Warum so viele Körperteil-Idiome?
Der menschliche Körper war eines der ersten Dinge, die Menschen mit Sprache beschrieben haben – und viele Redewendungen spiegeln das wider, von Kopf bis Fuß!
KOPF & GESICHT
| Redewendung | Bedeutung | Beispiel |
|---|---|---|
| keep your head | unter Druck ruhig bleiben | She kept her head during the emergency. |
| use your head | vernünftig nachdenken | Use your head — you know the answer! |
| off the top of my head | aus dem Gedächtnis, ohne nachzuschlagen | Off the top of my head, I'd say about 50. |
| face the music | die Konsequenzen akzeptieren | He had to face the music after cheating. |
| turn a blind eye | so tun als ob man nichts sieht | The guard turned a blind eye to the noise. |
| have an eye for | Talent haben, etwas zu bemerken | She has an eye for design. |
| keep an eye on | sorgfältig beobachten | Keep an eye on your little brother. |
| see eye to eye | einer Meinung sein | We don't always see eye to eye. |
| bite your tongue | sich zurückhalten, etwas nicht zu sagen | I had to bite my tongue at the meeting. |
| tongue-in-cheek | scherzhaft oder ironisch, nicht ernst | His comment was tongue-in-cheek. |
HALS, SCHULTERN & BRUST
| Redewendung | Bedeutung | Beispiel |
|---|---|---|
| neck and neck | sehr knappes Rennen | The two runners were neck and neck. |
| breathe down someone's neck | jemanden zu genau beobachten | My boss was breathing down my neck all day. |
| give someone the cold shoulder | jemanden ignorieren oder unfreundlich behandeln | She gave him the cold shoulder after the argument. |
| have a heart | mitfühlend sein | Have a heart — the puppy is shivering! |
| learn something by heart | vollständig auswendig lernen | We had to learn the poem by heart. |
HÄNDE & ARME
| Redewendung | Bedeutung | Beispiel |
|---|---|---|
| give someone a hand | jemandem helfen | Can you give me a hand moving this box? |
| lend a hand | Hilfe anbieten | Lend a hand with the washing up, please. |
| have your hands full | sehr beschäftigt sein | I have my hands full with this project. |
| in good hands | gut versorgt sein | Don't worry — you're in good hands. |
| cost an arm and a leg | sehr teuer sein | That holiday cost an arm and a leg. |
| keep someone at arm's length | Abstand bewahren | She kept him at arm's length. |
BEINE & FÜSSE
| Redewendung | Bedeutung | Beispiel |
|---|---|---|
| pull someone's leg | jemanden aufziehen oder scherzen | Are you pulling my leg? That can't be true! |
| not have a leg to stand on | keine Beweise oder Unterstützung haben | He had no leg to stand on in the argument. |
| put your foot in it | aus Versehen etwas Unangenehmes sagen | I really put my foot in it when I asked about her ex. |
| stand on your own two feet | unabhängig sein | It's time to stand on your own two feet. |
| get off on the wrong foot | einen schlechten Start haben | They got off on the wrong foot at the first meeting. |
| foot the bill | für etwas bezahlen | My parents always have to foot the bill. |
RÜCKEN & MAGEN
| Redewendung | Bedeutung | Beispiel |
|---|---|---|
| stab someone in the back | jemanden verraten | I trusted him and he stabbed me in the back. |
| have butterflies in your stomach | nervös sein | I had butterflies in my stomach before the exam. |
| can't stomach something | etwas nicht ertragen können | I can't stomach dishonesty. |
Praxisbezug: Gespräch am Arbeitsplatz
"I have my hands full this week — could you lend a hand with the report?" "My boss has been breathing down my neck all day. I had to bite my tongue in the meeting." "Don't worry — the new IT team is great, you're in good hands."
Praxisbezug: Sportkommentar und Nachrichten
"The two teams are neck and neck going into the final round." "The young athlete has stood on her own two feet since turning professional." "The minister had to face the music after the scandal — he could no longer turn a blind eye to the reports."
Übungsaufgaben
Was bedeutet 'have butterflies in your stomach'?
Antwort anzeigen
Was bedeutet 'cost an arm and a leg'?
Antwort anzeigen
Welche Redewendung passt? 'She pretended not to notice the problem.'