da liegt der Hund begraben
that's the crux of the matter; that's where the problem lies
Origin
Attested since around 1600, but the origin is regarded as uncertain; readings range from "hunda" (= booty, treasure) and the treasure-guarding ghost dog to a local legend from Winterstein in Thuringia.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Possessive article 'mein' (my)Possessivartikel 'mein' (my)
- Question word 'wo' (where, place)Fragewort 'wo' (Ort)
- Two-way prepositions contrast: Wo? vs. Wohin? (where vs. where to)Wechselpräpositionen Kontrast: Wo? vs. Wohin?
- Positional verbs with two-way prepositions (stellen/stehen …)Lokale Verben mit Wechselpräpositionen (stellen/stehen …)
- Pronoun 'ich' (I, nominative)Pronomen 'ich' (Nominativ)
- Pronoun 'er' (he/it, nominative)Pronomen 'er' (Nominativ)
Examples
Das ist zu – da liegt der .
The budget is far too tight — that's where the real problem lies.