And now German animal expressions! Part 5: Everything else :)

Here is the last post of this sort (until I gather enough new expressions to make a sequel :) ) If you missed part 1, part 2, part 3, + part 4 click on the links.

1. Starting in a similar vein as the "süße Maus" from part 4...

• eine flotte Biene

(a quick bee)
= a slang term for an attractive girl

Some little bees I made to hang above my Waldorf nature table out of Erlen "Zapfen" or Alder "cones" (although they're apparently not technically cones, because an alder tree isn't a coniferous tree...these are the "female catkins", not to be confused with cat relatives)

2. Another insect -- even smaller this time

• eine Laus ist dir über die Leber gelaufen

(a louse walked across your liver)
= the explanation for having a bad day or being particularly irritable; the equivalent of the English explanation of 'having gotten up on the wrong side of the bed'

"Just don't mess with me. Or my bubble wrap."

3. and now to little furry hopping things

• der Angsthase

(the fear hare/bunny)

= the equivalent of the English 'scaredy cat' -- here bunnies are scared instead of cats (Hase ist technically 'hare' but is often colloquially used to refer to bunny rabbits as well)

4. and more of those hoppers

• das Versuchskaninchen

(the experiment bunny rabbit)

= the equivalent of the English 'guinea pig', as in 'to be the guinea pig' in a situation, to be the one to try something out or have something tried out/tested upon one

"As the test subject for 'being a towel warmer' I must be top notch!"

5. And something else you can find in the woods

• der Frechdachs

(the cheeky badger)

= a term for a cheeky child (with a certain amount of endearment mixed in :) )

"You can't *possibly* have wanted to work on this sewing project, right?"

6. From your garden or on the sidewalk after a good rain

• im Schneckentempo

(at a snail tempo)

= to go really slowly...but you probably guessed that from the translation :) (essentially 'at a snail's pace')

"I'm moving so slowly you can't even see it"

7. and the next two typically in bodies of water

• der große Hecht sein

(to be the big pike (fish))

=  to be the big dog on the block

"Who needs a big dog or a big fish? (Well, I could use one of the latter...)
But I  am the big cat on the block + that's final."

8. (or on your dinner plate...depending :) )

• der Hering

(the herring)

= tent stake (of course, also the fish)

"Does my tent need those? Because they sure sound taaaaasty!"

9. and lastly we come to a dog one that's essentially the same in English

• hundemüde

(dog-tired)

= exhausted

(You didn't think I'd actually have a picture of a dog for this one, did you?)
Cats are just so good at sleeping!

(Good thing my sister-in-law's cats are so photogenic!)