Hummeln im Hintern haben

to have ants in one's pants; to be unable to sit still

Origin

An animal alliteration after the restlessly buzzing bumblebee; Martin Luther already noted bluntly "Er hat humel ym arse" (he has bumblebees in his backside).

Source

Building blocks

Words in this expression

Examples

  • Das kann keine stillsitzen, es hat Hummeln im .

    The child can't sit still for a minute — it has ants in its pants.