Germanauf dem Teppich bleiben
Meaning: To stay grounded and realistic; to avoid getting swept up in fantasies or exaggeration.
Literally: To remain on the carpet
Example: “Ein guter Test ist kein Nobelpreis: bleib auf dem Teppich.” — One good test isn't a Nobel Prize; keep your feet on the ground.
English equivalent: To keep one's feet on the ground
Equivalents in other languages
English: keep one's feet on the ground
Origin: Several explanations compete. One links it to good manners, the carpet belonging to a respectable setting one should not leave; another to the cloth on a council table, as in etwas aufs Tapet bringen (to bring something up); a third to the wrestling mat, outside which no bout is valid. Redensarten-Index notes that the phrase spread from northern Germany and Berlin. None of the explanations is confirmed.
More German idioms
- die Faxen dicke haben To be fed up; to have had enough of someone's nonsense or misbehavior.
- jemandem in Fleisch und Blut übergehen To become second nature or instinctive; to be absorbed so deeply that it feels like part…
- eine Schraube locker haben To be slightly eccentric or mentally unbalanced.
- gehüpft wie gesprungen It makes no difference; the distinction between two things is negligible.
- über den Jordan gehen To die.
- einen Vogel zeigen To tap one's forehead at someone, a rude gesture meaning "you're crazy."
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