desire / buck
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to feel like
Colloquial for having a desire for or interest in something. Very often used in the negative form 'keinen Bock haben' (to not feel like it).
Ich habe heute Abend total Bock auf Pizza.
I really feel like having pizza tonight.
buck / male animal
The male animal of certain species, especially goats, sheep, or deer.
Der Bock stand stolz auf dem Felsen und überblickte sein Revier.
The buck stood proudly on the rock and surveyed his territory.
to make a blunder
An idiom that means to make a serious mistake or commit a slip-up.
Mit dieser falschen Berechnung hat er bei dem Projekt wirklich einen Bock geschossen.
With this incorrect calculation, he really made a blunder on the project.
trestle / stand
A frame, often with four legs, used to support or work on objects, e.g. a sawhorse.
Stell das Holzbrett auf den Bock, dann kann ich es leichter sägen.
Put the wooden board on the trestle; then I can saw it more easily.
to put the fox in charge
An idiom that means giving someone a task for which they are completely unsuited and where they will probably cause damage.
Dem notorischen Zuspätkommer die Zeitplanung zu überlassen, heißt den Bock zum Gärtner zu machen.
Leaving the scheduling to the notorious latecomer is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
You can recognize the idiomatic meanings from the verbs: 'Bock haben' (to feel like), 'einen Bock schießen' (to make a mistake), or 'den Bock zum Gärtner machen' (to put an unsuitable person in charge). The literal meanings (animal, frame) become clear from the situational context.
Ich habe einen Bock geschossen und die falsche Datei gelöscht.
I made a blunder and deleted the wrong file.
The expression 'Bock haben' (to feel like) is very colloquial and is used especially by younger people. The negative form 'keinen Bock haben' (to not feel like it) is particularly common.
Sorry, ich komme nicht mit, ich hab keinen Bock auf Kino heute.
Sorry, I'm not coming along; I don't feel like going to the movies today.
The expression requires the preposition 'auf' followed by the accusative to say what someone feels like doing or having.
Hast du Bock auf ein Eis?
Do you feel like having an ice cream?
The expression 'einen Bock schießen' (to make a blunder) is a fixed idiom and means to make a clear, often embarrassing mistake. The verb 'schießen' (to shoot) is conjugated in the expression.
Der Torwart hat einen Bock geschossen und das Spiel verloren.
The goalkeeper made a blunder and lost the game.
'Den Bock zum Gärtner machen' (literally: to make the buck the gardener) is a fixed idiom. You use it when you give someone responsibility for something they are demonstrably unsuited for.
Ihm das Geld anzuvertrauen, hieße, den Bock zum Gärtner zu machen.
Entrusting him with the money would be like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
donkey
Bock and Esel can both refer to a stand used to support objects during work. Bock is the general term for this kind of work stand; Esel can also refer to a stand, often made of wood, especially for holding objects while painting or sawing.
Der Tischler legt die schwere Platte zum Bearbeiten auf zwei Böcke.
The carpenter places the heavy panel on two sawhorses to work on it.
Der Tischler legt das Holzstück zum Sägen auf den Esel.
The carpenter places the piece of wood on the trestle to saw it.
