auf dem Holzkopf rumklopfen - to touch wood ( translation glossary) Idioms / Maxims / Sayings,

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	auf dem Holzkopf rumklopfen
English translation:	to touch wood
Entered by:	Paula Price

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5:02pm Apr 26, 2008

German to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

German term or phrase: auf dem Holzkopf rumklopfen

Im moment läuft es bei mir privat so gut, daβ ich ständig auf meinem Holzkopf rumklopfe.

Paula Price

KudoZ activity
Questions: 1149 (all closed)
Answers: 88

United Kingdom

to touch wood

Explanation:
common expression in England, when you hope for good luck

Selected response from:

techtranuk
United Kingdom

Note from asker to answerer

Thanks a lot!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +3

...that I keep knocking on wood

Ulrike Möller

4 +1

to touch wood

techtranuk

4 +1

keep touching the old hardwood noggin

Paul Cohen

knock on wood

Hildegard Klein-Bodenheimer

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

...that I keep knocking on wood

Explanation:
man klopft auf Holz, wenn man möchte, dass die gute Phase anhält.

Ulrike Möller
Germany
Native speaker of:

German

3 mins confidence:

knock on wood

Explanation:
I assume the person means she/he doesn't trust her/his good luck and has to constantly knock on wood to keep it.

Hildegard Klein-Bodenheimer
United States
Native speaker of:

German

14 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

to touch wood

Explanation:
common expression in England, when you hope for good luck

techtranuk
United Kingdom
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Note from asker to answerer

Thanks a lot!

22 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

keep touching the old hardwood noggin

Explanation:
The German is a play on words.

auf Holz klopfen = to touch wood (UK), to knock on wood (US)

Holzkopf (ein Holzkopf sein) = to be thick, to be a blockhead, to be a bonehead, to have nothing between one's ears, to have no brains, to be dim, etc.

The author is making a humorous reference to constantly touching his own (slightly thick, wooden) head. I think it's important to convey the idea behind the word Holzklopf.

noggin = (informal) a person's head
hardwood = dense wood (basically "thick") - "wooden" would also do the trick.

In US English, we would say "keep knocking on the old hardwood noggin"

Paul Cohen
Greenland
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 12

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German: auf dem Holzkopf rumklopfen

English translation: to touch wood