suspender / scissors crossover
der Hosenträger, die Hosenträger
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suspenders
A usually elastic strap that runs over the shoulder and attaches to trousers to keep them from slipping down. The German word is usually used in the plural.
Er trägt Hosenträger statt eines Gürtels, damit seine Hose nicht rutscht.
He wears suspenders instead of a belt to keep his trousers from slipping down.
belt-and-braces approach
Informal: taking two precautions against the same risk, possibly to an excessive or unnecessary extent.
Mit zwei Sicherungskopien auf verschiedenen Festplatten arbeiten wir hier mit Gürtel und Hosenträgern.
With two backup copies on different hard drives, we are taking a belt-and-braces approach here.
scissors crossover
In railway engineering, a connection between two parallel tracks consisting of four switches and a crossing. It allows trains to switch tracks in either direction within a compact space.
Im Gleisplan ist ein Hosenträger mit vier Weichen und einer Kreuzung eingezeichnet.
The track plan shows a scissors crossover with four switches and a crossing.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Hosenträger |
| genitive | des Hosenträgers |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Hosenträger | die Hosenträger |
| accusative | den Hosenträger | die Hosenträger |
| dative | dem Hosenträger | den Hosenträgern |
| genitive | des Hosenträgers | der Hosenträger |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Hosenträger' (suspenders) is made up of 'Hose' (trousers) and 'Träger' (carrier or support). It therefore refers to something that supports or holds up trousers.
Früher trug mein Großvater oft Hosenträger zu einem Anzug.
My grandfather used to wear suspenders with a suit.
When referring to the clothing accessory, 'Hosenträger' (suspenders) often occurs with verbs such as 'tragen' (to wear), 'anziehen' (to put on), and 'befestigen' (to attach). The phrase 'Hosenträger an der Hose befestigen' (to attach suspenders to trousers) is also common.
Vor der Feier befestigte er die Hosenträger sorgfältig an seiner Hose.
Before the celebration, he carefully attached the suspenders to his trousers.
In the idiom 'mit Gürtel und Hosenträgern' (taking a belt-and-braces approach), 'Hosenträgern' (suspenders) is in the dative plural after 'mit' (with). The expression is often used with verbs that convey taking particularly cautious precautions.
Bei der Datensicherung arbeiten wir mit Gürtel und Hosenträgern.
We take a belt-and-braces approach to backing up our data.
This meaning belongs to railway engineering and mainly appears in track plans, technical descriptions, and discussions about track construction. Context clues such as 'Weiche' (switch), 'Gleiswechsel' (switching tracks), and 'Kreuzung' (crossing) point to this meaning.
Der technische Plan zeigt einen Hosenträger für den Gleiswechsel in beide Richtungen.
The technical plan shows a scissors crossover for switching tracks in either direction.
