The other day in the pub, one of the guys said he’d read something funny in the Fediverse about vegetables and the German language.
A German word or phrase with a vegetable content or connection was roughly translated into English. And at the end, the actual meaning was explained.
We found it just as funny and, over a few beers, tried to collect everything we could think of.
The later the evening, the more beer, the more fun, the more unclear the lang…veguage … langveg … language.
Here is our result. It is by no means complete and can certainly be updated soon. I’m sure it already exists somewhere else. And much earlier. But I just wanted to have it here in the drawers.
| Gurkentruppe | cucumber team | a team of nincompoops |
| Herumgurken | to cucumber around | driving a car with the head in the clouds or driving an old or slow vehicle |
| Was ne Gurke! | What a cucumber! | incompetent person; long nose; a run down car or thing |
| Da haben wir den Salat! | There we have the salad! | We’re in a fine mess now! |
| Kabelsalat | cable salad | tangled cables |
| Bandsalat | tape salad | a completely tangled tape |
| Tomaten auf den Augen | tomatoes on the eyes | blind with intent |
| Bohnenstange | bean stick | tall (and thin) person and sometimes a |
| Spargel | asparagus | thin person |
| Erbsenzähler | pea counter | nitpicker |
| Kichererbse | chickpea | a giggly person |
| Korinthenkacker | dried dark raisins shitting person | a nit-picking person too |
| Rosinenpicker | raisin picker | someone who always picks out the best |
| Interessiert mich nicht die Bohne! | I’m not interested a bean! | I don’t give a f**k! |
| Wie Kraut und Rüben | like cabbage and turnips | a complete mess |
| Saure-Gurken-Zeit | pickle time | a dire situation |
| Sich die Radieschen von unten anschauen | looking at the radishes from below | which means you are six feet under |
| Spargeltarzan | asparagus tarzan | a thin, tall and pale man |
| Rein in die Kartoffeln, raus aus den Kartoffeln | into the potatoes, out of the potatoes | first it’s one thing, then another |
| Bohnen in den Ohren | beens in the ears | someone who will not listen |
| Die Flinte ins Korn werfen | throwing the rifle into the grain | throwing in the towel |
| Schnittlauchlocken | chive curls | very straight hair |
| Junges Gemüse | young vegetables | teenagers or alike |
| Das macht den Kohl jetzt auch nicht fett! | It would not fatten the cabbage! | That doesn’t make much difference! |
| Einen Blumenkohl ans Ohr labern | to talk a cauliflower at someones ears | annoyed by a babbler |
| Volle Möhre! | Full carrot! | Full power! Full volume! Full blast! Full throttle! |
| Nackt in den Erbsen stehen | being naked between peas | to be puzzled / confused / lost |
| Everything together = Was für eine Suppe! | What a soup! | it’s very foggy |
To be continued at the latest when the pub reopens after the summer break.
