English Sayings

[Philip]

Hi :-)

I reconed in my company that Germans tend to translate their sayings into English literally when talking to their US-colleagues.
Sentences like "They also only cook with water" or "We are all on the same steamer here" can leed to strange situations in meetings..... ;-)
So, to avoid such situations myself I would like to learn "real" English (US) sayings and their meaning + when to use them.
Anyone interested in starting a collection of the best ones here?

[STEELTIGER]

Cool idea!!

"Excuse my french" when using "bad" words or "just my 2 cents" meaning that' just my humble opinion.

"Just between you, me and the four walls (or those 2 desks, etc.....)" when meaning to speak honestly about an issue with somenone.

ST.

[Philip]

Cool idea!!

"Excuse my french" when using "bad" words or "just my 2 cents" meaning that' just my humble opinion.

"Just between you, me and the four walls (or those 2 desks, etc.....)" when meaning to speak honestly about an issue with somenone.

ST.

Hey, the French thingy was completely new to me, thanks :-)

"To add fuel to the flames" - exists very similar in German, just we do it with Oil :-)
"native speaker" - Muttersprachler
"We worked our butt off" - We worked extremely hard
"Golden handshake" - severence payment
"A white elephant" - Extremely costly project that does not pay off at all. Usually a personal favorite of your CEO and therefore untouchable.

[ThatRuffcutt'sWoman]

"to make a mountain out of a molehill" - german equivalent: aus ner mücke nen elefanten machen

[geoduck]

Hey, the French thingy was completely new to me, thanks :-)

"To add fuel to the flames" - exists very similar in German, just we do it with Oil :-)
"native speaker" - Muttersprachler
"We worked our butt off" - We worked extremely hard
"Golden handshake" - severence payment
"A white elephant" - Extremely costly project that does not pay off at all. Usually a personal favorite of your CEO and therefore untouchable.

a white elephant can also mean that somebody gave you a really ugly or an unsuitable present.
Some groups have "white elephant sales" where on can get rid of one's white elephant.
which leads to another saying: one person's white elephant is another person's treasure.

[Gast26218]

"burning midnight oil" - bis spaet in die nacht arbeiten (weiss ich leider aus erfahrung)

[Kelly]

He's a bull in a china shop.... Imagine a 300-pound football player at a tea party, and you have a bull in a china shop.

[Kelly]

He fell off the wagon......he was drunk (again)