Question: Please explain the German expression "Pferde zurück"

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ANSWERED on Tue 13 Mar 2007 - 8:35 pm UTC by scriptor

Question: Please explain the German expression "Pferde zurück"

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Asked by probo on Tue 13 Mar 2007 - 7:05 am UTC:

I recently learned the expression "Pferde zurück".

Don't ask me where but I understood that it was something that all Germans
say, even though I had never heard it uttered even once during my two years
in Germany.

Since learning to say "Pferde zurück" I have used it enthusiastically but
several of my German-speaking friends in my Schuhplattlers class have since
stopped speaking to me; one (an irate Hausfrau) slapped me across my kopf;
and a lovely Mädchen tweaked my lederhosen.   

Please help me by explaining what's it all about ...

Could I have accidentally invoked an Evil Spirit?

Worried of Hove

Uclue Researcher Comment by Researcher davidsarokin on Tue 13 Mar 2007 - 2:32 pm UTC:

I believe this is a reference to the infamous Perfidy of Zurich.

Back in 1217, Queen Grindenwald of Switzerland was betrothed to Baron Von
Schwarzenegger of Bavaria(yes...*that* Schwarzenegger).  Their marriage was
imminent, and would have solidified the bond between the two countries and
probably led to their unification.

But the Queen decided she must follow her heart, and married the
chocolatier of Zurich, giving rise not only to the "Pferde zurück", but to
the enterprise that would eventually become Nestle's.  

Now...can I interest you in a bridge in Brooklyn...?


dj

Comment by User markvmd on Tue 13 Mar 2007 - 3:28 pm UTC:

I believe it is a directional. A locational? No, a complex adpositional!

Comment by User steph on Tue 13 Mar 2007 - 6:03 pm UTC:

Dear Worried of Hove...

I am of German descent and spoke the language fluently in my younger
years.I can still understand most of it. However, I have never heard of
"Pferde zurück".

Mabe your lederhosen were on too tight when you heard this????

Just a thought.....

Frau Steph

Uclue Researcher Answer by Researcher scriptor on Tue 13 Mar 2007 - 8:35 pm UTC:

I think I can help you, Herr Probo!

"Pferde zurück" means literally, as you have certainly already figured
out, "horses back" (NOT "horse's back", to avoid misinterpretation).

Luckily, I know that expression. However, it is rarely used, which is not
surprising considering the fact that horses have gone out of fashion as
common means of transport many decades ago.

The version of the expression you have learned, "Pferde zurück" is heavily
shortened. Longer, and more obvious variants are "Alle Pferde zurück!"
(All horses back) or "Alle Pferde zurück in den Stall!" (All horses back
to the stable!). Now, what does that expression mean?

It simply means that something has been done overhastily, and now that the
rashness of the activity has become obvious, it is quickly stopped. But why
the horses? The answer is rather easy: Imagine a cavalry barracks 200 or so
years ago. An alarm is raised, the soldiers hurry to the stables, get their
horses and bring them out in the barrack yard to await orders. But then the
alarm turns out to be false, that it had been raised overhastily. So the
order is issued: "All horses back to the stables!"

Interstingly, there is a related expression with military origin in German,
which is used to stop an activity that had been started overhastily:
"Kommando zurück!" - "Orders cancelled!"

So the "Pferde zurück" saying is basically pretty obvious, isn't it?
Please don't ask me for the source - I read it years ago when I had brought
a book about sayings and their origins  from the library. I doubt that I
will ever find it again...

Greetings,
Scriptor

Comment by User myoarin on Tue 13 Mar 2007 - 9:08 pm UTC:

Five stars from me; Scriptor explained it very accurately:
"It simply means that something has been done overhastily, and now that the
rashness of the activity has become obvious, it is quickly stopped."
(I'd have thunk that the Prince of Wales's Husars would have been provided
with a glossary of horse expressions used in NATO countries.)

The story about Schwarzenegger is delightful, but he was born in Austria. 
Luckily, there don't seem to be any Bavarians around here, since they would
probably take offense at the suggestion that he was one of them.

As to "a lovely Mädchen tweaked my lederhosen", I could explain what a
"Hosenstall" is, but that would be getting below the belt line ...

Myo

Accepted and rated by probo on Wed 14 Mar 2007 - 4:38 am UTC:

Excellent, Oliver, Very Many Thanks!

Although, the email that advised me of your Answer referred to "Pferde
zurÃ¼ck" ...

Which confirmed the presence of some Evil Spirit.

My thanks to Dave for his fascinating fable; and to Steph and Myo for their
contributions.

Now, I can face my next Schuhplattlers class with my confidence and
self-belief restored.

All the Best

Bryan

Comment by probo on Wed 14 Mar 2007 - 4:55 am UTC:

My thanks also to Mark!

I've just checked my GMail account and noticed that "Pferde zurück" was
received correctly there ...

It now makes me wonder if corrupted emails could have more sinister
implications ...

Possibly an innocent message from George Bush to the Pentagon being
transformed into the Code Word for launching an all-out Nuclear Attack ...

Comment by User myoarin on Wed 14 Mar 2007 - 12:24 pm UTC:

You have WoH, but it's worse than that, each and every message in English
that has any foreign language diacritical marks is immediately routed to
the FBI, and I mean IMMEDIATELY, before the intended recipient gets it.
Come to think of it, we should all take the trouble to add an umlaut or
Arabic letter (or Hebrew, not to play on their prejudices) to each email
sent and overload their files.
This idea has nothing to do with the fact that I saw Donnermarck's film
about the Stasi yesterday.  It really is good, even if the female interest*
lets herself get killed by a vehicle to save the hero.  Well, maybe another
character is the real hero.

*But she is not redheaded or infatuatingly beautiful  - just very
attractive to look at.

Ä é 

Cheers, Myo

Comment by probo on Wed 14 Mar 2007 - 2:37 pm UTC:

Hi Myo

Which Donnersmark are you referring to? There are SIX names listed here:

http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Donnermarck

Bryan

Comment by User myoarin on Wed 14 Mar 2007 - 11:07 pm UTC:

This one, Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck,
the director of the Oscar-winning film:  "Das Leben der Anderen".

Before you ask, Maria is an accepted second given name for Catholic men in
Germany (e.g., Rilke and others); his parent's weren't anticipating that he
might become a tranny.  He stands 6'6" and a bit.

Hmm, I could swear that I had already posted this before.

Comment by User myoarin on Wed 14 Mar 2007 - 11:26 pm UTC:

Ha, I did post it, but it landed on the question "Should I stay or should I
go".  This is quite strange, since I distinctly remember copying the name
from Probo's link, and am quite certain that I posted it to this question
immediately.   Hmmm?

Comment by probo on Thu 15 Mar 2007 - 4:22 am UTC:

Donner und Blitzen, Myo!

There IS an Evil Spirit around and I am almost certain that He or She is
lurking inside your computer.

Please check urgently but also remember to wear a high-grade Plague Mask -
NOT one of those cheapo Chinese imports.

Viel dank!

Bryo

Comment by User myoarin on Thu 15 Mar 2007 - 1:02 pm UTC:

Plague mask?  I consider all the bugs in my computer to be insects  - I
know, they are called viruses and worms -  and like a beekeeper protect
myself in a cloud of pipe smoke.  An occasional "Stoßgebet"* protects me
from evil spirits.  (Admittedly, sometimes it sounds like I am cursing my
computer, but I am really invoking higher spirits to exorcise the evil
ones.)

*  "Deutsch-Englisch Übersetzungen für das Wort "Stoßgebet {n}Neutrum
(das)":
little prayer
quick prayer
hurried prayer
ejaculatory prayer"

Uclue Researcher Comment by Researcher richard on Thu 15 Mar 2007 - 4:33 pm UTC:

In other words, "Pferde zurück" = "Hold your horses!"

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