German idioms are part of everyday language use and a good way to say something that a hundred plain words would not cover. This article looks at the ones built around clothing — a rich source of metaphor in German, since we all dress from head to toe as the weather demands. Each entry below gives the literal sense, the English equivalent and, where it is interesting, the origin.
German idioms about hats
The hat is the most productive item of clothing in German idiom, and several of these turn up in ordinary office conversation.
“Ein alter Hut” — meaning in English
Literally: an old hat. It describes something that is no longer news. The nearest English is old hat, which arrived at the same image independently.
“Der Hut brennt” — meaning and when to use it
Literally: the hat is burning. It signals a situation that has become urgent and needs remedy now. Useful shorthand in a project meeting when a deadline has stopped being theoretical.
“Hut ab!” — meaning in English
Literally: hat off. The direct equivalent of the English hats off, and used the same way — as unforced praise for something well done.
“Wer hat den Hut auf?” — meaning and when to use it
Literally: who has the hat on? It asks who is actually in charge. Worth knowing before a first meeting with a German counterpart, where the answer is not always the person with the longest job title.
“Seinen Hut in den Ring werfen” — meaning and origin
Literally: to throw one’s hat in the ring. A loan translation from English, and it carries the same meaning — to declare yourself a candidate or put yourself forward.
“Den Hut nehmen müssen” — meaning in English
Literally: to have to take one’s hat. It means to have to go — to resign, or to be resigned. Note the difference from the previous phrase: same hat, opposite direction of travel.
German idioms about coats
The German for coat is Mantel, from the Latin mantus.
“Der Mantel des Schweigens” — meaning in English
Literally: the coat of silence. Most likely another calque from English, where it appears as the cloak of silence. It is what gets drawn over an episode nobody intends to discuss again.
“Seinen Mantel nach dem Wind hängen” — meaning and when to use it
Literally: to hang one’s coat according to the wind. It describes a turncoat — someone whose position follows whichever way opinion is moving. Derogatory, so use it about people who are not in the room.
German idioms about shirts
“Jemandem ist das Hemd näher als der Rock” — meaning and origin
Literally: the shirt is nearer to someone than the skirt. It goes back to Trinummus by the Roman playwright Plautus and describes someone who puts their own interests ahead of concern for others.
“Das letzte Hemd hat keine Taschen” — meaning in English
Literally: the last shirt has no pockets. Money becomes irrelevant when you meet your maker. The English idea is the same in you cannot take it with you.
“Sich etwas an den Knöpfen abzählen” — meaning and origin
Literally: to count something off on one’s buttons. The superstitious would work down a shirt’s buttons alternating yes and no, and whichever landed on the last button decided the matter. It survives as a phrase for leaving a decision to chance.
German idioms about trousers
There is no known German idiom involving Lederhosen, but plenty involving Hosen. Note that Hose is singular in German where trousers is plural in English.
“Die Hosen anhaben” — meaning in English
Literally: to have the trousers on. To wear the trousers, in other words — to be the one deciding. Possibly from a fifteenth-century satirical poem by Heinrich Wittenweiler, and most likely a loan translation from English.
“Die Hose über ein Fass gebügelt haben” — meaning in English
Literally: to have had one’s trousers ironed over a barrel. Said of someone with bowlegs. For the record, German has no equivalent for the English expression to go commando.
German idioms about shoes
The two items covering our feet account for a good number of German proverbs.
“Jemandem etwas in die Schuhe schieben” — meaning and when to use it
Literally: to push something into someone’s shoes. To lay the blame at someone else’s feet. It comes up more often at work than anyone would like.
“Wo drückt der Schuh?” — meaning and origin
Literally: where does the shoe pinch? In English: what is on your mind? It goes back to Plutarch’s Conjugalia Praecepta, where a man asked why he divorced his wife replied that the shoe is handsome and new, but only he knows where it hurts him.
“Aus dem Schuh kommen” — meaning in English
Literally: to come out of the shoe. It describes getting going at last — overcoming inertia. On that subject, when are you starting to learn German?
More German idioms
There are three further collections on this site: idioms drawn from animals and food, five idioms for working life, and a general collection. If you would like to work through them with a German tutor, do get in touch.