In times of uncertainty, people who want to de-escalate an already tense situation might say "Abwarten und Teetrinken" (wait and have a cup of tea) to calm themselves or others. The idea is not to drive yourself crazy. Tea came from China to Germany around the end of the 17th century, while the idiom originated in the mid-19th century.

"Immer mit der Ruhe," which literally means "always with tranquility" may be easier said than done these days. But it may be just what you want to tell customers who might switch to panic-buying mode in supermarkets at the onset of a crisis. "In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft" is another useful German idiom, meaning "strength lies in being calm."

While one is told to "keep your chin up" in English, it is ears that feature in the popular German saying: "Halt die Ohren steif" (keep your ears stiff). It means, "don't let something get you down" or "don't lose courage;" or, when said as a farewell, "good luck." The idiom uses an image from the animal kingdom: some animals prick up their ears when they are particularly attentive.

When asked about their health and well-being, elderly Germans might respond with a wink and a smile and say, "Unkraut vergeht nicht," which is to say "we are made of sterner stuff," but which translates literally as "weeds don't die." Anyone who has ever battled tenacious garden weeds will be able to relate.

A popular phrase in the local Cologne dialect has it that "Et hätt noch immer joot jejange," which means that in the end, things always work out. It's an idiom that expresses many people's unflappable confidence and fatalism in tough times. They see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Both English and German have the very same saying. The idiom "Licht am Ende des Tunnels sehen" uses the universal imagery of seeing bright "daylight at the end of a dark tunnel" as an expression of hope for a positive outcome in a difficult situation. The ray of light stands for hope and optimism in the face of a testing challenge.

Once you are "aus dem Schneider," literally out of the tailor, you are off the hook, out of the woods, you've escaped or pulled through a tough situation. The phrase is said to come from the world of card games during an era when the tailoring business was not particularly respected. In card games, the "tailor" had the fewest points.