Wish I’d shut up yet?

Okay, fluent speakers and readers of German, I need to know if the vague memory I have of what these plates say is at all accurate. If you would, please translate for me.

Plate No. 1:

Plate No. 2:

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Thanks in advance for your help.

18 thoughts on “Wish I’d shut up yet?”

  1. Wow! I thought this would be easy, but this was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

    I think the second plate says: “Work and buy, pay taxes and die!”

    The first plate really has me stumped. I think the first part of it says, “Eat and drink as long as you like . . .” However, the second part must be very idiomatic. I think it might mean, ” . . . we already spent the money (for the food and drink).”

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    1. I think you must be right on the second plate. I’m pretty sure I was told the last part was “pay taxes and die,” but I couldn’t remember the first part.

      On the second plate, I could remember “eat and drink as long as you like” (though I think I may have actually remembered it “as much as you like”), but I can’t remember the second part.

      All of this is just what I was told. I don’t think my big six weeks of German in tenth grade enables me to actually read anything.

      Thanks. It’ll be interesting to see if Marika and/or Linda can add more.

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  2. HA! Very funny! The first one is eat and drink as long as it tastes good – because twice the money has gone down the tubes Which was a saying during the depression The second is create, work, strive and die. Which is pretty much the German view of life.

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        1. So did your mom teach you german from the time you were just a wee little green wearing girl, or you didn’t really start until you took it in school?

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          1. I was only allowed to speak German after 5pm at night growing up … I was pretty fluent by the time I took German in high school — I have to concentrate on it now, but once I get back into it I do really well. The D took everyone by surprise – especially since I got my midterm report out of the mail.

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  3. Eat and drink
    So long as it tastes good
    The money’s already been taken away from us twice

    verreckt = to croak, to give up the ghost; I’m not translating literally here.

    *shrug*

    The other one’s already been done.

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    2. Thank you! I can’t wait until A COVENTRY CHRISTMAS is released in German, and you and Marika can tell me any inadvertent strangeness in the translation!

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      1. Wait, it’s going to be released in German? How do I get copies… I will so send them to my cousins … and my Mom would LOVE a german copy. How do I o0rder, tell me where

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        1. When I know, I’ll tell you. Yes, the German rights were bought. I don’t know how you missed that. I practically rented a skywriter to share it with the world.

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