Today's words · 💼 Work & study idioms
Talk like a German at work: 10 idioms
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Say ‘I'm swamped’, ‘I put it off’ and ‘I give up’ the way Germans do, and your conversations come alive.
After a meeting, a colleague sighs, ‘Ich habe gerade so viel um die Ohren.’ Lots of stuff around her ears? Another colleague laughs: ‘Nicht das Handtuch werfen!’ And why shouldn't she throw a towel?
Today's ten idioms come up all the time when people talk about work and study. Picture them and they stick fast — and with them you can talk about being busy, trying hard, lazing about and giving up just like a German. 💼
📋 The ten words at a glance
- sich Mühe geben — to make an effort, try hard
- alle Hände voll zu tun haben — to have one's hands full
- viel um die Ohren haben — to have a lot on one's plate, to be very busy
- die Ärmel hochkrempeln — to roll up one's sleeves
- am Ball bleiben — to keep at it, stay on the ball
- sich ein Bein ausreißen — to bend over backwards, to go to great lengths (colloquial)
- etwas auf die lange Bank schieben — to put sth. off, to shelve sth.
- auf der faulen Haut liegen — to laze around, to be idle (colloquial)
- den inneren Schweinehund überwinden — to overcome one's weaker self, to conquer one's laziness
- das Handtuch werfen — to throw in the towel
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
sich Mühe geben
[zikh MUE-uh GAY-ben]to make an effort, try hard(= sich bemühen)
📌 Die Schülerin gibt sich große Mühe mit ihrer Aussprache.
→ The pupil is making a real effort with her pronunciation.
💡 Give yourself trouble (Mühe) = make an effort 💪 Gib dir Mühe! = Try harder!
⚠ sich is dative here: Ich gebe mir Mühe. · Du gibst dir Mühe.
alle Hände voll zu tun haben
[AL-uh HEN-duh FOLL tsoo TOON HAH-ben]to have one's hands full📌 Vor Weihnachten haben die Paketdienste alle Hände voll zu tun.
→ Before Christmas parcel services have their hands full.
💡 Both hands (Hände) full (voll) of work 🙌 The same picture as English.
Bonus Ich habe alle Hände voll zu tun. = I'm up to my eyes in it.
viel um die Ohren haben
[FEEL oom dee OH-ren HAH-ben]to have a lot on one's plate, to be very busy📌 Ich melde mich erst nächste Woche, ich habe gerade viel um die Ohren.
→ I'll get in touch next week, I've got a lot on my plate right now.
💡 Tasks buzzing around your ears (Ohren) 🐝
Bonus A gentle way to say no: Sorry, ich habe gerade viel um die Ohren.
die Ärmel hochkrempeln
[dee AIR-mel HOKH-krem-peln]to roll up one's sleeves📌 Statt zu jammern, sollten wir die Ärmel hochkrempeln.
→ Instead of moaning, we should roll up our sleeves.
💡 Roll your sleeves (Ärmel) up (hochkrempeln) and get going 💪 Same as English.
⚠ Separable: Wir krempeln die Ärmel hoch.
am Ball bleiben
[am BALL BLY-ben]to keep at it, stay on the ball📌 Bei Vokabeln ist es wichtig, jeden Tag am Ball zu bleiben.
→ With vocabulary it's important to keep at it every day.
💡 From football: keep the ball (Ball) at your feet ⚽ = keep at it.
⚠ The perfect uses sein: Ich bin am Ball geblieben.
sich ein Bein ausreißen
[zikh ine BINE OWSS-ry-sen]to bend over backwards, to go to great lengths (colloquial)📌 Er reißt sich für seine Kunden ein Bein aus, aber Dank bekommt er selten.
→ He bends over backwards for his customers but rarely gets thanked.
💡 Trying so hard you'd pull a leg (Bein) off 🦵 Exaggeration as an art form.
Bonus Often negative: Ich reiße mir kein Bein aus. = I'm not going to kill myself over it.
etwas auf die lange Bank schieben
[ET-vas owf dee LANG-uh BANK SHEE-ben]to put sth. off, to shelve sth.(idiom)
📌 Die längst überfällige Pflegereform wurde von einer Regierung zur nächsten auf die lange Bank geschoben.
→ The long-overdue care reform was put on the back burner by one government after another.
💡 Shove the file into the long chest (Bank) and forget it 📦 The art of putting things off.
Bonus Schieb das nicht auf die lange Bank! = Don't put it off!
auf der faulen Haut liegen
[owf dair FOW-len HOWT LEE-gen]to laze around, to be idle (colloquial)📌 Während wir umziehen, liegt er auf der faulen Haut.
→ While we're moving house, he's lazing around.
💡 Lying around in your lazy (faul) skin (Haut) 🛋️
Bonus Starting to laze about is sich auf die faule Haut legen.
den inneren Schweinehund überwinden
[dain IN-er-en SHVY-nuh-hoont ue-ber-VIN-den]to overcome one's weaker self, to conquer one's laziness📌 Um sechs Uhr joggen zu gehen, muss ich jeden Morgen meinen inneren Schweinehund überwinden.
→ To go jogging at six, I have to overcome my laziness every morning.
💡 Beat your inner ‘pig-dog’ 🐷🐕 Think of it when you don't feel like going to the gym!
⚠ überwinden doesn't split: Ich habe meinen inneren Schweinehund überwunden.
das Handtuch werfen
[das HANT-tookh VAIR-fen]to throw in the towel📌 Nach jahrelangem Streit warf der Vereinsvorsitzende das Handtuch.
→ After years of conflict the club chairman threw in the towel.
💡 In boxing, the coach throws in the towel (Handtuch) to end the fight 🥊 Same as English.
Bonus To encourage someone: Wirf nicht gleich das Handtuch!
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Many Germans take the line between work and free time seriously. Time after work is called Feierabend, and lots of people avoid work messages then. Colleagues head home saying ‘Schönen Feierabend!’
In many workplaces — more in some regions than others — colleagues greet each other at lunchtime with ‘Mahlzeit!’ It literally means ‘meal’, but it works as a lunchtime hello.
Around New Year you'll hear about der innere Schweinehund constantly. Everyone resolves to exercise or study more, and beating that lazy inner voice is the real challenge. 🐷
✅ Quick quiz
Q. A colleague wants to quit a tough project. How do you say ‘Don't give up!’?
- ① Lieg nicht auf der faulen Haut!
- ② Gib dir keine Mühe!
- ③ Wirf nicht gleich das Handtuch!
Show the answer
③ Wirf nicht gleich das Handtuch!
das Handtuch werfen = to give up, so this means ‘Don't throw in the towel so soon!’
Pick one task you've been pushing auf die lange Bank and do it today. When it's done, tell yourself: Ich bin am Ball geblieben! 💪
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 📜 Proverbs 1