RUHE & ÄRGER
immer cool/ruhig bleiben = Keep your cool! Hold your nerve!; stay/keep cool/even-keeled/calm/poised; when the going gets rough it’s always wise to stay controlled/composed/collected/level-headed/measured; you should calm your worries
er/sie ist die Ruhe in Person = he is the very model of calmness; right now she is on the cool list; person/popstar player is the picture/ epitome of cool/nonchalance; he is as cool as the other side of the pillow (very cool); he/she doesn’t lose his/her cool easily
die Ruhe bewahren/immer mit der Ruhe = in the face of calamity always remain calm/stay even keel/hold your nerve/stay put; we’d better hold the line on any further action; don’t get carried away/don't get (too) excited; don't go overboard; keep your poise when you’re in trouble/hard-pressed/behind the 8-ball; he remained unruffled/calm and cool when the crisis erupted/broke out/began to rage; don’t push the panic button; some guys try to be California (i.e. real) cool; some guys are always coll and composed
er ist ein cooler und lässiger Spieler = that player has a devil-may-care attitude/approach
der Zeitungsbericht schert ihn nicht im geringsten = he didn’t even blink when he heard/read all the negative reports about his actions
er nahm die Niederlage gelassen = the superstar took the defeat in his stride
sie/er hat es abgetan als würde es ihr/ihn nicht tangieren = the boos didn’t affect/impact her at all; he’s become impervious to all the flak/ bad reviews he gets from the press
sie/er hat die negativen Kommentare/die Gerüchte einfach weggelächelt = she calmly laughed off/shrugged off/was not fazed at all by the negative comments about/on the gender discrimination issue; the CEO/finance minister just scoffed at the notion/idea of that he /she was about to hand in his/her resignation
er hat meine Beschwerden einfach ignoriert = he just plain disregarded/brushed off/brushed aside/tuned out my complaints
er/sie ist eine Mauer des Schweigens = “mum is the word”, she said; keep hush hush about what I have just said; he is the type of person that usually keeps his cards close to his chest; keep stumm/schtumm (UK) about these revelations; keep this information/secret under your hat; “I won’t discuss it, it’s in-house”, the coach said
Tarnoperationen werden von Regierung geheim gehalten = the government kept the population in the dark about the covert military action/false-flag operation
der Kardinal ist in einer schwierigen Lage, die er nicht einfach so abtun kann = the cardinal finds himself in a predicament that is not easily shrugged off/laughed off/dismissed as irrelevant/inconsequential
die Nerven liegen blank = he/she/everybody is on edge; tempers flare/are flaring; my nerves are frayed; they have got the jitters; some people don’t have the mental ability/fitness to handle a tough situation; she seems to be on pins and needles; right now he’s a bundle/bag of nerves; this affair set her nerves on edge/was too much emotional baggage for her; my/our nerves are stretched; he is way over the edge; his nerves are unraveling; sometimes it’s not easy to overcome stage fright/the butterflies in your stomach; tempers were fraying yesterday at the meeting; his/their nerves were shot; everybody has to cope with first-night/first-game nerves; the game was just a matter of nerves; player held his nerve and scored the last-minute penalty kick; the incident sent him over the edge; nerves aplenty over the tense negotiations (newspaper headline)
er/sie ist ausgeflippt = he/she went ballistic; he/she snapped
er/sie hat einen Nervenzusammenbruch erlitten = he/she sustained/suffered an emotional meltdown
er/sie ist sehr/immer unruhig/hibbelig = her nerves were rattled; he has been a little edgy/skittish/jumpy since he got fired; she/he is emotionally frayed; jittery/nervous/queasy people are difficult to deal with; would you stop squirming/jumping up and down all the time?; he has ants in his pants; she is/feels always on edge; nerves are building; this is nerve-racking; he/she gets antsy/anxious easily
in den Oppositionsreihen wächst die Unruhe = disquiet in the opposition ranks is growing
jemanden/sich beruhigen = you’d better cool her off; throw a sop to appease an irate/outraged person; he made an attempt to douse her demons
komm runter von deinem hohen Ross = Get off your high horse!
er muss lernen, sich zu beherrschen = he has to learn how to channel his feelings
es herrscht Ruhe in den Waggons (der Züge) = silence, peace and quiet fall over some of the city’s train carriages (mobiles/cells are not permitted)
zwischen beiden Familien herrscht wieder Burgfrieden = both families have buried the hatchet on the inheritance dispute
es wird ruhig um seine Sexaffäre = silence reigns over his sex-affair
im Meeting gestern war es mucksmäuschenstill = it was so quiet at the meeting yesterday that you could hear a pin drop/a feather hit the ground
er kommt zur Besinnung = he had to regroup himself/take a reality check; try to block those negative thoughts out of your mind; Just block it out!; he managed to pick himself up after separating from his wife; afterf the divorce he/she tried to collect his thoughts
hör auf zu träumen und öffne deine Augen = Stop dreaming and take a reality check! Come on, grow up/wake up!; you should sober up to the realities of the new world; it’s time you stepped into the 21st century; for the rookie politician reality has hit/set in; when the luster is gone and the veneer has slipped reality bites
er/sie hat mich/ihn geärgert/angemacht = I got upset with him/her; he/she gave me a bad time; he rubbed him the wrong way, he/she got plain angry at you; my boss threw me off/called me out when he loudly said that I couldn’t do the job; be careful with your words, otherwise you may tread/step/trample on someone’s toes/feelings; the boss looks very miffed/ticked/peeved today; that film/picture kind of upset me; my mom is always muttering with herself in disgust; he copped (AUS) a lot of trouble with his adverse remarks over women; don’t annoy police/law enforcement officers, otherwise you could be in for a lot of grief; a storm broke over his head after his girlfriend dumped him due to some unsavory comments; his derogatory comments about my family sent me reeling; if you want to, it’s easy to draw somebody’s ire/anger; just don’t say anything that could be perceived as a slight/sour grapes
hör auf, mich anzumachen = give me a break/get off my back, (will ya/you)!
ich könnte ihn erschlagen/umbringen (im übertragenen Sinne) = I could bite his head off
er hat schlechte Karten/steckt in der Bredouille = he is on the hot seat/in hot water/in a spot right now; if you get caught stealing you’re up the/shit creek; our backs are against the wall; he knew he would put himself in a hole/be in trouble/be hard-pressed for this risky deal; yeah man, you’re in deep shit/in hot water; lately I’ve been having a rough time/a rocky ride in the office; we have hit a bump in the merger negotiations; there are more twists and turns lying ahead/on the road to financial recovery; things are getting sticky/difficult/embarassing for the former top politician
Heute wirst du was erleben! (negativ) = Oh boy, you’re in for a nasty treat/rough time!
er/man hat sich fürchterlich aufgeregt = the boss is fuming/sputtering in rage; his/her mood is still boiling; within a few minutes the dispute/frustration boiled over; the football coach went nuclear/ballistic on/against the TV-reporter
reg dich nicht so auf, sagte sie zum Ehemann = “this is not the right time to throw a tantrum”, she said to her husband; Don’t get uptight/no need to get upset (about it)! Don’t get worked up! Don’t lose your cool/poise! Don’t go bananas!
ich wollte dir/Ihnen nicht zu nahe treten = I didn’t want to hurt your feelings
sei nicht sauer auf mich/uns = don’t get mad/heated with me/us about this (matter)
wegen der Party war er sauer auf seinen Nachbarn = he was distraught/went crook (AUS) over his neighbor’s party
(wenn eine Frau richtig sauer/böse wird und Rache nimmt, sagt man …) = hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
er/sie war nicht (richtig) “amused”/begeistert von seinen Sprüchen = he/she wasn’t (exactly/too) thrilled about/by his/her comments
“Cool down”! = Slow down/relax your guard!; easy does it
er war total aufgelöst = he was totally beside himself
er musste sich den Ärger seiner Frau gefallen lassen = he had to endure his wife's the wrath
dieser Streit setzt mir zu = this altercation gets under my skin
für etwas hinhalten, was man nicht verdient = when my dad has a bad day in the office he takes it out on the whole family; my sister is the punching bag for my mom’s anger
er/sie hat mich vor den Kopf gestoßen = the priest’s comments didn’t sit/land well with religious leaders/the religious community; she threw him a curve (curveball); she treaded/stepped on her sister’s toes/corns with her crude remarks; the secretary got/was disparaged/ denigrated/belittled/vilified by her boss; his no-holds-barred/no-punches-pulled/aggressive/aberrant behavior/attitude ruffled a few feathers in the company; his new pitch is greedy and offensive; with his careless attitude the manager raised a few eyebrows at the meeting; she felt terribly hurt/disgusted/insulted when he made some strange comments about her family
mit ihren unverschämten/beleidigenden Äußerungen über die Emanzipation der Frau hat sie das Establishment auf den Kopf gestellt = with her impudent/insulting remarks on women’s emancipation she upset the applecart/upended the establishment
sie/er sollte sich nicht vor den Kopf gestoßen fühlen = don’t take me wrong, Mam/Sir; she/he shouldn’t take it amiss
er/sie kann mir gestohlen bleiben = I’m done with him/her/this guy (or name person); I get sick of the sight of her; The hell/heck with her!
mit seinem kritischen Artikel über Religion hat der Journalist die Gefühle der Nation mit Füssen getreten = the country’s feelings were trampled on/slighted by the foreign correspondent’s no-holds-barred article on religious practices
dieses Ereignis hat einen Sturm der Entrüstung/eine Welle der Empörung ausgelöst= the singer’s indecent demeanor on the stage ruffled some feathers/caused ripples among the spectators; the team’s poor showing stirred the fury of many spectators; the politicians’s derogatory words about refugees/migrants last night on TV fly/spit in the face of many citizens, whose ancestors are from overseas; the arrest of the peace activists led to an outcry of injustice; the closure of the arts museum sparked off a wave of indignation/made a lot of waves/stirred up a big fuss/storm
das hat mich empört = the newspaper article made her quiver with revulsion; fortunately I’ve never experienced the ignominy/indignation of being refused entry into a bar/restaurant; his behavior was beyond the pale/outrageous; he/she was appalled/aghast by/at the biased/ jaundiced article in the newspaper
sein Benehmen hat mich total empört = I was absolutely gutted by his behavior
die Nase/Schnauze voll haben = the parents are fed up/are done with their daughter’s behavior; the couple have had their fill of each other; I have had it with your never-ending bickering; I am sick and tired of his hijinks/antics; she’s up to here/fed up with her husband’s constant nagging; I’m up to my neck having to deal with/alleviate your problems; It/that stinks/sucks!; it’s your problem if you hit the wall on this issue; enough is enough
ich habe die Nase voll von ihm/ihr/diesem Typ = I’ve had it/I'm fed up with him/her/this guy; he’s/she’s sick and tired of his antics; I had my fill of/ran out of patience with this guy/this lady
ich/er/sie ist/war/waren richtig bedient = I’m done (show frustration/irritation in your voice tone); he/she has had it; I was really fazed; they can’t take it any more/no longer
ich kriege so einen Hals = smoking in restaurants always gets my dander up/Irish up; it gets my goat when I listen to this bullshit; this/it drives me nuts/up the wall; reckless/negligent driving on the freeways/motorways really gets me; I was boiling/simmering with rage/anger
dieser Typ/sein Gemeckere geht mir auf den Wecker/Keks = this guy is getting under my skin; his constant nagging/bickering gets on my nerves; don’t be so grouchy/cantankerous
das ist ein Scheißbuch/eine Scheißarbeit/ein Scheißfilm = this book sucks/stinks; this job/movie is a clunker/a dud/a real pain
laut sprechende Zuschauer während eines Konzerts bringen sie zur Weißglut = loud talking during music concerts makes her go nuclear/ ballistic
dies bringt mich auf die Palme = This ticks me off! This pisses me off (slightly vulgar)!
er/sie kocht (vor Wut) = he/she is fuming
sein Verhalten/Kommentar hat mich aus der Fassung gebracht = his behavior kind of threw me off/put me off; I was stunned/spooked by his weird comments
sie hat den armseligen Service moniert = she was fuming about the poor service level in the hotel
dieser Typ ist unmöglich/ist ein Arschloch = this guy is a pain in the neck/in the ass (slightly vulgar)
Was ist in ihn gefahren? = What has come over him?
seine aggressive Haltung widert mich an = his egregious/offensive behavior grosses me out
er/sie soll sich nicht niedermachen lassen = all those negative remarks/comments have been tormenting him/her
man soll sich nicht zermürben lassen = don’t let this incident weigh you down/wear you down/bring you down/eat (away) at you; I know some people who are consumed by their own neurosis
