in den Wind sprechen
Meaning: To speak in vain or to an audience that will not listen or act on one's words.
Language: German
Literally: to speak into the wind
Category: Nature
Origin: The image is of words scattered and lost like seeds thrown into the wind, never reaching their intended target.
More idioms — Nature
- auf keinen grünen Zweig kommen — To fail to achieve success or prosperity, to make no progress in life or a project.
- über den Jordan gehen — To die.
- mettere radici — to settle in a place permanently or commit to something long-term.
- sulle spine — In a state of anxious suspense or nervous tension, unable to relax.
- alla lontana — In an indirect or roundabout way; distantly or remotely connected.
- toccare il fondo — To reach the lowest point of degradation or despair; to hit rock bottom.
More German idioms
- auf den Schlips treten — To offend or insult someone, to hurt their feelings or pride.
- um die Ecke denken — To think creatively or unconventionally, to solve problems by approaching them from unexp…
- grün vor Neid — Consumed with jealousy or envious feeling.
- Hinz und Kunz — Any ordinary person; everyone; the man in the street; used to refer to people indiscrimin…
- keine halben Sachen machen — To commit fully to something; to be thorough and complete rather than halfhearted or comp…
- was das Zeug hält — with maximum intensity or speed; to the absolute limit of one's capacity.
From our proverbs
- Little and often fills the purse. — Consistent small savings accumulate into substantial wealth more reliably than sporadic l…
- Little birds may peck a dead lion. — Even the weakest creatures gain power when facing something already defeated or in declin…
- Little boats must keep the shore. — Small vessels risk capsizing in deep waters; the weak survive by avoiding dangerous expos…