{"id":12803,"date":"2021-04-01T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T11:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=12803"},"modified":"2021-03-30T13:21:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T13:21:21","slug":"german-idioms-30-the-court-and-the-water-merkel-politics-easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/german-idioms-30-the-court-and-the-water-merkel-politics-easter\/","title":{"rendered":"German Idioms 30: The Court and The Water"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, we talked about the\u00a0Osterruhe\u00a0<\/em>(f, Easter rest)<\/a> and how it was revoked within one day. Two German idioms were prominent that week, and so I want to explain them here today. In the 30th edition of German Idioms!<\/p>\n

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

Hart\/scharf mit jemandem ins Gericht gehen<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n
\"German<\/a>

Photo by Bill Oxford<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: to go hard into court with somebody<\/em><\/p>\n

To be hard on somebody<\/strong><\/p>\n

This\u00a0Ausdruck\u00a0<\/em>(m, expression) is quite common in Germany. It simply means that you are being hard on somebody. However, it also only works in this composition. If you say this when you actually want to talk about das Gericht\u00a0<\/em>(n, court), people won’t get it.1<\/a><\/sup>Ok, unless you’re making a pun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where does it come from?<\/p>\n

It is related to the court, the one with the judges and all. It basically means that you “go to court” with somebody. You criticize them, and you judge (verurteilen<\/em>) their behavior. This is strengthened with the hart <\/em>(hard, strong) or scharf\u00a0<\/em>(sharp). You can\u00a0scharf kritisieren\u00a0<\/em>(to be highly critical of) somebody. You can also say that somebody is being hard with someone:\u00a0sei doch nicht so hart mit ihm, er wei\u00df es einfach nicht besser\u00a0<\/em>(don’t be so hard on him, he simply doesn’t know better).<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the Ausdruck <\/em>comes without the\u00a0hart\/scharf<\/em>. To just mit jemanden ins Gericht gehen<\/em> .<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Ausdruck\u00a0<\/em>likely has biblical origins, but it is also quite self-explanatory.<\/p>\n

It’s an\u00a0Ausdruck\u00a0<\/em>that’s used on all levels, but it is definitely more formal than informal. In informal circles, something like\u00a0hart mit jemanden sein<\/em>, like the example above, is more common.<\/p>\n

Here’s how it is used with the fallout Merkel received:<\/p>\n

Angela Merkel ist intern angeschlagen und geht hart mit sich ins Gericht<\/strong>. Nach au\u00dfen aber wirkt die Kanzlerin bei ihrem auf Auftritt im Bundestag stark.\u00a0<\/em>– RP Online<\/a><\/p>\n

(Angela Merkel is struggling internally and is being hard on herself<\/strong>. Outwardly, however, the Chancellor appears strong in her appearance in the Bundestag.)<\/p>\n

Besonders mit der Corona-Politik<\/strong> der Gro\u00dfen Koalition ging<\/strong> der CDU-Politiker [Linnemann] hart ins Gericht<\/strong>: ” Seit einem Jahr machen wir in der Pandemie nur Risikovermeidung statt Risikomanagement, es fehlen die kreativen Ans\u00e4tze, von den Apps bis zu den Tests. Wir drehen uns immer im Kreis und am Ende kommt wieder ein Lockdown raus”, lie\u00df sich Linnemann zitieren. Sein Fazit: “Wir brauchen einen Befreiungsschlag.” –\u00a0<\/em>n-tv<\/a><\/p>\n

(The CDU politician [Linnemann] was<\/strong> particularly hard on<\/strong> the corona policy<\/strong> of the grand coalition: “For a year now, we have only been practicing risk avoidance instead of risk management in the pandemic, there is a lack of creative approaches, from apps to tests. We are always spinning in a circle and at the end there is another lockdown”, Linnemann was quoted as saying. His conclusion: “We need a breakout.”)<\/p>\n

On to the second\u00a0Ausdruck<\/em>!<\/p>\n

ins Wasser fallen<\/em><\/h1>\n
\"German<\/a>

Photo by Will Swann<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Literally: to fall in the water<\/em><\/p>\n

To fall through<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only did people go\u00a0hart ins Gericht\u00a0<\/em>over the Osterruhe, it would also ins Wasser fallen – <\/em>it fell through! Like we said before, just a day after it was announced. Where does this Ausdruck <\/em>come from?<\/p>\n

It looks like it came from the archaic\u00a0in den Brunnen fallen\u00a0<\/em>(to fall in the well). D<\/em>as Wasser\u00a0<\/em>has a symbolic meaning of the\u00a0drohenden Untergang\u00a0<\/em>(impending doom). Falling in a well could mean death, after all. Water can also be a menace in many ways, of course. So, when something falls into water, it is done for.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0Ausdruck\u00a0<\/em>is a bit more usual in informal conversations as well. However, you are still more likely to see it in written text. In conversations, people are more likely to go with the shorter\u00a0nicht stattfinden\u00a0<\/em>(to not take place),\u00a0or simply\u00a0ausfallen\u00a0<\/em>(to be cancelled). So\u00a0a\u00a0das Konzert fiel ins Wasser\u00a0<\/em>(the concert fell through) works in text, but in conversations a\u00a0das Konzert fiel aus\/fand nicht statt <\/em>(the concert was cancelled\/did not take place) is more common.<\/p>\n

Here’s this Ausdruck <\/em>in relation to Ostern:<\/p>\n

Am Dienstag sa\u00dfen Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel und die Ministerpr\u00e4sidenten mal wieder bis sp\u00e4t in die Nacht zusammen. Nun ist es beschlossene Sache: Auch Ostern 2021 f\u00e4llt ins Wasser.\u00a0Der Lockdown wird mindestens bis zum 18. April verl\u00e4ngert und \u00fcber die Ostertage teilweise sogar versch\u00e4rft. –\u00a0<\/em>RTL.de<\/a><\/p>\n

(On Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Prime Ministers sat together again until late into the night. Now it’s a done deal: Easter 2021 will also fall through. The lockdown will be extended to at least April 18 and in some cases even tightened over the Easter days.)<\/p>\n

Ostern f\u00e4llt dieses Jahr definitiv nicht ins Wasser, ob es regnet oder die Sonne scheint! – <\/em>meincupcake.de<\/a><\/p>\n

(Easter definitely won’t fall through this year, come rain come sunshine!)<\/p>\n

Have you seen these\u00a0Ausdr\u00fccke before<\/em>? What do you think about them? Are there equivalents in your language? I am curious, so please let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/h4>\n