We'll discover five new expressions and idioms that are pretty much all used in spoken German. A Thumb, a Maid, a seat, Pi... they're all in today's episode.
It’s August. Hooray. For many of us, it’s summer, and for many of us, it’s vacation time. And while no one wants to grind German grammar on vacation, a nice relaxed quiz is a different story. You know… lean back in the chair, on the hammock or the beach, open a cool beer or soda or water, and guess and get some fun and useful expressions.
And that’s what we’ll do today with a new episode of
Useful German Expressions Quiz
Let’s GO!
As usual in this series, I’ll give you the expression or word along with the literal translation and then you have to try to guess what the actual meaning is. Well, you have to pick from multiple choice. And then, along with the answer, I give you some info as to where the expression comes from or what the logic is. All five expressions are in active use and they’ll make you come across very authentic when you use them in the right moment.
One thing to note: I do try to make all the answer options plausible, so do check in with your gut and not just with your brain. Your gut might have an opinion too and it MIGHT be the right one
And because I don’t want it to be pure guesswork, I have also added a hint. Click hint and you’ll see an example that carries some context and that makes it much more clear.
Still… I think it’s fun to read all the options and weigh them in your head before you open the hint. Don’t forget, this is not about performance, this is about having some fun with German and its weird compounds and sayings.
So… viel Spass!
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Taken literally, the word translates to “seat meat”. Which does have a nice ring to it. But what does it stand for?
Generic example:
Man braucht viel Sitzfleisch.
You need a lot of ______ .
Correct
Incorrect
Hint
Unsere Meetings sind super lang. Man braucht auf jeden Fall viel Sitzfleisch, um bis zum Ende durchzuhalten.
Our meetings are super long. You definitely need a lot of patience/staying power to make it to the end.
Question 2 of 5
2. Question
“die Milchmädchenrechnung”
If we translate it literally, we get “milk maid calculation” or “milk maid bill”. But what does it actually stand for?
Correct
Incorrect
Hint
Example:
Zum Tanken eine Stunde über die Grenze fahren ist eine Milchmädchenrechnung.
Driving an hour across the border to get gas is a ___________________ .
Question 3 of 5
3. Question
“Vitamin B”
The translation is clear. And Vitamin B is important for our health. But it has a figurative meaning as well. Which could it be? (I’ll NOT give reasoning for the options, it think it’s more fun if you try to find it yourselves :)
Generic example:
Ohne Vitamin B ist es hier schwer.
Without Vitamin B, it’s hard here.
Correct
Incorrect
Hint
Ohne Vitamin B ist es schwer, in der Firma einen Job zu bekommen.
Without vitamin B, it’s hard to get a job at that company.
Question 4 of 5
4. Question
“Pi mal Daumen”
der Daumen is the German word for thumband Pi is indeed the number Pi. So Pi mal Daumen literally means “Pi times thumb“. But what does it express?
Correct
Incorrect
Hint
“Weisst du, wie lange das dauert?” “Nur so pi mal Daumen?”
“Do you know how long it’ll take?” “Only _________ .
Question 5 of 5
5. Question
And last but not least, let’s do the beautiful compound:
“das Fingerspitzengefühl”
Taken word for word, we get “finger tip feeling”. What do you think that stands for?
Correct
Incorrect
Hint
Mein Chef hat seiner Kritik oft recht, aber ihm fehlt Fingerspitzengefühl
My boss is often right with his criticisms, but he lacks ____________ .
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Und? Wie war’s? How did you do? Did you know some of them already? And which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments and also, let me know if you have ideas on how to best translate them, because I couldn’t always think of a good translation, but I might have overlooked one or two.
And of course if you have any questions about any of them, let me know in the comments as well and I’ll clear them up.
If you want more quizzes like this just click through to the Idioms and Expressions Quiz Archive. This was already episode 9, so there’s plenty more for you to explore.
So yeah… that’s it for today, I hope you enjoyed it, have a great, relaxing day and I’ll see you next time.
“Ich brauche viel Sitzfleisch wenn meine Freunden über der Welt so negativ sprechen.”
Fuehl ich :)
Eine Sache… Sitzfleisch ist nicht einfach Geduld. Es gehoert dazu, dass man lange an etwas “sitzt”. Patience im Sinne von Indulgence ist nicht genau Sitzfleisch.
Wenn deine Freunde LANGE rumjammern, dann hilft Sitzfleisch, aber gegen die Vibe im Generellen nicht.
JenGLWM
Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Wishing you much joy and happiness with your growing family!
Vielen, vielen, vielen Dank to those who are sponsoring this site, so people like me with no money to spend on language can take the opportunity to learn! Maybe one day I will grow rich like you and help new comers to learn for free too. Auf Wiedersehen!
pmccann
Mega-congrats on the arrival of Mia, and the very best of wishes to all three of you in navigating the *new normal*!
I managed 4/5 first time through, having heard “Vitamin B” and “Pi mal Daumen” some time in the distant past. The latter of these is probably my favourite, as it plays so neatly into the sphere of engineering vs maths jokes (in which 2=e=pi=3, so (pretty straightforwardly, everything equals everything else)(#)). The closest English expression in terms of *words*, but not in terms of meaningis possibly “three thumbs up”, which can be used to mean something like ‘all good, go for it’, or, more simply, ‘super!’. Hey, it’s pi/e times more betteretteretterer than two thumbs up!
The one I missed first time around was “Milchmädchenrechnung”, the real meaning of which was dismissed by my inner woke self;-) I guess I thought it would have been expunged, or at least shunned by now. Live (a long time) and learn (a little)…
(#) I’m thinking here of a semi-semi-famous, semi-funny, semi-sexy, super-nerdy (that was all part of the schtick…) German YouTuber from half a decade ago, who went by the moniker “Flammable Maths”, or “Papa Flammy”.
Ilonka215
Very nice. Have you heard “It’s not what you know but who you know”? Our version of Vit. B.
Just checked in my trusty hardcover Harraps Duden German-English and found “milk maid” for the former and for “Milchmaedchenrechnung” “naive miscalculation.
To me, although not really a true native, albeit fluent, English speaker, “pennywise and pound foolish'” suggests more misplaced money saving when spending might accomplish a better result! I believe I’ve heard/read in English “cheap is dear”.
As a child, I can remember the expression “am falschen Ende sparen”. There must be others. Perhaps though it’s a generational thing.
I feel like these are more about a core sense of “rough, not exact”, while Milchmädchenrechnung is about the naive or stupid thinking. You NEVER want a Milchmädchenrechnung.
Elsa
Hello, Only found one typo: “I do try to make all the answer options are plausible” (I do try to make all the answer options plausible)
I aced the quiz even though I only knew (Pi mal Daumen), but I think intuition helped a lot.
Thanks! My favourite was the “vitamin B” one :) Bis bald!
Another typo: a naiv, poorly thought through calculation. English is naive, German is naiv
Amanda
I already knew Vitamin B and Pi mal Daumen – I feel like both are common not just in everyday life, but also in (modern) learning materials like YouTube channels. The other ones I never heard of and was surprised by a couple of the meanings. Good quiz!
Elizabeth
Thank you Emanuel. I love idioms. I use it to speak regularly. Using idioms brings your level of learning and using a language to a different level. I enjoy your newsletters especially when there is a quiz attached to it. Got 100% correct, though I did take the assistance of the hints which made the meaning clear. No clear favourite as I like all idioms in general. Thanks once again for your hard work.
No real way to get all of them right without the hints :). That’s the thing with idioms, that they could mean anything and everything. Still, I think it’s fun to ponder without any context first, that’s why I “hide” the examples as hints.
mikehinton
Eine amerikanische Redewendung für „ungefähr, annähernd“ ist „hipshot“ – aus der Hüfte schießen.
Perhaps. I think ‘quick on the trigger’ implies being reckless or careless. Let’s say you and your boss are discussing the potential for starting a project. He knows you’re both unprepared but he wants a rough, ball-park cost and time estimate before further consideration. You might be ‘afraid to say’ and he waves your apprehension off, “Give me a hip shot.”
That’s interesting – I’m not sure I’ve ever heard “hip shot,” but I would absolutely suggest “Just shooting from the hip” as a gloss for “Pi mal Daumen.”
Im Polnischen steht “Tuer” (drzwi) immer in der Mehrzahl, denn urspruenglich hatten Tueren in Polen zwei Teile, die sich nur waagerecht oeffneten!
Rextyler
I got Sitzfleisch and Pi mal Daumen wrong. I think it was just luck that I got the others right. The hints really helped. I love learning new idioms. Thanks!
At university, our prof. would say that mostly Sitzfleisch and determination are guarantees of success. ‘Course he was rather elderly at the time, so probably more generational than regional.
ScottyD
Excellent quiz. I’d never heard of 3 of the 5 expressions. Looking forward to the first opportunity to use “Pi mal Daumen!” Thanks.
Jeffrey
Das Fingerspitzengefühl is for me “a deft touch”.
As for Vitamin B .. I’ve only heard it in the context of beer in English. I’ll have to ask some work colleagues about it tomorrow.
Noch ein Lieblingsidiom “Korinthenkacker”, zu Englisch “raisin shitter” wortwoertlich uebersetzt, auch so ein unflexibel buerokratischer kleiner vor allem regelgebundener, Mensch! Auf Englisch “martinet”
Huge thank you to people who donated extra!!
Ich liebe diese!
Ich brauche viel Sitzfleisch wenn meine Freunden über der Welt so negativ sprechen.
Ich liebe auch das Fingerspitzengfühl.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch und willkommen, Mia! Ich freue mich so sehr für dich!
“Ich brauche viel Sitzfleisch wenn meine Freunden über der Welt so negativ sprechen.”
Fuehl ich :)
Eine Sache… Sitzfleisch ist nicht einfach Geduld. Es gehoert dazu, dass man lange an etwas “sitzt”. Patience im Sinne von Indulgence ist nicht genau Sitzfleisch.
Wenn deine Freunde LANGE rumjammern, dann hilft Sitzfleisch, aber gegen die Vibe im Generellen nicht.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Wishing you much joy and happiness with your growing family!
Danke :)
Vielen, vielen, vielen Dank to those who are sponsoring this site, so people like me with no money to spend on language can take the opportunity to learn! Maybe one day I will grow rich like you and help new comers to learn for free too. Auf Wiedersehen!
Mega-congrats on the arrival of Mia, and the very best of wishes to all three of you in navigating the *new normal*!
I managed 4/5 first time through, having heard “Vitamin B” and “Pi mal Daumen” some time in the distant past. The latter of these is probably my favourite, as it plays so neatly into the sphere of engineering vs maths jokes (in which 2=e=pi=3, so (pretty straightforwardly, everything equals everything else)(#)). The closest English expression in terms of *words*, but not in terms of meaningis possibly “three thumbs up”, which can be used to mean something like ‘all good, go for it’, or, more simply, ‘super!’. Hey, it’s pi/e times more betteretteretterer than two thumbs up!
The one I missed first time around was “Milchmädchenrechnung”, the real meaning of which was dismissed by my inner woke self;-) I guess I thought it would have been expunged, or at least shunned by now. Live (a long time) and learn (a little)…
(#) I’m thinking here of a semi-semi-famous, semi-funny, semi-sexy, super-nerdy (that was all part of the schtick…) German YouTuber from half a decade ago, who went by the moniker “Flammable Maths”, or “Papa Flammy”.
Very nice. Have you heard “It’s not what you know but who you know”?
Our version of Vit. B.
Heard recently on a news broadcast the sentence “Who you know gets you there, what you know keeps you there.”
Although I think I understand it, not sure if I could translate it into German, rather, would have to somehow weave Vitamin B into the phrase. Tricky.
Here goes.
“Vitamin B? Schoen und gut.
….???
Can someone help with a clever
rhyme?
On Milchmadchen:
In english we don’t have a single word for this but a common idiom
‘Pennywise and pound foolish”
Just checked in my trusty hardcover Harraps Duden German-English and found “milk maid” for the former and for “Milchmaedchenrechnung” “naive miscalculation.
To me, although not really a true native, albeit fluent, English speaker, “pennywise and pound foolish'” suggests more misplaced money saving when spending might accomplish a better result! I believe I’ve heard/read in English “cheap is dear”.
As a child, I can remember the expression “am falschen Ende sparen”. There must be others. Perhaps though it’s a generational thing.
Hey, what are you doing here :D
How about a ‘back of the napkin’ calculation? Or when I was an engineer it was either a SWAG (Simply a Wild A** Guess) or a ‘thumb suck’.
I feel like these are more about a core sense of “rough, not exact”, while Milchmädchenrechnung is about the naive or stupid thinking. You NEVER want a Milchmädchenrechnung.
Hello,
Only found one typo:
“I do try to make all the answer options are plausible” (I do try to make all the answer options plausible)
I aced the quiz even though I only knew (Pi mal Daumen), but I think intuition helped a lot.
Thanks! My favourite was the “vitamin B” one :)
Bis bald!
Yeah, that’s definitely my favorite one as well, even though I don’t have much of it :)
Another typo: a naiv, poorly thought through calculation. English is naive, German is naiv
I already knew Vitamin B and Pi mal Daumen – I feel like both are common not just in everyday life, but also in (modern) learning materials like YouTube channels. The other ones I never heard of and was surprised by a couple of the meanings. Good quiz!
Thank you Emanuel. I love idioms. I use it to speak regularly. Using idioms brings your level of learning and using a language to a different level. I enjoy your newsletters especially when there is a quiz attached to it. Got 100% correct, though I did take the assistance of the hints which made the meaning clear. No clear favourite as I like all idioms in general. Thanks once again for your hard work.
No real way to get all of them right without the hints :). That’s the thing with idioms, that they could mean anything and everything. Still, I think it’s fun to ponder without any context first, that’s why I “hide” the examples as hints.
Eine amerikanische Redewendung für „ungefähr, annähernd“ ist „hipshot“ – aus der Hüfte schießen.
Perhaps in German “schlagfertig sein”, literally “quick on the trigger”.
Perhaps. I think ‘quick on the trigger’ implies being reckless or careless. Let’s say you and your boss are discussing the potential for starting a project. He knows you’re both unprepared but he wants a rough, ball-park cost and time estimate before further consideration. You might be ‘afraid to say’ and he waves your apprehension off, “Give me a hip shot.”
We have the same, actually… “aus der Huefte geschossen”
That’s interesting – I’m not sure I’ve ever heard “hip shot,” but I would absolutely suggest “Just shooting from the hip” as a gloss for “Pi mal Daumen.”
“schlagfertig sein” is about being quick to retort. That is not the same as a “hip shot” in the sense of “rough estimate”.
Thanks, Emanuel!
Most likely I misunderstood the English expression.
Es hat richtig Spaß gemacht. Danke.
In Polish there is “pi razy oko” (Pi mal Auge) and “pi razy drzwi” (Pi mal Tür).
Polish has quirky counting!
Pi mal Tür, wow… das ist echt random :D.
Im Polnischen steht “Tuer” (drzwi) immer in der Mehrzahl, denn urspruenglich hatten Tueren in Polen zwei Teile, die sich nur waagerecht oeffneten!
I got Sitzfleisch and Pi mal Daumen wrong. I think it was just luck that I got the others right. The hints really helped. I love learning new idioms. Thanks!
Funny thing is, I was once told by an American colleague that in English sometimes you use Sitzfleisch just as we in German use it.
I’m from NJ and I’ve never heard of that saying, maybe it’s regional.
At university, our prof. would say that mostly Sitzfleisch and determination are guarantees of success.
‘Course he was rather elderly at the time, so probably more generational than regional.
Excellent quiz. I’d never heard of 3 of the 5 expressions. Looking forward to the first opportunity to use “Pi mal Daumen!” Thanks.
Das Fingerspitzengefühl is for me “a deft touch”.
As for Vitamin B .. I’ve only heard it in the context of beer in English. I’ll have to ask some work colleagues about it tomorrow.
Vitamin B = Beziehungen aka connections, z.B “Du, um so eine Pfruende (sinecure) zu kriegen, brauchst du schon viel Vitamin B!”
Tolles Quiz!
Übrigens, „Milchmädchenrechnung“ erinnert mich an die britische Redewenung, „penny wise, pound foolish“
Doch, mich auch!
So ein kleingeistiges, eh’ kleinkariertes, Denken, oder?
Genau das!
Noch ein Lieblingsidiom “Korinthenkacker”, zu Englisch “raisin shitter” wortwoertlich uebersetzt, auch so ein unflexibel buerokratischer kleiner vor allem regelgebundener, Mensch!
Auf Englisch “martinet”
Aehnlich in Deutsch “Kommentreiter”.
Ja, das klingt so als ob es ungefaehr die gleiche Idee beschreibt.
Das stimmt.
Pi mal Daumen is my favourite ,it displays ability to be funny and strike efficiency at the same time
100%!
Let’s gooo!