Work in progress! Native speakers are still checking every phrase. Spot something off? Tell us.
cursing.in curse like a local

German · Romance & Rejection

einen Korb geben

INE-en KORP GAY-ben · /ˈaɪ.nən kɔʁp ˈɡeː.bn̩/

To turn someone down / reject an advance

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"To give a basket"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

A medieval survivor: maidens supposedly lowered a basket to hoist up favoured suitors, and a bottomless one for the rejects. Now the standard, gentle way to say you got knocked back — "Sie hat mir einen Korb gegeben." Clean and a little poetic. You "catch" one: "einen Korb bekommen/kassieren."

Heard in the wild

Ich hab sie gefragt, aber sie hat mir einen Korb gegeben.

I asked her out, but she turned me down.

Where it lands

Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal

Quick answers

What does "einen Korb geben" mean?
In German, "einen Korb geben" means "To turn someone down / reject an advance". Literally it's "To give a basket". A medieval survivor: maidens supposedly lowered a basket to hoist up favoured suitors, and a bottomless one for the rejects. Now the standard, gentle way to say you got knocked back — "Sie hat mir einen Korb gegeben." Clean and a little poetic. You "catch" one: "einen Korb bekommen/kassieren."
Is "einen Korb geben" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "einen Korb geben"?
Say it "INE-en KORP GAY-ben" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈaɪ.nən kɔʁp ˈɡeː.bn̩.

Related in German

jemanden abblitzen lassen YAY-mand-en AP-blit-sen LAH-sen To blow someone off / shoot them down cold fremdgehen FREMT-gay-en To cheat / to have an affair baggern BAH-gern To hit on someone / chat someone up (persistently) Mach mich nicht an! MAKH mikh nikht AHN Don't hit on me! / Don't start with me! Quatsch! KVATCH Nonsense! / Rubbish! / No way! Arsch ARSH Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Shot down".

how to say "Shot down" →how to say "Tough luck" →

Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.