IdiomAnimals
German
Germaneinen Vogel zeigen
Meaning: To tap one's forehead at someone, a rude gesture meaning "you're crazy."
Literally: To show a bird
Example: “Als ich vorschlug, im Regen zu grillen, zeigte sie mir einen Vogel.” — When I suggested barbecuing in the rain, she tapped her temple to say I was crazy.
Origin: Showing someone a bird means tapping one's own forehead at them: you must have a bird in your head. It rests on the expression einen Vogel haben (to have a bird), to be crazy, from an old folk belief that birds or other creatures could nest in the head and disturb the mind. The gesture counts as an insult in Germany and can be punished as one.
More German idioms
- die Hände in den Schoß legen To be idle or inactive; to do nothing while waiting or while problems accumulate.
- etwas auf seine Kappe nehmen To accept blame or responsibility for something.
- vom Hundertsten ins Tausendste kommen To jump chaotically from one topic or thought to another without finishing any of them.
- Eine Nadel im Heuhaufen suchen To search for something you have almost no chance of finding, because the thing is tiny a…
- Zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen To achieve two aims with a single action.
- Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof I don't understand anything at all.
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