Da steppt der Bär

Word by word

there · tap-dances · the · bear

Idiomatic sense

Said of a party, a bar, a kitchen, a weekend, when the scene is lively and people are enjoying themselves. The bear is tap-dancing. Nobody is expected to produce a bear.

It is jocular. It praises the atmosphere. It does not mean that a plan is succeeding in a dry, administrative way.

Examples

1. In der Küche steppt der Bär.

   The kitchen is where the party's at.

2. Samstag steppt bei uns der Bär.

   Saturday, our place is going to be hopping.

Equivalents

Marks say how far the other phrase travels with this one. How to read them.

1. near

   English

   the joint is jumping

   Same report of a lively room. A little dated in English, and still immediately understood. The bear is not in it.

2. near

   Spanish

   esto está que arde

   The place is on fire, in the social sense. Same enthusiasm, a different picture.

3. partial

   French

   il y a de l'ambiance

   There is a good atmosphere. True, and much flatter. It does not dance.

4. partial

   Japanese

   盛りあがっている

   The ordinary verb for a scene heating up. Accurate, and not a set image.

Notes

Der Bär is capitalized because it is a noun, whatever the bear is doing. The phrase is not about actual dancing, and it is not about the stock market or a sports result, unless the speaker is deliberately stretching a party metaphor over them.

Several stories about why a bear is told. None is adopted here.

Sources

• Standard colloquial idiom. Wording is original.