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Dreimandelhyperplasie

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

jemanden auf die Kappen steigen

English translation:

persistently remind someone

Added to glossary by Timoshka
Jan 6 05:22
4 mos ago
50 viewers *
German term

jemanden auf die Kappen steigen

German to English Social Sciences General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
From a 1939 letter written by an Austrian (Jewish) refugee in London:

"Mädchen, es rückt der 29. Juli heran und an diesem Tag soll laut Herrn Kuhners Angaben (von der Familie Hausner) der Lift in Australien ankommen. Bitte, Herzerl, sage dem Dr. Mitter, das Geld muss bis zu diesem Tage beim Hausner sein, sonst gibt es ein Palawatsch! Auf jeden Fall darf Hausner natürlich keine Pfund nachnehmen, sondern muss halt warten, bis die Sache durch Dich oder Dr. Mitter geregelt wird. Ich wäre schon glücklich, wenn Du durch meine Belästigungen verschont bleiben könntest, nur muss Du Dr. Mitter auf die Kappen steigen. Auch vergiss natürlich ja nicht, alle Deine diversen Spesen etc. etc. vor allem Dir zu nehmen, wenn es nur schon so weit wäre."

I'm not familiar with this idiom and can't seem to find a translation of it anywhere.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 persistently remind someone
4 +1 put the screws on someone
4 Step on his toes/ constantly look over his shoulder.
References
to mount the barricades

Proposed translations

+2
31 mins
Selected

persistently remind someone

It means to continously bring it up; to remind someone again and again; to push for something

Slovenian detour:
• auf die Kappe steigen > slowenisch: dostať sa na telo
https://slovnik.aktuality.sk/preklad/nemecko-slovensky/?q=au...
• dostať sa na telo =• – auf den Leib rücken,• – auf die Pelle rücken,•
https://slovnik.aktuality.sk/preklad/slovensko-nemecky/?q=do...

persistently reminding
Note from asker:
This fits the context perfectly! I actually ended up translating that phrase a bit more colloquially as: "You just have to keep after Dr. Mitter." Explanation found online: keep after (phrasal verb) informal : to tell (someone) again and again to do something
Peer comment(s):
neutral philgoddard : Slovenian?
1 hr
neutral Andrew Bramhall : With Phil; a Slovenian link serves no purpose here. And AMM, I've forgotten more about the Austro-Hungarian empire than you ever learnt.
4 hrs
agree Adrian MM. : auf die Kappen nehmen > take it on the chin. Perchance the above two 'experts' know about the Czech, Slovak, Hungarian & Slovenian influence on the Viennese vernacular & terms that cannot be otherwise explained. // AB is not in Vienna, so doesn't know.
6 hrs
agree writeaway : All these questions are from a historical text and history can't be ignored. Austria was once part of an empire that was broken up only 20 years before this text was written. Influences, including linguistic influences, were still alive and well.
7 hrs
Thanks! Could not have explained it better. When looking for a definition of an unfamiliar expression, I often consult a third language (French, Russian) to get more clarity.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Vielen Dank!"
4 hrs

Step on his toes/ constantly look over his shoulder.

In other words, if Doctor Mitter is the one who is to effect payment, then it will be necessary to step on his toes/ look constantly over his shoulder to make sure that the payment is effected, as he appears to be somewhat unreliable, according to the writer.
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+1
1 hr

put the screws on someone

I found the following excerpt from a book called "In diesem Land ... eine Österreich-Anthologie" (unfortunately, more context isn't available to view on Google Books):

"... auf die Kappe steigen

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Note added at 1 hr (2024-01-06 07:13:49 GMT)
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I'm not sure if it's a glitch on my end but it seems half my answer was deleted here somehow. Anyway my expression basically means to dun someone for payment and the references tell the story well enough of how I got there. Hope this helps.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2024-01-06 12:22:10 GMT)
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The quote, since it doesn't seem to show on the Google Books page I linked: “... auf die Kappe steigen

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Note added at 7 hrs (2024-01-06 12:24:37 GMT)
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Half the quote was deleted again, so I’ll replaced the two less-than symbols in the original OCR text with a quote symbol: “... auf die Kappe steigen « nicht auf die Amtskappe , dahin reicht auch der Stiefel eines Vorgesetzten nicht , sondern auf die Schuhkappen , weshalb man auch sagt » auf die Zehen steigen « . Also , er würde ihn energisch zur Arbeit ...”
Reference:

https://books.google.com/books?id=P6dbAAAAMAAJ&q=%22auf+die+kappe+steigen%22&dq=%22auf+die+kappe+steigen%22&hl=de&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&so

https://www.dwds.de/wb/jmdm.%20auf%20die%20Zehen%20treten

Peer comment(s):
agree Adrian MM. : > except for use in BrE where, amongst other connotations, means putting gaolers aka prison guards *onto* s.o. // I've agreed to this alternative. So ignore Oliver 'OTT' Toogood aka Sylvie 'Foxy' Renaud alias AB's woolly and misguided interpretation
7 hrs
neutral Andrew Bramhall : AMM has typically missed the point of the phrase, which is simply to rein someone in, to ensure they do your will and the right thing, rather than leaving them to their own devices;
15 hrs
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Reference comments

4 hrs
Reference:

to mount the barricades

bis die Sache durch Dich oder Dr. Mitter geregelt wird (...) nur muss Du Dr. Mitter auf die Kappen steigen
I think the meaning is 'sich mutig für etwas einsetzen' , the sens is to convince Dr. Mitter of sth
to mount the barricadee, see unten to try to prevent sth that I think can be adapted here
In this dictionary (https://www.infopedia.pt/dicionarios/alemao-portugues/jemand... we have Barricade as synonymous of Kappe (Barrikade - https://www.infopedia.pt/dicionarios/alemao-) and Auf die Barrikaden gehen (oder steigen) – rebellisch werden, Widerstand leisten, ***sich mutig für etwas einsetzen.*** – (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_deutscher_Redewendungen)
to mount the barricades auf die Barrikaden steigen [fig.] - https://m.dict.cc/deutsch-englisch/auf die Barrikaden gehen....
man the barricades - to try to prevent something from happening, especially by expressing your opposition or opinions:
man- to take one's place at, as for service:
to man the ramparts;
to man the phones. - https://www.dictionary.com/browse/man
Barrikade - https://www.infopedia.pt/dicionarios/alemao-portugues/jemand...
Barrikade - coloquial auf die Barrikade gehen/steigen
Auf die Barrikaden gehen (oder steigen) – rebellisch werden, Widerstand leisten, sich mutig für etwas einsetzen. - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_deutscher_Redewendungen

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Note added at 5 horas (2024-01-06 10:39:50 GMT)
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I think that here ‚muss Du Dr. Mitter auf die Kappen steigen‘ would be well, simply ‚ du must ***convince*** Dr. Mitter‘

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Note added at 5 horas (2024-01-06 10:45:55 GMT)
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put the screws on/to (someone or something) means too muchh here, I think that the expressio must have diplomacy implied.
(someone or something)
idiom
informal
: to use force or the threat of force to make (someone or something) do what one wants
The government is finally putting the screws to an industry that's been evading environmental laws for years.
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