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German idioms, served ice cold

Dagmar Breitenbach
July 27, 2022

What a cool head, cold feet and cold coffee actually mean in German idioms.

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BG Tiere überstehen die Hitze
Image: David Tanecek/CTK/IMAGO

Several common German idioms use the words "cold," "chill," and "cool."

But of course, a literal translation does not quite convey their meaning, as idioms often use images to describe a situation.

When Germans say, "Das ist kalter Kaffee" or "That's cold coffee!", they are likely not referring to the temperature of their beverage, but rather to the news value of a piece of information.

You'll find more from Meet the Germans on YouTube, Instagram and at dw.com/MeetTheGermans.