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German
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Explanation
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English
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| ganz Ohr sein |
to listen to sth./sb. With excitement and undivided attention |
to be all ears |
| Augen und Ohren offen halten |
to follow something attentively |
to keep one’s eyes and ears open |
| jemandem klingel die Ohren |
Folk belief: someone is talking about you behind your back |
Lit. someone’s ears are ringing |
| die Ohren auf Durchzug stellen |
That what is/was said remains unheard; it enters one ear and immediately exits the other; Durchzug = draught |
to go deaf |
| jemanden die Ohren voll jammern |
Coll. to bother someone with one’s worries or problems |
to harp on about one’s problems |
| jemanden die Ohren lang ziehen |
To reproach or rebuke sb. |
Lit. to stretch someone’s ears |
| auf taube Ohren stoßen |
To not achieve anything with one’s admonitions, suggestions, or concerns |
to fall on deaf ears |
| seinen Ohren nicht trauen |
To be completely by the heard |
To not believe one’s ears |
| auf seinen Ohren sitzen |
Coll. not listening |
Lit. to sit on one’s ears |
| sich auf’s Ohr hauen |
Coll. to get some sleep |
to hit the hay |
| jemanden eins hinter die Ohren geben |
to cuff sb.; to box sb.’s ear |
To give somebody a thick ear |
| ins Ohr gehen |
Very catchy/memorable |
to be catchy |
| jemanden in den Ohren liegen |
to badger sb. by permanent requesting, complaining, etc. |
to pester sb. |
| bis über beide Ohren verliebt sein |
to be totally in love |
to be head over ears (heels) in love |
| bis über beide Ohren in Arbeit stecken |
to have to do a lot of work |
to be fully immersed in work |
| jemanden etwas um die Ohren hauen |
to reproach/criticize sb. |
to beat sb. round the head with sth. |
| viel um die Ohren haben |
Coll. to be very busy |
to have a lot/enough on one’s plate |
| hinter die Ohren schreiben |
the demand to remember something |
be sure to remember sth. |
| Die Ohren steif halten |
to not to loose courage, endurance, etc. |
to keep a stiff upper lip |
| Das Fell über die Ohren ziehen |
to betray someone |
to milk the pigeon; to flay sb. alive |
| Dein Wort in Gottes Ohr! |
Someone’s wish may come true. |
From your lips to God’s ears. / Let’s hope so, by goodness! |
| die Nacht um die Ohren schlagen |
to stay up all night |
to pull an all-nighter |
| jemanden übers Ohr hauen |
to cheat sb. |
to get the better of sb. / to pull a fast one on sb. |
| es faustdick hinter den Ohren haben |
to be a sly |
to be a deep me / to be a sly old dog |
| einen Floh im Ohr haben |
Coll. to not to be in one’s right mind |
to have a bug in one’s ear / to have a bee in the bonnet |
Comments:
Tânia Mello:
OK, since with began with the EAR, go by parts and think of the face first: I am sure there are expressions with the nose, the mouth, the eyes, the hair, the chin, etc…
This would make more sense, and would be easier for us to learn, buhlieeeeve me ! Gosh, you DO have a lot of work to do !!!
John Morgan:
Dear Sandra Rösner. Thank you for these explanations, and the clear manner in which they are shown. Just one point.”Die Ohren steif halten”. The explanation should be “to not to lose courage, and not “loose”. This is, believe you me, a common mistake by English people, also!!
Well done,
John