stool
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stool
A simple piece of seating furniture for one person that has no backrest or armrests.
Kannst du mir den Hocker aus der Küche holen, damit ich an das oberste Regal komme?
Can you get me the stool from the kitchen so I can reach the top shelf?
to knock someone off their feet
An idiom meaning to greatly excite, surprise, or impress someone.
Die Akrobatik-Show war so unglaublich, sie hat das ganze Publikum vom Hocker gerissen.
The acrobatics show was so incredible that it knocked the whole audience off their feet.
Careful: 'der Hocker' sounds similar to the English word 'hooker', but it has a completely different meaning. 'Der Hocker' is a piece of seating furniture (a stool). This mix-up can lead to very embarrassing misunderstandings.
Wir brauchen noch einen Hocker für den Gast.
We still need a stool for the guest.
The noun 'der Hocker' is related to the verb 'hocken', which means 'to squat' or 'to sit in a crouched position'. So a Hocker is a piece of furniture that you squat or sit on.
Die Kinder hockten auf kleinen Hockern im Kreis.
The children crouched on small stools in a circle.
In the idiom 'jemanden vom Hocker reißen' (to knock someone off their feet), the person who is excited or impressed is the accusative object. The thing that causes the excitement is the subject of the sentence.
Sein Gitarrensolo hat das Publikum wirklich vom Hocker gerissen.
His guitar solo really knocked the audience off their feet.
The idiom 'jemanden vom Hocker reißen' (to knock someone off their feet) is colloquial and is used to express strong enthusiasm or surprise.
Der Film war gut, aber er hat mich nicht gerade vom Hocker gerissen.
The film was good, but it didn't exactly knock me off my feet.
chair / stool
Stuhl and Hocker are both seats for one person, but „jemanden vom Hocker reißen“ is a fixed expression meaning to greatly excite or surprise someone. Here, Stuhl refers only to the piece of furniture and cannot replace Hocker in this expression.
Die überraschende Nachricht riss alle vom Hocker.
The surprising news knocked everyone off their feet.
Der Stuhl im Saal ist bequem, aber die Redewendung lautet nicht „vom Stuhl reißen“.
The chair in the hall is comfortable, but the expression is not “vom Stuhl reißen.”
