IdiomNature
German
Germanin den Wind sprechen
Meaning: To speak in vain or to an audience that will not listen or act on one's words.
Literally: To speak into the wind
Example: “Meine Warnungen vor dem Glatteis waren in den Wind gesprochen.” — My warnings about the ice fell on deaf ears.
English equivalent: To fall on deaf ears
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: falar com as paredes Literally: To speak with the walls- Portuguese: cair em saco roto Literally: To fall into a torn sack
Dutch: voor dovemansoren Literally: For deaf men's ears
English: fall on deaf ears
Origin: An old rhetorical and poetic formula: words spoken into the wind are carried off and never heard. It is already in Latin, in Ovid (dare verba in ventis) and Lucretius, and Luther used the German form in his translation of 1 Corinthians 14:9, which made it familiar. In den Wind reden is the commoner wording today.
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- die Zelte abbrechen to move away or leave a place; to abandon one's position.
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