die Daumen drücken
Literally to press the thumbs
Means to wish someone luck
English idiom keep one's fingers crossed
Example Ich drücke dir für die Prüfung die Daumen.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you for the exam.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 25 most common German idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common German idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, die Daumen drücken literally means "to press the thumbs" but is used to mean to wish someone luck. This free page ranks the 25 most common German idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 25 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
die Daumen drücken
Literally to press the thumbs
Means to wish someone luck
English idiom keep one's fingers crossed
Example Ich drücke dir für die Prüfung die Daumen.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you for the exam.
die Nase voll haben
Literally to have the nose full
Means to be fed up with something
English idiom be sick and tired of something
Example Ich habe die Nase voll von diesem Chaos.
I'm sick and tired of this chaos.
keinen Bock haben
Literally to have no billy goat
Means to not feel like doing something
English idiom can't be bothered
Example Ich habe heute keinen Bock auf Hausaufgaben.
I can't be bothered with homework today.
Note Very informal slang, fine among friends but out of place at work or with strangers.
das ist mir Wurst
Literally that is sausage to me
Means it makes no difference to me
English idiom it's all the same to me
Example Ob wir heute oder morgen gehen, das ist mir Wurst.
Whether we go today or tomorrow, it's all the same to me.
Note Casual and a bit dismissive; southern Germany and Austria say Wurscht.
Schwein haben
Literally to have pig
Means to be lucky, usually after a narrow escape
English idiom luck out
Example Da hast du aber Schwein gehabt!
You really lucked out there!
nur Bahnhof verstehen
Literally to understand only train station
Means to not understand anything at all
English idiom it's all Greek to me
Example Bei diesem Vortrag habe ich nur Bahnhof verstanden.
That lecture was all Greek to me.
den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen
Literally to hit the nail on the head
Means to say exactly the right thing
English idiom hit the nail on the head
Example Mit deiner Analyse hast du den Nagel auf den Kopf getroffen.
Your analysis hit the nail on the head.
jemanden auf die Palme bringen
Literally to bring someone up the palm tree
Means to make someone very angry
English idiom drive someone up the wall
Example Mit seiner Unpünktlichkeit bringt er mich echt auf die Palme.
His lateness really drives me up the wall.
unter vier Augen
Literally under four eyes
Means in private, with nobody else present
Example Können wir das bitte unter vier Augen besprechen?
Could we please discuss this in private?
auf dem Holzweg sein
Literally to be on the wooden path
Means to be mistaken, to follow a wrong assumption
English idiom bark up the wrong tree
Example Wenn du das denkst, bist du auf dem Holzweg.
If that's what you think, you're barking up the wrong tree.
die Katze im Sack kaufen
Literally to buy the cat in the sack
Means to buy something without checking it first
English idiom buy a pig in a poke
Example Probier es erst aus, kauf nicht die Katze im Sack.
Try it out first, don't buy a pig in a poke.
die Kirche im Dorf lassen
Literally to leave the church in the village
Means to keep things in proportion and not overreact
Example Jetzt lass mal die Kirche im Dorf, so schlimm war es nicht.
Let's not get carried away, it wasn't that bad.
Tomaten auf den Augen haben
Literally to have tomatoes on one's eyes
Means to fail to see something obvious
Example Hast du Tomaten auf den Augen? Der Schlüssel liegt direkt vor dir.
Are you blind? The key is right in front of you.
Note Mildly mocking, so save it for friends and family.
am Ball bleiben
Literally to stay on the ball
Means to stick with something and not give up
Example Bleib am Ball, dann klappt das mit dem Deutsch.
Keep at it and your German will come along.
Note It means sticking with something, not the English sense of being alert and quick.
ins Fettnäpfchen treten
Literally to step into the little grease bowl
Means to say the wrong thing and cause offence
English idiom put one's foot in one's mouth
Example Mit dieser Bemerkung bin ich ganz schön ins Fettnäpfchen getreten.
I really put my foot in my mouth with that remark.
aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen
Literally to make an elephant out of a mosquito
Means to blow something small out of proportion
English idiom make a mountain out of a molehill
Example Reg dich nicht auf, du machst aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten.
Don't get worked up, you're making a mountain out of a molehill.
Hals- und Beinbruch
Literally neck and leg break
Means good luck before a performance or a hard task
English idiom break a leg
Example Morgen ist dein großer Auftritt, Hals- und Beinbruch!
Your big performance is tomorrow, break a leg!
Note It probably comes from the Yiddish blessing hatslokhe un brokhe (success and blessing), not from wishing injury.
jemandem einen Korb geben
Literally to give someone a basket
Means to turn someone down, usually a romantic advance but also an offer
English idiom give someone the brush-off
Example Er hat sie gefragt, aber sie hat ihm einen Korb gegeben.
He asked her out, but she gave him the brush-off.
in den sauren Apfel beißen
Literally to bite into the sour apple
Means to accept something unpleasant because there is no way around it
English idiom bite the bullet
Example Ich muss wohl in den sauren Apfel beißen und noch mal von vorn anfangen.
I suppose I have to bite the bullet and start over.
Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben
Literally to have butterflies in the belly
Means to feel the flutter of being newly in love
English idiom have butterflies in one's stomach
Example Seit dem ersten Date habe ich Schmetterlinge im Bauch.
I've had butterflies in my stomach since the first date.
Note In German it points at being in love, while the English phrase is more often about nerves.
über den Tellerrand schauen
Literally to look over the rim of the plate
Means to look beyond your own narrow perspective
English idiom think outside the box
Example Für diesen Job muss man über den Tellerrand schauen.
This job takes someone who can think outside the box.
Note It is about broadening your horizon and taking an interest beyond your own field, so it is a little narrower than the English phrase.
Geld zum Fenster hinauswerfen
Literally to throw money out of the window
Means to waste money on something pointless
English idiom throw money down the drain
Example Noch eine Reparatur wäre Geld zum Fenster hinausgeworfen.
Another repair would be throwing money down the drain.
die Beine in die Hand nehmen
Literally to take the legs in the hand
Means to hurry, to run as fast as possible
Example Wir müssen die Beine in die Hand nehmen, sonst verpassen wir den Zug.
We need to get a move on or we'll miss the train.
ins Gras beißen
Literally to bite into the grass
Means to die
English idiom bite the dust
Example Im Film muss der Bösewicht am Ende ins Gras beißen.
In the film the villain has to bite the dust in the end.
Note Blunt and jokey, so never use it about a real death.
die Flinte ins Korn werfen
Literally to throw the rifle into the grain
Means to give up when things get hard
English idiom throw in the towel
Example Gib nicht auf, wirf jetzt nicht die Flinte ins Korn.
Don't give up, don't throw in the towel now.
Note Still current but slightly bookish; das Handtuch werfen is the more everyday version.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Die Daumen drücken comes out as "to press the thumbs", which makes no sense until you know it means to wish someone luck.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real German sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common German idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with die Daumen drücken, die Nase voll haben, keinen Bock haben, das ist mir Wurst, Schwein haben. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 25 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In German, "die Daumen drücken" translates literally as "to press the thumbs", but it actually means to wish someone luck. The closest English idiom is "keep one's fingers crossed". Example: Ich drücke dir für die Prüfung die Daumen. ("I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you for the exam.")
The German equivalent is "die Daumen drücken", literally "to press the thumbs". Example: Ich drücke dir für die Prüfung die Daumen. ("I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you for the exam.")
In German, an idiom is called Redewendung, and a proverb is Sprichwort. A Redewendung is a fixed figurative phrase that you build into your own sentence, while a Sprichwort is a complete sentence that states a piece of folk wisdom.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Die Daumen drücken translates literally as "to press the thumbs", yet it means to wish someone luck. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real German with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.