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Die Kirche im Dorf lassen

Meaning: To keep things in proportion and not get carried away.

Language: German

Literally: To leave the church in the village

Category: Daily Life

Origin: Said of church processions that grandly marched beyond the village bounds — keep the ceremony, and your claims, at home.

More idioms — Daily Life

  • Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof — Life is not all fun and games; expect hardship.
  • Estar de Rodríguez — To be a husband left working in town while the family is on holiday.
  • Ogni morte di papa — Extremely rarely; once in a blue moon.
  • 油を売る — To slack off or dawdle when you should be working.
  • Chutar o balde — To stop caring and let everything go — unlike the English, nobody dies.
  • Etekleri zil çalıyor — To be visibly bursting with joy.

More German idioms

  • Jetzt geht's um die Wurst — Now it's crunch time — everything is at stake.
  • Die Katze im Sack kaufen — To buy something sight unseen and get cheated.
  • Eine Extrawurst verlangen — To expect special treatment.
  • Da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen — You can bet your life on it; it's absolutely certain.
  • Den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen — To be exactly right.
  • Da wird der Hund in der Pfanne verrückt — An exclamation of utter disbelief.

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