{"id":11433,"date":"2020-01-29T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T06:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=11433"},"modified":"2020-01-28T10:14:14","modified_gmt":"2020-01-28T10:14:14","slug":"5-german-idioms-using-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/5-german-idioms-using-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"5 German Idioms Using Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Today we\u2019re looking at German idioms \u2013 but not just any German idioms. These are all ones that are related to tools in some way.<\/p>\n

The word for tool in German is das Werkzeug<\/strong> (plural: die Werkzeuge<\/strong>) and the German language is quite fond of idioms that involve different kinds of Werkzeuge<\/strong>. Here are some examples!<\/p>\n

Das ist der Hammer<\/h3>\n
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This is the hammer! Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

Tool in use: der Hammer (hammer).<\/strong>
\nLiterally \u2018That is the hammer\u2019, this phrase has nothing to do with an actual hammer. Instead, it is a way of saying that something is awesome\/amazing\/brilliant. If you call something \u2018the hammer\u2019, it means you approve highly of it. Sometimes, people simply exclaim \u2018Hammer!\u2019 instead of saying the whole sentence.<\/p>\n

Etwas\/Jemanden nicht mit der Kneifzange anfassen<\/h3>\n
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Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

Tool in use: die Kneifzange (pliers\/pincers).<\/strong>
\nLiterally \u2018Not touch something\/someone with pliers\/pincers\u2019, this phrase is the German equivalent to the English \u2018I wouldn\u2019t touch it\/him\/her with a barge pole\u2019! It is what you say when you find someone or something repulsive, and want to express your lack of interest in it\/them. To use this idiom in a sentence: \u2018Nicht mal mit der Kneifzange w\u00fcrde ich das anfassen\u2019 (\u2018I wouldn\u2019t even touch it with pliers\u2019) or \u2018Nicht mal mit der Kneifzange w\u00fcrde ich ihn anfassen\u2019 (\u2018I wouldn\u2019t even touch him with pliers\u2019).<\/p>\n

Zeigen, wo der Hammer h\u00e4ngt<\/h3>\n
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where the hammer hangs. Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

Tool in use: der Hammer (hammer)<\/strong>
\nLiterally \u2018Show where the hammer hangs\u2019, this phrase is used when you want to show someone what\u2019s what, set some boundaries, make things clear. You might hear the phrase \u2018Ich zeige dir, wo der Hammer h\u00e4ngt!\u2019 (\u2018I\u2019ll show you where the hammer hangs!\u2019) whilst having a heated debate or argument.<\/p>\n

N\u00e4gel mit K\u00f6pfen machen<\/h3>\n
\"\"

Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

Tool in use: der Nagel (nail)<\/strong>
\nLiterally \u2018Making nails with heads\u2019, this phrase is used to describe people who do their jobs thoroughly and professionally, with great attention to detail, and see their job through to the very end. The \u2018Kopf\u2019 (head) part of this phrase refers to the head of the Nagel (nail) in this context. Back in the day when nails were made by hand, those with well-formed heads were naturally superior, and so those who made the nail-heads properly were regarded as true professionals.<\/p>\n

Die Axt im Haus erspart den Zimmermann<\/h3>\n
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the axe in the house saves the carpenter. Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

Tool in use: die Axt (axe)<\/strong>
\nLiterally \u2018The axe in the house spares\/saves the carpenter\u2019, this phrase basically means that if you are good at DIY, you don\u2019t need to hire someone to fix things for you all the time, so it\u2019s a good idea to learn how to do things for yourself. It also has a more general meaning: Rely on yourself more, and on others less.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Guten Tag! Today we\u2019re looking at German idioms \u2013 but not just any German idioms. These are all ones that are related to tools in some way. The word for tool in German is das Werkzeug (plural: die Werkzeuge) and the German language is quite fond of idioms that involve different kinds of Werkzeuge. Here…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":11439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[66,95131,35178,82,376023,2391,2578,158,95253],"class_list":["post-11433","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","tag-expressions","tag-german-language","tag-idiomatic-expressions","tag-idioms","tag-language","tag-phrases","tag-tool","tag-tools","tag-werkzeug"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t