Kopf und Kragen

German

Etymology

Literally, “head and collar”. Compare English neck for a similar semantic change.

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Kopf und Kragen

  1. (idiomatic, figurative) safety, well-being
    sich um Kopf und Kragen reden ― to get oneself in trouble by talking
    jemandem um Kopf und Kragen bringen ― to put someone in danger (literally, “to deprive somebody of safety”)
    Kopf und Kragen riskieren ― to risk one's neck (literally, “to risk (one's) safety”)
    • 2022 June 29, David Steinitz, quoting Thomas Gottschalk, “Thomas Gottschalk im Interview: Die junge Generation ist so ängstlich”, in Süddeutsche Zeitung‎:
      Das ist mir sowas von egal, auch wenn ich mich um Kopf und Kragen rede.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.