German idioms at their Wurst...

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If you've been studying German for long, you might have noticed that German culture is somewhat preoccupied with sausage. Some might say obsessed, even. Don't get me wrong, I like a good bratwurst as much as the next guy, but if any of these make complete sense to you then you must have more than a little Teutonic blood in your veins.

Ein armes Würstchen zu sein (to be a poor little sausage)

"Oh, Hans, du armes Würstchen du. Kann ich irgendwie helfen?" (Oh, Hans, you poor dear. Can I do anything to help?) This can also take on a sardonic tone, in which case it is used to mock or tease someone.

Schwein haben (to have pig)

"Du hast echt Schwein gehabt, Hans!" (You lucked out big time, Hans!) I've never heard an origin story for this one. Pig=sausage, and sausage=good? Mag sein, oder?

Die beleidigte Wurst spielen (to play the insulted sausage)

"Ach, Hans, komm schon. Hör auf, die beleidigte Wurst zu spielen!" (Oh c'mon, Hans, stop sulking already!) I've heard a few different origin stories for this one, and none of them made any sense. Just accept it.

Alles hat eine Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei (everything has one end, only the sausage has two)

"Mach dir keine Sorgen, Hans. Alles hat eine Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei." (Don't worry about it, Hans. Nothing lasts forever.) Probably best not to try consoling your English speaking friends with this one, as they will likely fail to see the wisdom in it.

Es geht um die Wurst (it's about the sausage)

"Beeil dich, Hans! Jetzt geht's um die Wurst. (Hurry up, Hans! It's now or never.) This one makes perfect sense if you just accept that sausage is the most important thing in the universe, to which all other urgent matters are to be compared.

Es ist mir Wurst (it's sausage to me)

"Weißt du, Hans, das ist mir wirklich alles Wurst." (You know, Hans, I really couldn't care less.) Germany is a land of paradoxes. Perhaps this particular idiom was coined by vegetarians? Alas, we'll never know.

Dein Senf dazu geben (to give your mustard)

"Niemand hat dich gefragt, Hans. Musst du immer dein Senf dazu geben?" (No one asked you, Hans. Do you always have to throw in your two cents?) After all, what good are a bunch of sausage idioms without condiments?

Eine Extrawurst gebraten haben (to have an extra sausage grilled)

"Hans ist einfach eine Primma Donna. Er will immer eine Extrawurst gebraten haben." (Hans is just a primma donna. He thinks he's so special.) This one is pretty self explanatory. It describes someone who always gets or expects special treatment.

Mit der Wurst nach dem Schinken werfen (to throw the sausage after the ham)

"Pass auf, Hans. Manchmal muss man mit der Wurst nach dem Schinken werfen." (Listen Hans, sometime you gotta spend money to make money.) This one simply means to make a good investment. Sausage is generally made out of the leftovers, so ham is more valuable. This can also be turned around to mean that someone is throwing good money after bad, or that they're getting the raw end of the deal.

Well, that's all of them. Well, maybe not all of them, but enough to really impress your German friends. Do you know of any sausage related idioms that we missed? Leave them in the comments!

P.S. If your name is Hans, we apologize. Just don't go playing the insulted sausage on us.

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