jemandem einen Bären aufbinden
Meaning: To tell someone a deliberate lie or deceptive story for amusement or manipulation.
Language: German
Literally: to tie a bear to someone
Category: Animals
Origin: The most linguistically grounded theory traces "Bär" here to an old Germanic root, bar-, meaning simply "a load" or "a burden" — "binding a burden onto" someone originally meant loading them down with something, quite possibly a lie. Once that older, narrower sense of the root word faded from everyday use, speakers reinterpreted the now-unfamiliar syllable as the ordinary word for "bear," the animal, through simple folk etymology, even though a literal bear makes considerably less sense tied onto someone's back. A separate strand of medieval storytelling may have reinforced the reinterpretation regardless: bears featured prominently in folk tales and fables of the period as figures of deceptive, often dangerous cunning, giving the confused, animal-based version of the phrase a ready-made association with trickery even after its original, more literal sense had been lost.
More idioms — Animals
- mit jemandem Katz und Maus spielen — To tease or toy with someone's emotions, alternating between kind and cruel treatment for…
- tener un rabo de paja — To feel guilty or anxious about something, fearing exposure of a personal fault or secret.
- essere un osso duro — Be a difficult, stubborn person who is challenging to deal with or influence.
- медведь на ухо наступил (medved' na ukho nastupil) — To lack musical ability or have poor sense of pitch and rhythm.
- att vara rädd som en hare — To be extremely fearful and jumpy, ready to flee at the slightest danger.
- let the cat out of the bag — to reveal a secret inadvertently.
More German idioms
- in den sauren Apfel beißen — To accept an unpleasant necessity or disagreeable situation with resignation and stoicism.
- Das ist mir Wurst — I couldn't care less either way.
- Auf dem Holzweg sein — To be on completely the wrong track.
- Die Kirche im Dorf lassen — To keep things in proportion and not get carried away.
- Jetzt geht's um die Wurst — Now it's crunch time — everything is at stake.
- Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof — Life is not all fun and games; expect hardship.
From our proverbs
- A fool and his money are soon parted — Foolish people quickly lose their wealth.
- The customer is always right — In business, the customer's satisfaction takes priority.
- A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor — Hardship and challenges are what build true expertise and resilience.