I had a nice dinner with some English students last night and because there was only one man, he was greeted with the saying, "Hahn im Korb". This sparked their curiosity as to what the English translation is. I was rather stumped and only came up with "center of attention."
Well, my students went home and started googling and proudly sent me their translations for "Hahn im Korb" which was "cock of the walk". Oh, this really tickled my fancy since I've never heard of the phrase and all sorts of pornographic visions in my head were set off.
Besides "a rooster in a henhouse" which I've never really used, I still can't think of an appropriate idiom.
Any help would be appreciated.
Since a "Hahn" is a rooster (or a male bird), the translation doesn't work. A rooster in a basket doesn't sound natural and a cock in a basket sounds like a man wearing a condom.
I was being silly...
Anyway, "cock of the walk" certainly doesn't work, as it's usually a reference to the 'hard man' of a town or school.
I can't think of a direct idiomatic equivalent to the German expression off the top of my head. References to sultans and harems would spring to my mind, but nothing more structured or customary. Sorry!
Thanks for trying. "Hahn im Korb" is a deeply-rooted saying the Swiss love to use. Funny we don't have anything similar in English.
A bird in the Hahn is worth two in the Busch?
..and this is how languages 'steal' bits of other languages - because there just isn't an equivalent phrase. My dictionary gives 'cock of the walk' too, but if you check it back in the other direction 'cock of the walk' is 'the greatest' not one guy among a group of ladies at all.
So I suggest we now help the phrase to enter the English language. In the manner of the Swiss pronouncing English words any way they fancy (steak=steek, country= cowntree), let's invent our own pronunciation while we're at it.
"Hahn im Korb" - The only rooster in the henhouse = you are the only guy in the otherwise female group of people..
Which takes us to honeycomb.
Not sure how widespread this expression is, but back home we'd say that the man is a "thorn among roses." Anybody else ever hear that one?
I saw that among the many translations for "Hahn im Korb". It kind of fits but doesn't being a "thorn" make the man sound negative?
On another note, just how did "cock of the walk" make internet translations anyway, especially since no one has heard of it? Is it safe to say that many translations are misleading, inappropriate or downright wrong?
Don't know about you but i rather be called a thorn then a rooster or co*k..
Still can't grasp the word " korb" as it means "basket"..why would you put chickens in baskets? eggs yes..but chickens?
Hahn im Korb means:
"Die Wendung bezieht sich darauf, dass der Hahn höher eingeschätzt wird als die ihn umgebenen Hennen. Mit Korb ist wahrscheinlich das Behältnis gemeint, in dem die Tiere auf den Markt gebracht werden."
The rooster is rated higher than the surrounding hens. The word basket refers to how the animals were transported to the market.
Rooster, hen, chicken is always ok in this context but being called cock is not very pleasant, ain't?
It's a thatched or woven basket, early cages were built like that.
There is a similar old french expression "coq au panier": rooster was transported delicately to local market in a basket to keep its high value and differentiate it from the more common chicken.
I'm not no-one. I'm pretty sure I've heard of it before. I'd say some of the translations are 'nearest thing' as the exact nuance just doesn't exist. Angst and gemütlich have now found their way into the English Dictionary for the same reason. Cosy, the 'nearest thing' to gemütlich is, by implication, 'small gemütlich' and somehow sounds stupid for a bigger group or bigger room.