mine is kicking the bucket (for english) or looking at the radishes from below (in german)

those make me chuckle sometimes

  • BootLoop@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    2 months ago

    I like “kicked the bucket” or “gave up the the ghost”. The latter I said recently and got mocked because they’d never heard it and apparently it’s “not a real saying”.

    • io@piefed.blahaj.zoneOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      2 months ago

      “den Geist aufgeben” it is a saying in german, it’s more used when you talk about machines tho, i would translate it to “give up the spirit”

      • rbos@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        In English we have ‘gave up the ghost’ which easily could have come from German. Also applies mostly to machinery.

    • burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 months ago

      I’ve always heard gave up the ghost applied to machines. I’ve never even thought about it in regards to people. Odd how it basically has the same meaning but is focused on a particular thing to me.

      • BootLoop@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        2 months ago

        It is possible that I’m using the phrase wrong, I’ve done that lots haha. I always picture an old timey cartoon where the ghost rises out of the person and then returns to the body after doing something