das Leder
leather
A material made by tanning animal hides and used for clothing, shoes, furniture, and other products.
EXAMPLE
Meine neuen Schuhe sind aus weichem Leder.
My new shoes are made of soft leather.
das Leder
leather
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Meanings
das Leder
ball
A colloquial term used especially in sports jargon for the ball, particularly a soccer ball.
EXAMPLE
Der Stürmer drosch das Leder unhaltbar ins Tor.
The striker hammered the ball into the goal, leaving the keeper no chance.
vom Leder ziehen
to lay into
A fixed expression meaning to sharply criticize someone, rant about someone, or speak badly about someone.
EXAMPLE
In seiner Rede zog er ordentlich über die Opposition vom Leder.
In his speech, he really laid into the opposition.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Leder' (leather) is a base word for many useful compound nouns. When you see 'Leder', you know it has to do with the material: Lederjacke (leather jacket), Lederschuhe (leather shoes), Ledertasche (leather bag), Ledergürtel (leather belt).
EXAMPLE
Er hat sich eine teure Lederjacke gekauft.
He bought himself an expensive leather jacket.
Correct preposition
If you want to say what something is made of, you use 'Leder' with the preposition 'aus' (made of/from). The question for this is: 'Woraus ist die Jacke?' (What is the jacket made of?)
EXAMPLE
Der Gürtel ist aus echtem Leder.
The belt is made of genuine leather.
Context clue
The meaning 'ball' is found almost exclusively in sports jargon, especially in reports about soccer. When you hear 'dem runden Leder' (the round leather), it always means the soccer ball.
EXAMPLE
Der Spieler schoss das Leder mit voller Kraft ins Tor.
The player shot the ball into the goal with full force.
Fixed expression
The idiom is 'über jemanden/etwas vom Leder ziehen' (to lay into someone/something). The preposition 'über' (+ accusative) indicates who or what is being criticized. The verb 'ziehen' is conjugated.
EXAMPLE
Der Trainer zog nach dem Spiel ordentlich über den Schiedsrichter vom Leder.
After the game, the coach really laid into the referee.
Compare with
Leder vs Ball
ball
In soccer, both words can refer to the same piece of equipment. „Der Ball“ is the neutral term, while „das Leder“ is a colloquial term used especially in sports jargon. In normal conversation, use „Ball“; use „Leder“ mainly in sporting language.
Leder
Der Stürmer schoss das Leder ins leere Tor.
The striker shot the ball into the empty goal.
Ball
Der Stürmer schoss den Ball ins leere Tor.
The striker shot the ball into the empty goal.
In real life
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