If a German tells you they are "durch den Wind" (through the wind), they have not been out in an actual storm but feel exhausted and worn out all the same, or even rattled and a bit disoriented. The idiom is originally a sailing term: The boat tacks and briefly turns "through" what might be a really strong wind.

The German equivalent of the popular idiom uses not flames but another one of the classic four elements: water. "Vom Regen in die Traufe kommen" (to move from the rain to under the eaves) means an already bad situation has gotten worse. That is, as you step in from the rain, watch out for water gushing from the eaves or, as in the photo above, from a gargoyle.

The imagery is clear: Thin ice can't support a person's weight, so you'd better stay away. The situation is too risky. The idiom is the same in German; people who take risks venture "auf dünnes Eis" (thin ice).

The colloquial term in English for the German phrase "gut Wetter machen" (to make good weather) would be to butter someone up. In other words, unless you are a fairy who can just wave a magic wand, try and please a person to ensure that things will go your way. Flattery, in this case, might get you everywhere!

Definitely way faster than any sports car, lightning bolts travel at 100,000 kilometers per second (62,000 miles per second). Imagine greasing that bolt — things could get ever faster, reaching the proverbial speed of "wie ein geölter Blitz" (like a greased lightning bolt).

For Germans, "in den Sternen stehen" (to stand in the stars) means that the outcome of something like a competition or game is uncertain — up in the air. In English, the saying using the very same sparkly star imagery, "written in the stars," has the totally opposite meaning: Whatever happens, will happen — it is preordained.

Old news, old hat, water under the bridge — in German, the corresponding everyday idiom is "Schnee von gestern" (yesterday's snow). A French ballad from the 16th century has this famous wistful line: "Where are the snows from years gone by?" The leftover patches of snow in the photo above are definitely old news.