All About Feet, Part III

In Part II, we took a look at the German phrases mit einem Fuß im, am Fuß des, einen Fuß in etwas reinkriegen, auf falschem Fuß, and auf die Füße treten. In this lesson, the final Part III about feet expressions, let's check out some other German phrases using der Fuß.

Und das war der Moment, wo wir Angst bekamen, kalte Füße.

And that was the moment where we got scared, cold feet.

Caption 18, TEDx Der Supermarkt der Zukunft
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The idiom kalte Füße bekommen (to get cold feet) is the same as the English expression. It means, as the video implies, "to become afraid."

Ich nehme mein Herz und leg's dir zu Füßen.

I'll take my heart and lay it at your feet.

Caption 3, Deutsche Musik: Chris und Croissant
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Die Welt liegt uns zu Füßen.

The world lies at our feet.

Caption 21, Heino: Neue Volkslieder
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The phrase etwas zu Füßen legen means "to give something to somebody." Compare this to die Welt zu Füßen legen: To "have the world at your feet" means that you have many opportunities open to you, perhaps relating to career improvements.

Da können Sie sich dann hinsetzen und ganz entspannt die Füße hochlegen.

Then you can kick back and put your feet up in total relaxation.

Captions 45-46, extra 3: Das ehrliche Reisebüro
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The expression die Füße hochlegen, or "to put your feet up," may be literally just that, but it also is a general expression meaning "to rest."

Was ich absolut nicht gebrauchen kann, ist jemand, der alles, was mir etwas bedeutet, mit Füßen tritt.

What I absolutely don't need is someone who stomps on everything that means something to me.

Captions 5-6, Küss mich, Frosch: Sei kein Frosch
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Mit Füßen treten literally means "to kick with your feet " or "to step on something with your feet." But its figurative meaning is that somebody treating you or something of yours disrespectfully.

Und das war, bevor Sie mir diesen Quotenleichnam vor die Füße geworfen haben.

And that was before you threw that cadaver of a quota down at my feet.

Captions 53-54, Lerchenberg: Die Zombieklinik
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If somebody throws something at your feet (vor die Füße werfen), it means they've "burdened you with a responsibility."

Further Learning
Review Part I and Part II of the All About Feet series and see if you remember the meaning of the German phrases from these two previous lessons. If you want to dive deeper into the topic, read the article Redewendungen mit Fuß / Füße in German. You can also search for other videos using the search words Fuß, Füße, and Füßen on Yabla German to get a better feel for the contexts in which they are used.

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