magpie / ELSTER
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magpie
A black-and-white corvid known for its loud calls and its proverbial, but unproven, fondness for shiny objects.
Eine Elster hat ihr Nest auf dem hohen Baum im Garten gebaut.
A magpie built its nest in the tall tree in the garden.
ELSTER
As an acronym (ELSTER), the term for 'Elektronische Steuererklärung' (electronic tax return), the official online portal of the German tax administration for submitting tax returns digitally.
Ich muss meine Steuererklärung bis Ende Juli über das Elster-Portal einreichen.
I have to submit my tax return through the ELSTER portal by the end of July.
thieving magpie
A colloquial, usually derogatory term for a person considered thievish or excessively talkative.
Pass auf deine Sachen auf, die Nachbarin ist bekannt als diebische Elster.
Watch your things; the neighbor is known as a thieving magpie.
To distinguish the meanings, pay attention to the context and the article. 'Die Elster' (the magpie) with an article almost always refers to the bird. 'ELSTER' without an article or as 'das ELSTER-Portal' (the ELSTER portal) refers to the electronic tax return system in Germany.
Im Garten sitzt eine Elster auf dem Apfelbaum.
There is a magpie sitting on the apple tree in the garden.
The name 'ELSTER' for the tax portal is an acronym. It stands for 'Elektronische Steuererklärung' (electronic tax return) and has nothing to do with the bird, even though the logo shows a stylized bird.
Die Abgabefrist für die ELSTER-Erklärung rückt näher.
The deadline for submitting the ELSTER tax return is getting closer.
The expression 'diebische Elster' (thieving magpie) is a fixed idiom. It metaphorically describes a person who steals, or sometimes simply someone who talks a lot and is nosy.
Er nennt seine kleine Schwester scherzhaft eine diebische Elster, weil sie immer seine Stifte nimmt.
He jokingly calls his little sister a thieving magpie because she always takes his pens.
