharmacists sell at horrendous prices) whereas the idea is that all pharmacies sell all drugs at high prices (which an American can probably only laugh about when they learn what Europeans pay for, say their monthly Insulin dose) and - the store/seller one makes that reference about, like all pharmacists, asks for horrendous prices as well…
@@Gaston413 I still think it is rather uncommon to use it in that way. May have been an insider joke/individual usage of the term…
Except for the pharmacy one, I heard and used all the idioms before. My favourite German idiom is "Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen", literary translates to "peace, joy, pancakes". An English idiom that fits quite well would be "all is well, that ends well".
*Eierkuchen
@@theMarvenger Eierkirchen wären aber auch interessant!
Now I'm hungry
@@steemlenn8797 Die Frage ist, was es heißt, wenn man die Eierkirchen ums Dorf trägt?
I use the pharmacy idiom in a different way. When a shop sells items at high prices I don't say "Das ist (ja) eine Apotheke". Instead I say something like "Die haben/verlangen ja Apothekenpreise in dem Laden" (This shop has/demands prices like a pharmacy).
My guy... we lüften every day... sometimes multiple times a day... actually at least my family does it when waking up, close everything when we leave the house and open it when we're back. My mom even has the window open when she sleeps every night
Exactly, how is it even legal to not lüften a minimum of twice a day?!?
Ryan.... lüften once a week??? That sounds so crazy!!! Multiple times a day, if enough at home... - How can you even breathe only with AC?? 😮😅
He knows about German Lüften, it was a joke
One of my favorite idioms is "In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen". It translates to something like "if necessary the devil will eat flies". It means taking what you can get when you are in a tough situation. Like "beggars can't be choosers"
But sometimes the beggars tries it.
A very good economics KZhead channel, "The plain Bagel", explained its name by an allegedly made-up idiom by his economics professor in university: "If you can't get the cream cheese, go for the plain bagel!" Made-up or not, but IMO it's a perfect analogue for "In der Not frißt der Teufel Fliegen".
@@enysuntra1347 well all idioms are made up, you just have to keep using ones you like and maybe they catch on
I'm German and I never heard the pharmacy one 😂
Don't hear it very often, but every once in while and more in a comparative wording, also in the form of "der hat Apothekenpreise" (He has prices like a pharmacy).
If you were a gun owner you will hear it when people speak about Frankonia (gun store). Never before have I heard the term "Apothekenpreise/Apothekerpreise" as often as than.
Apotheke? Never heard that one.
I did not hear this eigther, maybe its a regional saying. Maybe its a saying comming from the north of germany?
Me too. Never heard that in my 42 years ^^ I guess it is a regional thing. At least in bavaria were i got born and in lower saxony were i actually live i have never heard that.
"This is a pharmacy" is something no one says in Germany. But there is the term "pharmacy prices" for stores with prices that are too high.
I would say you hear that a lot in the northern half of germany. My parents used that a lot. But as the original video already stated - propably highly regional.
@@speku87 Absolut üblich in Westfalen!
natürlich im Kontext zu einem Laden..... "hast du schon mal da und da eingekauft ? Nee, das ist ne Apotheke"... aber sicher doch.... natürlich gibt's auch Apothekenpreise...
Ich wohne seit 36 Jahren im Norden Deutschlands, von Hamburg über Lüchow-Dannenberg, Celle, Göttingen, Braunschweig und Wolfsburg….das habe ich noch nie gehört.
If you're interested: "Die Kirche im Dorf lassen" is based upon the fact that in the past, the catholic church tended to make large processions often from one church in the village to a smaller field-chapel or place in the open to hold the mass. Since the Holy mass was often referred to as Kirche (chirch) just like the building, the saying "leave the church in the village" developed out of the wish to not overdo things. .
That's a very interesting explanation, thanks for that!
To not overdo things is imo not just interesting but the only true meaning of "die Kirche im Dorf lassen".
@@georgmeyer7221 yeah, "Lass mal die Kirche im Dorf!" is exactly the same as "übertreib nicht"
the pharmacy one must be highly regional. never heard that one before in all my 40 years of life as a German XD
I think it was originally smth like "...not a pharmacy..." that feels familiar from decades ago but not the one without the "not" mfg Olli
Doch, das ist allgemein bekannt und auch schon alt. Es enthält eine ganze Gruppe von Ausdrücken, die im Kern haben das Sachen in einer Apotheke teuerer sind als anderswo. Wie zB.: "Der Laden hat Preise wie in der Apotheke.", oder "die haben Apothekenpreise". Dabei ging es im Grunde nicht um Medizin, sondern um Sachen die man auch woanders (billiger) bekommt. Wie zB. Benzin, Seife und sowas. Ist mindestens seit dem 2. Weltkrieg in gebrauch, wenn nicht länger.
@@petebeatminister Es ist eben nicht allgemein bekannt, wenn viele deutsche nie davon gehört haben. Es wird mehr regional verwendet. Der Ausdruck Apothekerpreise ist bekannter.
@@Vivi-ux4wg yep definitiv neu für mich oder seit Jahrzehnten nicht gehört... (NRW, Köln/Bonn-Bereich) mfg Olli
@@petebeatminister Ich dachte bis jetzt auch, dass das mit der Apotheke dem weitaus überwiegenden Teil der bundesdeutschen Bevölkerung bekannt ist. Das ist doch ein alter Hut! Ich kenne den Ausdruck auch noch in einem anderen bzw. erweiterten Sinn, nämlich wenn man ausdrücken will, dass das Sortiment in einem Geschäft nur sehr begrenzt und einseitig ist.
"einen Kater haben" comes from "having a catarrh". Catarrh is an inflammation of the mucous membranes with a bad headache. "Kater" is also a tom cat
It is a possible origin of the idiom, a different one would be simply shortening "Katzenjammer" which I like more because it reflects better. Every person with a cat and other cats in the neighbourhood definitly know the sound of 2 cats screaming in a standoff - not the hissing, really the screaming which sometimes sounds like a baby crying - you wont get a good night worth of sleep as long as they dont move. And they wont move as long as there is no outside disturbance to their staring and scream contest, the first cat to move is the loser.
It's controversial. What you write is only one possibility. The same author who theorized it also suggested that it may come from "Katzenjammer", which has been used long before the idiom for expressing having a hangover. Regionally, there are other, older hangover-idioms which are also associated with cats. Edit: Oops, groundloss already pointed that out while I was typing :)
i heard that a long long time ago, students already drank a lot and often too much, and as excuse then stated that they had some kind of illness/migraine : they said that they had a catarrh. and as is often the case, people who didn't know that word turned it into a similar word that they knew: a Kater (male cat).
I also never heard the idiom "Das ist eine Apotheke", but if you come to a store that has overly high prices for their goods, you might say "Die haben Apothekenpreise" ("They have pharmacy prices") which are mostly much more expensive, than in "normal" stores. So maybe in some regions they call those stores jokingly "Apotheke".
I am german and i have in my 42 years never heard the sentence "Das ist eine Apotheke" too ^^
In northern Germany it's totally normal to say that.
@@anunearthlychild8569my north German husband says it all the time
Never heard of it as a southern german so it's probably a regional thing
I am in Northern Germany and never heard: "Das ist eine Apotheke". - Seams to be regional thing. 😅
We actually did "cross our fingers" behind our back as children in the North-East of Germany: you simply "cross your fingers" for not getting caught telling a little lie. The idiom with Apotheke seems to be a regional thing, never heard of before, but i do heard about "Apothekenpreise", which means that things are overpriced or very expensive.
We cross the fingers for the same reason in the South Western part of German speaking European (Switzerland).
We did that too where I grew up (franconia). But I don't know if it's the case in all of bavaria or even the whole of southern germany
I was born in the north west germany and I never heard of it till I saw it in an english film. Why should a lie be justified by crossing the fingers? I would punish the guy if he crosses anything or not. In fact once a partner did this in an important issue and I stopped the partnership immediately, got my keys back and deleted his number ( time before smartphones and staljing by social media. You cannot enlighten bad behaviour by playing with fingers. This is just childish, stupid.
I don't think the Kraut in Kraut und Rüben means cabbage, but rather - like in "Unkraut" (Weeds) any kind of plant. So it could be that the green on top of carrots (MohrRÜBEN) or turnips might be hard to sort from the weeds on the field?
Kraut und Rüben hat eine andere Bedeutung. Ich als gelernter Landwirt kann Dir sagen, dass Rüben dazu neigen sehr große Blätter auszubilden. Diese Blätter muss man entfernen, weil sonst die meiste Energie in die Blätter geht und die Rübe nicht sehr groß wird. Das macht man mit einem sogenannten Krautschläger, der durch die Reihen fährt und das Kraut entfernt. Wenn Bauern das nicht gemacht haben, sah das Feld dementsprechend unordentlich aus (nach Definition der Bauern) und deshalb sagt man, dass etwas unordentliches wie Kraut und Rüben aussieht. Die meisten Sprichwörter haben eine sehr alte Herkunft und die meisten hier aufgezählten sind sehr alte Sprichwörter.
@@MrBirmchen Also ist das Kraut Teil der Rübe. Aber definitiv kein Kohl.
@@BeOtterMyFriend Das Kraut sind die Blätter der Rübe. Das mit dem Kohl wurde bestimmt durch die Bezeichnung der Deutschen als Krauts hergeleitet.
You don't actually press your thumb. Like "fingers crossed", you can do the gesture to really emphasize it, but it's more about the saying. "I press the thumbs for you" means I wish you luck or I hope you succeed.
Never heard the pharmacy thing. I would say in this case: "I wanted to buy just one soda and not the whole bussines."
I only know it as "Das sind Apothekenpreise" (These are pharmacy prices) or as a rhetorical question "Ist das hier eine Apotheke?" (Is this a pharmacy?/What is this, a pharmacy?)
@@cg909 Im Süden, ist dass relativ weit verbreitet. Und da unser britischer Freund in Frankfurt wohnt... Die Apothekensache, ist eher in einem Kontext zu verwenden. Zum Beispiel: "Ich gehe nicht so gern in den Laden XY. Das ist eine Apotheke..." Oder so... "Laß uns im Restaurant soundso essen. Was? In die Apotheke gehe ich nicht..."
@@melchiorvonsternberg844 Hm. Ich bin Hesse und den Spruch habe ich noch nie gehört.
@@elmercy4968 Wie alt bist du? Ist vielleicht eine Frage des Alters...
@@melchiorvonsternberg844 Alt.
Über deinen Schatten springen is really a beautiful idom. It means to challenge/overcome your fears, that always follow you like your (dark) shadow. Trying something that seems impossible (like literally jumping over your own shadow) for you might result in actually doing it, learning about what you are capable of, building self-confidence and makes the fear vanish like your shadow would disappear, if you really jumped over it. It's for example used if a guy is to shy to speak to women because he fears rejection. The shadow symbolizes a dark mental state and it's not only used for fears but also negativity, or laziness (although there is another idom for this called "den inneren Schweinehund bekämpfen" (fighting your inner "pig-dog").
Hi Ryan, you could watch the German (Bavaria) comedian Michael Mittermeier with his English program in London and/ or Canada. He plays with German/British/ American stereotypes, and it's funny af.
That would be good.
But he speaks southern german and in a special childish way, so sometimes it is even not easily to understand in german. And also Ryan seems to like pranks he is also an intelligent humble person and I think people like Mittermeyer or Barth are a bit under his moral level.
To pull somebody over the Table ..is more like..betraying somebody..like in scamming somebody.
French has a very similar ‘church’ idiom: “Garder/remettre l’église au milleux du village”, meaning keep or put back the church into the middle of the village.
My favorite one is: " Man hat schon Pferde vor der Apotheke kotzen sehen" which would directly translate into: "horses have been seen vomit in front of the pharmacy". I would be used to express that even extremely unlikely event/things can happen once in a blue moon or there is always a chance even if it is very small.
"Ich hab schon Schweine fliegen sehen" is a good one with similar meaning imo
As horses can't vomit, this means someone has seen something unheard-of or really amazing
I never heard rhis.
"Über den Tisch ziehen" means to cheat or scam somebody
I often heard "die Kirche im Dorf lassen" used in the context of company politics.. like an employee planning a HUGE Christmas party but the boss doesn't want to go all out.. so more in the sense of "be realistic, don't overdo it"
Wird auch benutzt, wenn jemand absurde Vorschläge macht, oder extreme Spekulationen anstellt.
@@melchiorvonsternberg844 genau was ich sagen wollte nur besser erklärt 😂👌
@@juliii_g Gern geschehen...
Once a week lüften? Whaaaat? You do that daily, my dear American friend. More than once a day doesn't hurt either!
My favourite German idiom is "jemanden abblitzen lassen" (to flash/"lightening" someone off) because it´s sounding rather innocent and is used when someone is not giving in to any demand. Many Germans use this idiom , but only a select few know the naughty origins of this: horses courting/ mating. A mare can "twitch" her vagina, either to clean herself after urination or when she is "in the mood" to disperse her pheromones to get a stallion´s attention. Due to the fact that most horses have dark skin under their fur (exception: cremellos), the outer labia of the mare usually are black while the internal colour is pink. So when a mare is courting a stallion and dispersing her pheromones by twitching her labia, it kinda looks like a pink lightning shortly flashing. And as mares can do this while not fully in standing heat and not yet ready to mate, thus kicking off any stallion trying to mount her, "dann lässt sie ihn abblitzen" (she "flashes/lightning" him off). So, millions of Germans using that idiom while not having a clue that they´re actually referring to the mating rituals of horses always makes me laugh my ass off...oh, I´m a professional riding instructor btw...that´s the explanation I know this.
"Da wird doch der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt..." "Now the dog in the pan gets crazy..." ('Da' means 'there', but 'now' hits the tone better imo.) If you hear or see something, you just can't believe...
About the thumbnail: "Über dein Schatten springen" is incorrect. It's "Über deinen Schatten springen" - it might be confusing for learners. "deinen Schatten" is accusative case, masculine, singular. But in spoken German, you reduce the ending, so "deinen" -> "dein(e)n" -> "dein(n) -> sounds like "dein". And unfortunately a lot of native speakers make that mistake, too.
Bro, don't confuse the poor guy even more. He doesn't even understand the memes
"Ich stehe auf dem Schlauch" : *You* have explained it much better than the guy in the video :D You said, "standing on the hose causes a delay". This was more accurate than you think. Standing on the hose" means the delay of the brain to understand something what got said. Example: If i do not understand directly what you have said, i would say "I stand actually on the hose (Ich stehe grad auf dem Schlauch), can you please explain what you said or how you ment it?" 🙂 I even guess this _delay of water_ if someone is standing on the hose, is the origin for this sentence which means _delay of understanding_ ;) *Thumbs up*
I never personally heard the phrase "Das ist eine Apotheke" But I do know the term "Apothekerpreise" (pharmacy prices) referring to outrageous costs for ridiculously small portions. "Sich die Beine in den Bauch stehen" has nothing to do with walking. It basically means standing around so long, that your legs telescope into your torso.
I've never heard someone saying "Das ist eine Apotheke"/"This is a pharmacy" but I do know the term "Apothekerpreise"/"pharmacist prices" for astronomical prices
'auf dem Schlauch stehen' isn't just not catching it, but rather not getting something, despite it being obvious to everyone around or even despite it being explained to you. Imagine not getting a joke, because one crucial piece of information/context is missing, but the room around you is bursting with laughter. At such a moment you'd say, 'ich stehe auf dem Schlauch'.
"Das ist eine Apotheke" I have never heard this one and I was born and raised in Germany. Guess, that this is more of a regional term. I would say "Das ist Wucher." "That is usury." (hope that is the right word. Had to google a translation ^^) Also, it's not "I am standing on MY hose" but "I am standing on THE hose" :D
I think the idiom with "leave the church in the village" comes from war times where soldiers or others robbed a whole village, and if they also destroyed the church or took a lot of valuables out of it, that would have been too much damage for the people that live in the village
That's interesting, I've learned another explanation that the SWR also cites so maybe mine is a more popular theory. Processions from the Catholic church were often held in villages. Those processions were like parades, but sometimes the villages were too small, or other nearby villages had no church and would be included in this procession. That could mean losing money for the village with the church, so "die Kirche im Dorf lassen" was said to make those processions not too big.
@@Zach2003 ja deine scheint zu stimmen, aber ich find meine witziger 😂
@@LyricsByMeOrig es gibt bei sowas meist mehrere Erklärungen oder Theorien, wie das Sprichwort entstanden ist, deine kann also auch richtig sein. Selbst beim SWR gab es noch eine zweite Theorie, die mir zum Übersetzen zu kompliziert war 🤣 Im Mittelalter standen wohl Dorfkirchen (zumindest zeitweise) rechtlich über Stadtkirchen. Damit war die Kirche im Dorf lassen eher "die rechtliche Präsenz der Dorfkirche im Dorf lassen". Finde die Erklärung aber noch langweiliger als die anderen 😅
@@Zach2003 true 😅
if "your dogs are barking" means you've been on your feet for a long time (i.e. walking) then it's not as good as a comparison. "sich die Beine in den Bauch stehen" is a phrase you use when you're waiting in a queue for hours or at a bus stop/train station or when you're waiting for someone/something and it's taking a very long time. it's more about standing with little to no movement 😀
You are right, it is more about WAITING and standing a long time at ONE place.
I never heard that pharmacy one, but I know the word „Apothekerpreise“ which means „pharmacy prices“ but is actually used to describe unreasonably high prices.
"Das ist eine Apotheke", this is an idiom that is used in our family as well! Meaning: this place has very high prices.
Where do you come from? I also know it but most of the people here has never heard about it. My hometown is in Northern Saxony.
Benutze das auch, grüße aus Hildesheim :D
I live between Karlsruhe and Mannheim
@@Wanjek89 Grüße aus BS zurück. 😉
@@m.m.4645 I was born in Schwetzingen [between Karlsruhe and Mannheim] and lived there for a good 30 years. My family and I, we have never heard it before.
To the contrary to what many said I hear and use the phrase "this is a pharmacy" quite often and I also know this phrase since a long time Perhaps it's regional, I am from northern Germany. Maybe you hear it more often when you got a job related to sales. I don't know but anyway, if a certain shop is known for its general high price level I usually say that this is an Apotheke
I never heard anyone say "Das ist eine Apotheke!" so the last one was pretty new to me. But there's another expression involving pharmacies: "Ich habe schon Pferde vor der Apotheke kotzen sehen." (I have already seen horses puke in front of the pharmacy) which is just a complicated way of saying "I have seen stranger things than that." This idiom comes from the fact that horses are unable to vomit. They have a muscle that acts as a one way valve to the stomach. Whatever is in there can only go to the colon but not back to the esophagus. The pharmacy part is a totally unnecessary detail and sometimes gets left out. But whenever someone mentions the place where they've seen a horse vomit, it's always in front of a pharmacy.
My Mom (75) used and still uses that idom of the pharmacy often - "nee, da kannst ja nich hingehen, das ist ja ne Apotheke" and refered to stores like Tengelmann in the past and now Edeka... My Mom lived as child and teen near Gifhorn, Lüneburger Heide - perhaps it was a thing in the north and the past until the ´90s - since I never used it myself I´m one of the people to blame that it died out 😵
I live near Gifhorn too. I never heard this before.
That's how I understand "die Kirche im Dorf lassen": Do not exagerate to prevent a fight. Keep things calm. Like: Just say you disagree at a Thanksgiving dinner without starting to dig into old stories or start a fight. You can listen to loud music every now and then but not every day. So you can live in peace with your neighbors.
Diplomacy is described as the art of pulling someone over the table in a way he missjudges the frictional heat as the warmth of his mother's arms.
So diplomacy is a bad thing? I always had that thought. 😉
"das ist eine apotheke" seems to be and very unusual term....lived in many partys of germany and never heard this one before
"Jumping over one's shadow" can be used in either a positive or negative way. If you tell someone to jump over their shadow, you're expressing they should just do something instead of rejecting it as impossible. When you say that someone just can't jump over their shadow, you're expressing that someone can't change their ways. The interesting thing about the latter usage is that it is positive and negative criticism at the same time. "I wish they would change, but I see that it's impossible for them."
in Czechia ( ČR) is it similar, but not jump but step over
@@cestmirberka6994 Interesting. In German, we're kinda forced to use "jump", as there is no verb for "to step". It's expressed as "making a step" (einen Schritt machen), with the verb (schreiten) having the meaning of "to stride".
In German there's also the word "Muskelkater" (lit. "muscle tom cat"). It refers to the pain your muscles get after a while of overusage. Because similar pains also occur after having drunk it may have come from that. Why that muscle pain is called tom cat? I don't know...
So symphatisch. Bitte bleib wie du bist. LG aus München
The word "Kater" is derived from the Germanized "katarrh", which at the time was colloquial for discomfort caused by inflammation of the mucous membranes.
First of all, "This is a pharmacy" is not used, at best it exists in some remote village in the alps. Haven't heard that. Secondly, I think you could like the phrase "Jetzt haben wir den Salat", which translates to "Now we have the salad!" It is used mostly humorously when suddenly getting into an unfortunate situation.
My favorite is "Ist doch gehuppt wie gesprungen." wich literally translates to "It's hopped like jumped" meaning that the outcome of a action will be same, regardless wich method you use or wich path you take.
Some ppl say for fun when they want to express that their English is not good: “My English is not the yellow from the egg” & i never heard “Das ist ein Apotheker” just “Das ist Wucher” = "This is a usury" what's basically the same meaning I guess
"Die Kirche im Dorf lassen..." A very deep one, every sattlement based on a church, community identification (in older times). Religion, hall of the believers, the fort up above to survive. "Don´t risk, talk trash about or blow something up, that´s not be worth to lose THAT (church)."
This was great fun! :) His style of explaining / translating suited your style of watching / guessing / commenting very well, you should consider using more of his videos in the future! :) I'll also join the many German speakers who already commented here that they have never heard the Apotheke saying... Though the concept of "prices in the pharmacy being very inflated" is, I'd say, widely shared.
I know the expression "Apothekenpreise" for high prices. The reason is that German pharmacies receive a fee as a part of the price for sale a product over their counter.
Jumping over your shadow is probably a clever way to describe doing something your shadow can't "copy" like it usually does for everything you do. Basically doing something that surprises your shadow, because you have never done it before.
Never heard that Pharmacy-Idiom before as a german in my whole life, but another very beautiful one: "Ich hab' schon Pferde vor der Apotheke kotzen sehen", which literally translates to "I've seen horses puke in front of the pharmacy" which is also a bit specific, you usually answer that if somebody says that the chances for anything are very very slim or rare and you then reply with this idiom to say in a funny way that as slim as the chances might be, something could still be possible regardless. Funny since for once a pharmacy is usually a place where you get your medicine so you won't have to puke and second since in reality, it is impossible for a horse to puke since their digestion system works different from that one of a human, they are physically completely inable to puke at all.
The word "Kater" (hangover) is derived from the Germanized "catarrh", which at the time was colloquial for discomfort caused by inflammation of the mucous membranes. Leipzig students adopted this expression to casually describe the consequences of alcohol intoxication.
the phrase "pull someone over the table" originates from the bavarian tradition "Fingerhakeln" where you cross your index fingers with the oponnent and literally try to pull him over the table. :)
Never in my entire life have I heard the phrase "Das ist eine Apotheke"
"Voll die Apotheke... " is a common thing to say and you hear this very often in the Ruhr-Valley and in the area where I live, in Westfalia.
"Wie kraut und rüben" is defintiely one idiom which always sounds funny/witty (humorous touch to it)... if an elderly person says it, it may be maybe (maybemaybe) more serious... ... so it just is there amd a funny expression overall- you can say it, for instance, to hair... your hair looks "wie kraut und rüben" today xD (simply that sth.'s a mess)
"Ich stehe auf dem Schlauch" (Standing on the hose) describes that feeling when you know an answer or the solution to something. You can feel that you know it, the answer is in your head but you just can't remember or articulate it in that very moment. Its an akward feeling but I think everyone knows it. It feels like that knowledge is blocked somewhere in your mind. So yeah mental blockage describes it quite well. It definitely does not mean confusion though. At least thats not how I use it or experience others using it
It's actually very funny. We Germans press the thumbs for luck, but we also cross our fingers behind our backs when children lie. "This is a pharmacy" simply means that the store you are in has extremely high prices compared to others for the same products. Just like a pharmacy.
As I'm watching this, I'm just remembering. There is also a game called "Daumendrücken" that we used to play in school when we were younger. There are like maybe five students standing in front of the class, everyone else lays down on their table, closes their eyes and hold out one hand with its thumb up. The five children go around and press each one thumb and go back. Then the chosen students have to guess who pressed their thumb. Not sure if there was anything else to the guessing like questions or smth, it's been to long, but I just remembered it exists and I loved it as a kid xD
As a German, I have never said Lass die Kirche im Dorf. Also, standing on the hose is rather used to say "I have no idea" when someone asks you something. And I have never ever once heard the pharmacy term.
I never heard the 'Apotheke(pharmacy)' thing in my life. Also, it doesn't make sense, since pharmaceuticals are paid by our health insurance anyways...the cost for the patient is capped at €5 or €10, no matter what the retail price of the drug actually is. Maybe it's from the old days... I have heard 'Tankstellenpreise (service station- prices)', since a bag of chips at a service station is 3 times as high as in a supermarket
Another fun one is this idiom: "Hals- und Beinbruch" which translates to "broken neck and leg". It is used to wish someone good luck. (Don't ask me why 😂)
exists in english as "break a leg!"
Verballhornung eines jiddischen Glück- und Segenswunsch. Corruption / Cacography of a Yiddish wish of happiness and blessing.
"Ich stehe auf dem Schlauch" is used pretty much exactly like "This is going over my head"
Ohu god your explanation for auf dem Schlauch stehen is fucking BRILLIANT. Like yes it's wrong but it makes so much sense.
I have never heard the idiom "This ist a pharmacy". I guess it is very regional.
Just here to chime in that I too have never heard of the pharmacy idiom before in my entire life! I might start using it though lol.
I‘ve heard the pharmacy one a lot in SW Germany. It‘s one of the first idioms I learned.
Here in these comments I saw "Das ist eine Apotheke" so often, that I get accostumed to it, but no, I can't remember having heard that in my life before ... I am a German from BaWü near Stuttgart and I see here others from BaWü who know that idiom, so I think it's different even in the same regions. Somehow distributed in a rather inhomogenous way.
16:19 "...oh i just reading the comments... focus, focus" ... Thats exactly the meaning of "Auf dem Schlauch stehen" (standing on the hose) 😝
My dear mister singingclub! 🤣
I like this man, too, and I love his British / English pronounciation very much! And yes, his videos are very informative and well-observed.
Kraut und Rüben is not turnips and cabbage. The green leaves of a turnip are called Kraut (Rübenkraut) and when you harvest the turnips, turnips and leaves pile up "topsy turvy". That is the picture.
I only know the pharmacy one as "Das sind ja Apothekenpreise hier", which I'd translate as "the prices are like in a pharmacy here"
I'm not clear on the "Schatten Ding." Where I live, it tends to be used in the opposite sense. "Man kann nicht über seinen eigenen Schatten springen" which translates to "You can't jump over your own shadow," they say to comfort someone who is desperately trying to accomplish something impossible.
This one is one of your best, and the commentaries are excellent. I, as a German, till now hadn't known the origin of "einen Kater haben" (A "Röntgenkater", after an irradiation, was in common use in medicine), but I think "katarrh" is a good explanation. I hated the phrase "Guten Rutsch" as I felt sliding into something was no good idea for New Year, but now that I learned it derives from Rosh Hashana it feels better.
Whenever I didn't understand something my mom told me to raise my feet to step off the hose. Although she used the word "Leitung". In that given context it means power line or data cable, but it can also mean pipe. Any object that directs the flow of something is a Leitung (lit. leading thingy). Like in Wasserleitung, Stromleitung, Rohrleitung... But Leitung can also mean any form of management. "To lead" and "leiten" have the same origin. The person in charge of other people's workflow is the Leiter (a word that also means ladder, but that would lead us to far) and the position this person is in is the Leitung. Like in Geschäftsleitung, Filialleitung, Abteilungsleitung, Schulleitung...
I've never heard someone refer to a business as a 'Apotheke', but to high prices as 'Apothekenpreise' (pharmacy prices). You could also use the term 'Wucher', but that has an even harsher connotation.
"Ich stehe auf dem Schlauch" is something I've never heard, only "Ich stehe auf der Leitung", which means the same
One of the two most plausible explanations for "die Kirche im Dorf lassen" is that up to the late medieval times, there were lots of catholic processions occuring on a regular basis. The problem was: these processions tended to be so long that they would be too large for a small village, so they were directed around the village instead - which drew the ire of the villagers, as the church still was an essential part of everyday's life. Therefore, it was demanded to cut it down on the size of these processions and make them just long enough to go through the villages themselfs - and therefore, leaving the church in the village.
I have not heard "Das is eine Apotheke" before, as a German but maybe its not a Idiom used in my part of the country
nice video and funny reaction as always ;) i've never heard: "das ist eine Apotheke". what i know is "das sind ja Apothekenpreise" (lit. "Those are pharmacy prices")
To "press thumbs" is always a good luck wish and gesture for others in germany and has nothing to do with crossing fingers, hidden or not.
I studied at the university of Tuebingen, at the bookstore Osiander there were Post cards with “Denglish” on it, e.g. ‘my English is not the yellow from the egg, but it goes. I come trough.’ 😂😂😂
Never heard that pharmacie phrace. We say things like „its priced like in a pharmacy“
Edeka is the pharmacy among the shops. (Edeka = pricy Grocery Store in Germany)
That was a geat one! I liked your reaction to the "leave the church in the village" part! :D I admit, it must be quite confusing.
The other guy's translation was roobish, grammatically it is "to stand yourself the legs into the belly" i.e. to stand (for long time) until your legs slide into your belly"
Die Beine in den Bauch stehen, literally means to stand your legs into your belly, like standing is an active action causing your belly to be impaled by your leg by standing too long.
Whats wrong with daily letting oxygin in the House. Its good for the Brain😊
The sport where you pull someone over the table is called Fingerhakeln (finger hooking) and is only popular in Bavaria and maybe some parts of Austria. Both players hook their index finger into a leather ring and then pull. Other fun Bavarian strength events are - Strengkatzenziang (strong cat pulling) or Gnackziang (neck pulling): Two players are on all fours, facing each other about one foot apart. A belt is placed around their heads and then they try to either pull their opponent on their side of the floor or pull the belt over their opponents head. - Boahakeln (leg hooking): Two players lie on their backs, bottom on bottom, one leg in the air. They then hook their legs into each other and try to roll over, away from their opponent. Whoever rolls the other to their side wins. - Bierkrugstemmen (beer mug lifting): It's pretty simple. The one who could hold a completely filled one litre mug on his stretchet out arm the longest wins. Side note: If you're afraid of wasting beer ot can also be done by holding up a stool instead of a beer mug. - Stoaheben (stone lifting): An extremely heavy stone with a handle attached to it sits in a hole. The one who can lift it up the highest wins.
I think one of the newer german idioms would be 'Einmal nur mit Experten'. An older german idiom, but still very popular ecspecially among politicians or business leaders, is 'Eine Hand wäscht die andere'.
Another fun one would be "Ich hab schon Pferde vor der Apotheke kotzen sehen" literaly: "I have seen horses vomit in front of a pharmacy" which is meant to express that even very unlikely events are still possible.
Never heard of "Das ist eine Apotheke"?! I just know the "Das kostet n Appel und n Ei" which means "This costs an apple and and egg". It says something is cheap. "Über den Tisch ziehen" - is more used to lets say.... You buy a new car and the seller overprized it on purpose to the buyer. You still buy it and figure out later that you got kinda scamed. That would be an example for "jemanden über den Tisch ziehen". But that pharmacy thing is really new for me and I kinda live in Duesseldorf for 35 years :D