du hast mich sehr enttäuscht = you let me down and that’s why I’m very disappointed in you; she fell short of our expectations   

manche Leute tun sich schwer, wenn von ihnen zu viel erwartet wird = some people have a hard time, when coping with overwhelming expectations 

sie war total deprimiert, als sie hörte, dass ihr Chef seinen Rücktritt eingereicht hat = she was gutted/devastated/crushed when she heard that her boss had put in his resignation

anders als geplant, nahm er ohne viel Aufhebens Abschied = he planned to bow out with a bang but ended up going with a whimper

sein Abschied endete mit einem Wermutstropfen = his tenure/stint as a coach ended on a sour note; all was not rosy when the popular coach said he was quitting  

das war (noch nicht) sein/ihr Abgesang = this was her/his last chance/hurrah/dance; he/she was given a stay of execution

man soll das Glück nicht herausfordern = don’t  push your luck; don’t tempt fate by driving when it snows heavily

Pech gehabt = blame it on/he was touched/hit by the fickle finger of fate; when it rains, it pours; third time unlucky; bad luck might come in threes; Murphy’s law; You lucked out! (here in its negative sense); that was a twist/quirk of fate

ein Unglück kommt selten allein; er hatte Doppelpech; alles was schief gehen konnte, ist schiefgegangen = when it rains, it pours (or it never rains but it pours); he was hit by/suffered/took a double whammy; for him it was a perfect storm (in its negative sense)

er/sie hat kaum Chancen = he/she just has a remote/slim/fat/outside chance; the aspiring politician got blown away in the election; he’s got Buckley’s (AUS, meaning no chance at all) of getting promoted right now; you haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell of getting the job; you are clutching at straws if you still think she wants to marry you

es war eine einmalige Gelegenheit  = that was a one-off chance/one-and-done affair

wir haben/du hast gerade die Chance vertan = we just let a golden chance/opportunity slip away; you just dented/spoiled/fumbled your chance to get that coveted job

du hast gerade was verpasst = you just passed up/squandered a good/great opportunity 

es ist, wie es ist/c’est la vie/so läuft der Hase; nach mir die Sintflut = that’s the way/how the ball bounces/the cookie crumbles; sign of the times; that’s the name of the game; that’s the bottom line; (well), that’s show business; life is full of unrealized expectations and forlorn hopes; them's the breaks; what goes around, comes around; that’s how the worm turns; may the chips fall where they may; always try to take the good with the bad; it is what it is 

etwas schleifen lassen = lately he’s been slacking off at work; the teachers are getting too complacent/casual with the students; the union has a very accomodating attitude to its members; we left them off the hook for a bit too long; parents sometimes let their offspring get away with murder too easily 

wir kommen nicht weiter, es tut sich wenig = the affair is just muddling along/bumping along/bumbling along; the country’s economy is a bit off track; we are going trough a flat patch/having a momentary blip

die Aufs und Abs des Lebens = fortunes wax and wane

er fühlt sich immer schwer gebeutelt = no matter what happens he always feels hard done by; he seems to carry/have the weight of the world on his shoulders; Woe is me!; luck has deserted him

sie jammert nur = she cries wolf all the time; she always has a lot of grievances

hör auf zu denken, dass du immer Pech im Leben hast = Would you please stop singing the blues over your lack of luck in life?

alles nur Glückssache; man muss etwas riskieren = life is just a crapshoot; let’s just roll the dice and hope it works out/turns out right; the outcome is a toss-up 

der einzige Wermutstropfen war, dass für uns diese Reise zu teuer war = the only blemish/downside/snag/drawback was that in financial terms it was foolish to embark on this wonderful but awfully expensive vacation

es sieht nicht gut aus = there are a few clouds on the horizon; our holiday is under a cloud; we need to fix the operational/technological glitch; we experienced/suffered a mishap/headache; young musicians hit lots of bumps/snags and hiccups along the way/on the road to success; we hit the wall on this issue; management delivered an outlook for our team that appears to be less than sweet; he is up the Darling (a major river in AUS, thus "up the creek without a paddle")

es sieht schlecht aus für ihn/sie = the clock is running down on him/her; he/she is going through a rough patch/desperate times/a horrible stretch; right now the odds seem to be stacked against him/her

in ihrem Privatleben geht es bergab =  her private life is on the rocks/came crashing down

du hast/wir haben schlechte Karten = you are in (deep) trouble/in dire straits; we're cooked; you’re up the creek (without a paddle); things aren’t going our way; things aren’t looking good for you/him/ her; you have Buckley’s (AUS); we’re on the ropes; the odds/the cards are stacked against us; things don’t bode well for you/us; these are trying times/strained for us/you 

die Lage ist beschissen = the situation is/looks pretty lousy/shabby/crummy/rotten right now; the situation here is on a knife-edge; this is like sailing right into the eye of the storm

momentan sind wir aufgeschmissen/angeschmiert = right now we’re behind the 8-ball/in a tough spot; right now we're cooked  

mit den Ergebnissen werden wir nicht zufrieden sein = the whole scheme could lead to undesirable outcomes   

obwohl er einen Rückschlag erlitt, machte er gute Miene zum bösen Spiel =  although he had just endured   a setback he decided to grin and bear it/managed to put on a brave/ good face

wir/sie schaffen es nicht = we won’t make it; we won’t pull it off; they just didn’t cut it; they couldn’t hack/handle it/cope with it 

sie sind/er ist  überfordert = right now staff and services in the state’s regional hospitals are strechted/overstretched/overrun; staff can’t cope/come to terms with the pressure/situation; this situation is starting to get in over her head; criminal wannabes get in over their heads when facing a real gangster; he just bit off more than he could chew; he can’t hack it/cut it   

dieser Auftrag wird eine schwere Geburt sein = he/she has his/her job cut out; it’s a tall order; he/she are punching above their (alternative usage for his/her) weight 

wir kriegen es nicht hin/gebacken = that won’t do the trick/fit our needs; our plan won't go the distance 

(leider) ist er nicht in der Lage, es hinzukriegen =  his ability is (sadly) lacking  

obwohl er hochqualifiziert war, konnte er sich nicht als Manager behaupten = although academically highly qualified he couldn’t hack it as a manager

es/das klappt nicht; es/das haut nicht hin = we came up short/empty-handed; it doesn’t/it didn’t work (out)/go down; we couldn’t make it; it didn’t pan out/fall out; our efforts fell short/flat/were thwarted; you’d better take a reality check because this just won’t work; that claim won’t hold water; this is a long shot, so I don’t think it’ll work; he won’t get away with this; this is not clicking/working; getting this done until tomorrow will prove elusive/a bridge too far; the minister’s road plan to improve the economy becomes a vicious circle; that won't cut it     

es hat sich nicht gelohnt = it didn’t pay off/it wasn't worth it

das klappt nie und nimmer = no way you’re going to/gonna get away with this;  You think this is going to work out? Yeah, pigs might fly (said with a sarcastic undertone)  

jemand hat uns/ihn/sie im Stich gelassen/im Regen stehen/sitzen gelassen; wir bleiben auf der Strecke = we were left in limbo; we were left in the lurch/in the dark/out in the cold; they let us down; she gave him the cold shoulder; he hates being on the wrong/losing end of the bargain; stranded citizens were left in limbo by the government; investors were left at the altar by the con-man; the doctors were left to their own devices when the nursing staff decided to stage a strike/ a  walkout; he felt left out/shortchanged when his best mates went to the football match without him; my father welshed on his promise to buy me a car; the charity organization was left to its own devices when the government decided to freeze/withdraw the grants/ subsidies; when the last train home was cancelled we were left high and dry in the middle of the night/in an unfamiliar town; suddenly we were trapped in a no-man’s land 

er/sie/jemand hat den Kürzeren gezogen = I was left/ended up holding the bag; as usual he drew the short straw/got the short end of the stick; we came up/were left empty-handed/swinging in the breeze; every evening I am on the receiving end of the father’s bad/ill mood/temper; unmarried women who do not have a companion feel sometimes left on the shelf when they grow older

jemand guckt/schaut in die Röhre = don’t leave us high and dry; with the new social policies the government left many families in limbo; he’s worse off now because he quit college before getting a degree 

er blieb außen vor  = he ended up/was left on the outside looking in

das war nur eine Eintagsfliege = that was just a flash in the pan/a one-hit wonder 

du hast uns die Tour vermasselt/es vergeigt; er hat Scheiße/Mist gebaut/gemacht = you blew it/screwed it up/fouled it up/messed it up/ stuffed it up (AUS); he dropped the ball on this issue; he just blew the job

mein Vorgesetzter hat mir den Spaß verdorben/verhagelt = my supervisor rained on my parade/spoiled my party when he said I couldn’t go on a three-week vacation 

sei kein Spielverderber/Miesepeter = hey, don’t be a wet blanket/killjoy/spoilsport/party pooper (hierfür ist  „party crasher“ eine verkehrte Übersetzung; man sagt es, wenn man ohne Einladung zu einer Party geht bzw. in eine reinplatzt, oder z. B. wenn man eine Meinung äußert, ohne gefragt zu werden) 

sie/er ist ihm/ihr in die Parade gefahren = she rained on his parade; he  upset the apple cart   

sie/er hat ihm einen Knüppel zwischen die Beine geworfen = she threw him a curve/curveball; “don’t let this dispute drive a wedge between the two of you”, the father said to his sons   

er/sie hat Lehrgeld zahlen müssen = he/she learned it the hard way; she paid her dues/took her lumps working many years as a waitress before becoming a famous model   

du musst es selbst herausfinden = You do the math (US)/maths (AUS/UK)!

Das war’s für ihn/sie!  = when all is said and done, it will be over for him/her

es klappt nicht immer = you can’t have the cake and eat it (too)

dies ist kein Selbstläufer =  don’t take it for granted

sie sind noch nicht über den Berg/aus dem Schneider =  they are not out of the woods yet/have not turned the corner/gotten over the hump; there’s still a big bar for us to climb over

das war doch nicht cool  = this is OK, yeah sort of cool, he said (meaning something between boring and interesting)

seine Leistung hat mich nicht vom Hocker gehauen = his performance didn’t knock/blow me off my socks/feet; it didn’t take my breath away

man muss kein Genie sein, um zu sagen, dass diese Masche nicht funktionieren kann = it doesn’t take a genius to say that this scheme won’t work

mein Onkel hat nicht das Zeug zum Maler/Sänger/Politiker = my uncle tried hard to become a painter/singer/politician but he just couldn’t cut the mustard