'Let five be even' — Weird and wonderful German idioms involving numbers

Literally, zero-comma-nothing — if that is how fast you get something done, it is finished in literally the "wink of an eye," which is of course an extremely short time.

Germans for the most part add up "one and one" when there is enough evidence for a conclusion, while in the English language, people put two and two together. The popular expressions "einmal ist keinmal" (once doesn't count), and "auf einem Auge blind " (blind in one eye) also use the numeral 1.

Balancing between two chairs is a decidedly uncomfortable sitting position. The German idiom "sitting between two chairs" refers to being caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to choose between two possibly awkward alternatives.

The third time is lucky, or literally "all good things are three" — reason to give it one more try. The image is said to go back to the Middle Ages when trials were held three times a year. If the accused didn't show up for his third hearing, they was sentenced "in absentia."

To "stretch out all fours" means lying down and relaxing, taking it easy and lolling. It can also imply flopping on the ground with exhaustion, arms and legs outstretched like the above athlete at the London Olympic Games in 2012.

"Let five be even" means a person shouldn't be too critical but take a more considered view and not doggedly hold on to an issue. In other words, let the uneven numeral five be even for once. The above photo, by the way, shows a mason's level that well illustrates this even-handed idea. As one might say in English: "Always keep a level head."

We've all been in a situation where you perceive something, not via the standard five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell, but some other form of extrasensory perception. In German, as in English, this kind of intuition or inner voice is known as having a sixth sense.

When Germans says "to me, that's a book with seven seals," they mean they don't understand something at all. The proverb refers to a theme in the Book of Revelation, the final book in the New Testament that contains a series of end-time visions that are symbolically secured with seven seals.

Picture the hands of a clock set at 7:30, which in German is "half eight," and then picture a person wearing pants along those lines: voila, the image is baggy pants that sag along the top, often with a glimpse of underwear — or as a German would say, "trousers at half eight!"

"Oh you green nine" is an expression of utter surprise and sometimes shock. It means my goodness, or good grief. Some have posited that the phrase could be derived from a deck of playing cards. The French nine of spades — thought to be unlucky — was called a "green nine" in German.

In this everyday idiom, not even 10 horses — and horses are strong — can drag Germans to do something they are not committed to. English-language speakers are just as determined, and use similar imagery: Wild horses couldn't drag me to (or from) something.