In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen. (In distress, the Devil eats the fies.) Would you eat fies as a last resort? So would the devil, according to this 19thcentury er!an "rover#. $he dee"er !eaning is even !ore distur#ing, though. %ne o& the devil's na!es, eele#u#, translates to *+ord o& the fies.* $he i!"lication, then, is that the devil wouldn't ust eat fies in an e!ergency e !ergency - he'd eat his own su#ects, too.
Pech im Spiel, Glück in der Liebe. (nlucy at cards, lucy in love.) /old co!&ort &or ga!#lers, *nlucy at cards, lucy in love* is tailor-!ade &or the age o& online "oer. 0any assu!e wrongly, though, that it's an eitheror "ro"osition2 cards or love. It isn't. So!e er!an scholars trace the dis"uted "rover# to a si!ilar one in S"ain, roughly, *$hose seeing ha""iness in ga!es will #e unlucy at ho!e.* So you can have #oth. ut 3rst, start with a ha""y ho!e.
Ein gutes Geissen ist ein s!nftes "uhekissen. (4 5uiet conscience is a so&t "illow.) *4 5uiet conscience is a so&t "illow* is right u" there as one o& the !ost char!ing er!an "rover#s around. Do no evil, it !ur!urs, and you'll slee" the #etter &or it. Wise words indeed. 4nd very cold co!&ort &or true inso!niacs.
#er im Gl!sh!us sit$t, soll nicht mit Steinen erfen. ($hose who sit in a glass house shouldn't throw stones.) *$hose who sit in a glass house shouldn't throw stones.* $his "rover# has its origins in er!any, #ut little !ore is nown. It recalls the i#lical inunction that only *he who is without sin* cast the 3rst stone. 6ust as none are without sin, i!"licit in the er!an "rover# is that each o& us lives in a glass house o& so!e ind.
%iele &'che (erderben den )rei. ($oo !any coos s"oil the #roth.) *$oo !any coos s"oil the #roth.* $his er!an "rover# was translated into 7nglish, swa""ing rei (!ash) with #roth. $hough it's origin is not nown, the senti!ent is. 8roects unravel with too !uch in"ut, and grou" tass &ail without clear leadershi". $he "rover# al!ost de!ands a #it o& reassuring hierarchy which is not unco!!on in er!an wor"laces.
&leider m!chen Leute. ($he clothes !ae the !an.) 4 "rover# changed &ro! the +atin estis virus reddit, *$he clothes !ae the !an* is still the stu: o& #ill#oards and "er&u!ed !againes. Still, can a centuryold "rover# #e i!"roved? Well, a gender swa" !ight #e in order. $he "rover#'s #est !odi3cation to date, argua#ly, is attri#uted to 4!erican writer 0ar $wain. *;aed "eo"le*, he added, *have little to no infuence in society.*
Scherben bringen Glück. (Shards #ring luc.) 0any are &a!iliar with the 6ewish tradition o& intentionally #reaing glass at a wedding, sy!#oliing the destruction o& the te!"le and good luc &or the cou"le. In er!any, "ottery rather than glass &ollows the "rover#, *Shards #ring luc.* 4head o& weddings in er!any, "lates, !ugs and the occasional "orcelain toilet are thrown. ;ot so lucy is that the cou"le usually has to swee" u" the shards.
Einem geschenkten G!ul sch!ut m!n nicht ins *!ul. (Don't loo a gi&t horse in the !outh.) %ne "rover# that's showing its age is *Don't loo a gi&t horse in the !outh.* ac when horses were a""ro"riate as gi&ts, it was considered highly uncouth to "lay dentist in the "resence o& the horse-gi&ter. Doing so would reveal the horse's age and condition (and thus its value).
Lügen h!ben kur$e )eine. (+ies have short legs.) *+ies have short legs* is a well-nown "rover# in er!an and other languages. ut it !ight read !ysteriously to 7nglish s"eaers. 4re shorter "eo"le !ore "rone to lying? ;ot at all. +ies have short li&e s"ans= they travel &ast, #ut never &ar. 4n 4&rican variant o& the "rover# says, *>ou can eat once with a lie, #ut not twice.* In 4ra!aic, truth stands, while a lie doesn't.
+uch ein blindes uhn -ndet m!l ein &orn. (7ven a #lind hen so!eti!es 3nds a grain o& corn.) *7ven a #lind hen so!eti!es 3nds a grain o& corn.* $oday it's !ore co!!on to tal o& a *#lind s5uirrel 3nding a nut.* ut centuries ago, &ar!ers would have #een as &a!iliar with #lind chicens (without the Stevie Wonder glasses, though). Still, is a #lind hen's success due to luc or "luc? $he "rover# can also #e understood to !ean that those &acing handica"s can achieve success.
eder ist sein Glückes Schmied. (7very !an is the &orger o& his luc.) *7very !an is the &orger o& his luc* is a #it o"ti!istic &or the gloo!y $eutons. ut this "rover# isn't er!anic= it was 3rst recorded #y +atin consul 4""ius /laudius /aecus in roughly @@ /. In 7nglish, #y co!"arison, luc is not &orged, it is &or!ed - and artistically so2 *7very !an is the artisan o& his own &ortune.*
+ller guten /inge sind drei. (4ll good things co!e in threes.) When it co!es to li&e and slot !achines, *4ll good things co!e in threes.* $his "rover# invoes the sensation that luc see!s to shun us &or years #e&ore visiting three ti!es in a row. Aor slot !achine !aer /harles Aey, luc ca!e in the &or! o& a vision - na!ely, that he should re"lace "oer-#ased !achines with &ar si!"ler, sy!#ol-#ased ones. +i#erty #ells still give the highest "ayout.
Gelegenheit m!cht /iebe. (%""ortunity !aes thieves.) ive a !aca5ue the chance, and he'll e!"ty your #ac"ac. %therwise he'd go a#out his #usiness. $his conundru! is #est eB"ressed in the "rover# *%""ortunity !aes the thie&.* It's used &re5uently in #oth 7nglish (e.g. Arancis acon) and in er!an (e.g. oethe). 4nti5uated, "erha"s? ;o, we wouldn't dare strea! !ovies or download !usic illegallyC
/er +pfel f0llt nicht eit (om St!mm. (a""le doesn't &all &ar &ro! the tree.) $he *a""le doesn't &all &ar &ro! the tree* eBists in !any languages, so here's a twist. 4n uncon3r!ed er!an source clai!s that i& twins were #orn during a new !oon and one later died in a clan &eud, the survivor, *Der 4#&ell* (close to *4"&el*) was granted a year o& de#auched living. 4t year's end he had to ill hi!sel&, though. $hus he *&ell* close to his 3lial *tree.* Sure sounds ri!!.
#ie m!n in den #!ld hineinruft, so sch!llt es her!us. (4s you call into a &orest, thus resounds the re"ly.) *4s you call into a &orest, thus resounds the re"ly.* $his rather stilted-sounding er!an "rover# has a &air 7nglish e5uivalent in *What goes around, co!es around.* ut where the 7nglish is nearly i#lical in its sco"e, the er!an "rover# deals directly with cause and e:ect - !ore an echo than a #oo!erang. 4#ove, a #elligerent wanderer elicits a warning cry &ro! a 7urasian ay.
*orgenstund h!t Gold im *und. (Dawn has gold in its !outh.) *Dawn has gold in its !outh* is as &a!iliar to er!ans as it was to ancient
