{"id":10922,"date":"2019-08-15T11:00:10","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=10922"},"modified":"2019-09-11T11:24:50","modified_gmt":"2019-09-11T11:24:50","slug":"sayings-expressions-24-order-and-the-drawer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/sayings-expressions-24-order-and-the-drawer\/","title":{"rendered":"German Sayings + Expressions 24: Order and the Drawer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Germans are all about\u00a0Ordnung\u00a0<\/em>(order). They love having everything put together and well-defined. No wonder then that there are\u00a0Sprichw\u00f6rter\u00a0<\/em>(sayings) about this! The\u00a0Ausdruck\u00a0<\/em>(expression) is a reaction to it… Let’s go!<\/p>\n

For older posts, please\u00a0follow this link.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ordnung ist das halbe Leben<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Image by Samuel Zeller at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: Order is half of life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cleanliness is next to godliness<\/em><\/p>\n

Order is so important to Germans that it is no surprise that they make a big deal out of it. Order is half your life – that is a big statement. Where does this come from?<\/p>\n

It is about time. If you keep things in order, you won’t lose as much time searching for things. If you have a routine, you don’t have to figure out each time what to do. You save a lot of time – half a life if you’re doing it right!<\/p>\n

So,\u00a0Ordnung ist das halbe Leben.<\/em> If somebody tells you that, and you ignore it and keep living in your\u00a0Dreck\u00a0<\/em>(filth)? Well, perhaps they will then tell you:<\/p>\n

Das ist unterste Schublade!<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Image by author based on image by Lena De Fanti at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: That is the lowest drawer!<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is way below the belt!<\/em><\/p>\n

What? Lowest drawer? Yes. It refers to a situation or certain Verhalten <\/em>(behavior) that is really not okay, that is just below the belt. But where does it come from?<\/p>\n

If you follow the credo\u00a0Ordnung ist das halbe Leben<\/em>, you might kn0w: the\u00a0unterste Schublade\u00a0<\/em>is usually used for things you don’t have to access a lot. It is uncomfortable to bend over to reach it, it is not a desirable place, one that you want to access often. Though just because you don’t need something a lot, does not mean that it is a bad thing. So why the negative connotation?<\/p>\n

I found an explanation for this. Back in the\u00a0Mittelalter\u00a0<\/em>(Middle Ages), bending over or bowing was a sign of submission. Especially if you were higher up, you would not want to bend over to open a Schublade<\/em>. You would want somebody to open the Schublade <\/i>for you. It was a humiliating thing to bend over. And so, calling something\u00a0unterste Schublade\u00a0<\/em>refers to such lowly\u00a0Verhalten<\/em>, unworthy of those that commissioned it.<\/p>\n

Of course, if this origin story is true, this would be quite the haughty thing to say. But it has really become an everyday\u00a0Ausdruck\u00a0<\/em>(expression), so don’t worry when using it. If you think something was handled\u00a0really<\/span> bad, don’t hesitate to call it\u00a0unterste Schublade<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Examples:<\/p>\n

R\u00e4um doch bitte dein Zimmer auf! Ordnung ist das halbe Leben.<\/em><\/p>\n

–\u00a0Nein, ich habe keinen Bock. R\u00e4um du mein Zimmer doch auf, wenn du dich so daran st\u00f6rst.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wie bitte? Das ist unterste Schublade! Los jetzt, r\u00e4um sofort auf!<\/em><\/p>\n

(Please tidy up your room! Order is half your life.<\/p>\n

– No, I don’t feel like it. Why don’t you tidy up my room if you’re so bothered by it.<\/p>\n

Excuse me? That is the lowest drawer! Come on, clean up now!)<\/p>\n

Have you heard of these idioms before? Do you have similar ones in your language? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Germans are all about\u00a0Ordnung\u00a0(order). They love having everything put together and well-defined. No wonder then that there are\u00a0Sprichw\u00f6rter\u00a0(sayings) about this! The\u00a0Ausdruck\u00a0(expression) is a reaction to it… Let’s go! For older posts, please\u00a0follow this link. Ordnung ist das halbe Leben Literally: Order is half of life Cleanliness is next to godliness Order is so important to…<\/p>\n

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