wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen
like a bull in a china shop; clumsily and tactlessly
Origin
Probably related to English "like a bull in a china shop"; how the bull became an elephant is unexplained. In the 18th c. David Hume already compared quarrelling princes to men brawling in a china shop.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Superlative (am …-sten)Superlativ (am …-sten)
Examples
Beim Smalltalk benimmt er sich wie ein im Porzellanladen.
At small talk he behaves like a bull in a china shop.