IdiomDaily Life
German
Germanerstunken und erlogen
Meaning: entirely false or made up; a complete lie or fabrication.
Literally: Completely fabricated and lied
Example: “Die Geschichte über den Einbruch ist erstunken und erlogen.” — The story about the break-in is a pack of lies.
English equivalent: A pack of lies
Equivalents in other languages
English: a pack of lies
Origin: Erstunken is the past participle of the old verb erstinken, to stink badly, so a story that is erstunken und erlogen is both rotten and lied. Luther already used the pairing, writing that it was erlogen und erstunken to say Christianity was bound to Rome. The rhyme-like doubling makes the accusation stronger.
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