put down roots
Meaning: To settle somewhere permanently.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “After years of moving, they put down roots in a small coastal town.”
Category: Nature
Origin: A transplanted tree only thrives once its roots take hold. The figurative use for people settling is common from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Italian: mettere radici — literally: to put down roots
More idioms — Nature
- hit rock bottom — To reach the lowest possible point.
- lead someone up the garden path — To deceive someone, keeping them hopeful along the way.
- let the grass grow under one's feet — To waste time and miss opportunities.
- go through fire and water — To face any danger or hardship for someone or something.
- the eye of the storm — The center of a crisis; sometimes a brief calm in the middle of it.
- fight fire with fire — To respond to an attack with the same methods.
More English idioms
- on tenterhooks — In anxious suspense.
- start off on the wrong foot — To begin something badly.
- take one's breath away — To astonish someone with beauty or surprise.
- go away empty-handed — To get nothing at all.
- on the ropes — Close to defeat or collapse.
- work one's fingers to the bone — To work extremely hard.
From our compliments & insults
- Du hast ein Händchen dafür — You have a real knack — a natural gift that makes difficult things look easy.
- Du hast Köpfchen — You're sharp and clever — you use your brain well.
- Du bist klasse — You're brilliant — excellent, impressive, top-notch.