What a cool head, cold feet and cold coffee actually mean in German idioms.
Image: David Tanecek/CTK/IMAGO
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German idioms served ice cold
In light of the current summer heat, we look at what cold coffee, cold feet and a cool head mean in common German idioms.
Image: David Tanecek/CTK/IMAGO
Yesterday's news
The German idiom "Das ist kalter Kaffee" literally translates as "That is cold coffee." It doesn't refer to the contents of your mug though. Instead it means something that is old news, dated and no longer interesting. About as enticing as a pot of stale, cold coffee.
"Eiskalt erwischt" or "caught ice cold" means to be found out or caught unawares. This idiom probably has its roots in the world of sports, where athletes risk a poor performance — caught out cold — if they don't warm up. One way to protect blooming fruit trees from sudden hard frost and not "get caught unawares" is to coat them with water which turns to ice and insulates the buds.
Nervous, frightened or anxious about something that might happen in the future which involves you? You might even experience actual cold feet. The German idiom "kalte Füsse bekommen" or "to get cold feet" means losing confidence and pulling out of an unexpected scary situation.
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Spine-tingling
"Es läuft mir kalt den Rücken herunter" or "sending shivers down the spine" basically refers to something that creates a spine-tingling sensation when a person is cold, excited or frightened.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ P. Zinken
Thrown in at the deep end
In the English idiom, a person is thrown in at the deep end if they are expected to function in a difficult situation or a job they are not prepared for. In German, the idiom is "ins kalte Wasser werfen" or "to toss someone into cold water," which is scary if you can't swim. One such example is when someone gets behind the steering wheel of a car for the first time.
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Taking a chance
Meanwhile "sprung ins kalte Wasser wagen" or "daring to plunge into cold water" means to bravely take risks and forge ahead in an unfamiliar situation.
"Einen kühlen Kopf bewahren" or "to keep a cool head" is an idiom that means just that: to stay level-headed and calm in a crisis and not react in a hot-headed manner.
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Venting anger?
The German idiom "Mütchen kühlen" literally translates to "cool your little courage." "Müt" means courage or boldness, while the suffix "chen" means little. The term actually means venting your anger or temper on someone else.
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Several common German idioms use the words "cold," "chill," and "cool."
But of course, a literal translation does not quite convey their meaning, as idioms often use images to describe a situation.
When Germans say, "Das ist kalter Kaffee" or "That's cold coffee!", they are likely not referring to the temperature of their beverage, but rather to the news value of a piece of information.
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