palm / drive up the wall
Loading your saved state.
palm tree
A tropical or subtropical plant that typically has an unbranched trunk and a crown of large, fan-shaped or feather-shaped leaves at the top.
Am Strand standen hohe Palmen, die im Wind wehten.
Tall palm trees stood on the beach, swaying in the wind.
The idiom 'jemanden auf die Palme bringen' (to drive someone up the wall) is very common and means to make someone very angry or nervous. The meaning has nothing to do with the plant.
Seine ständige Unpünktlichkeit bringt mich auf die Palme.
His constant lack of punctuality drives me up the wall.
In this idiom, the person who becomes angry is always in the accusative. The structure is: subject + 'bringt' + accusative object + 'auf die Palme'.
Dieses laute Geräusch bringt die Nachbarn auf die Palme.
This loud noise drives the neighbors up the wall.
In its literal meaning, 'die Palme' (the palm tree) is strongly connected with positive ideas such as vacation, beach, sun, and the south. It is a symbol of exotic and warm places.
Ich träume von einem Urlaub unter Palmen am Meer.
I dream of a vacation under palm trees by the sea.
to upset / excite
'aufregen' and 'die Palme' are connected here through the idiom 'jemanden auf die Palme bringen' (to drive someone up the wall). Both can express that someone becomes very angry or nervous. 'aufregen' is a normal verb and fits in many situations. 'jemanden auf die Palme bringen' is more figurative and more colloquial; it sounds stronger and often more emotional. Learners may confuse the words because 'Palme' is actually a plant. In this idiom, however, it has nothing to do with the plant, but with strong annoyance.
Sarah bringt es auf die Palme, wenn im Supermarkt jemand vordrängelt.
It drives Sarah up the wall when someone cuts in line at the supermarket.
Ihr ständiges Zuspätkommen regt mich am Abend noch immer auf.
Her constantly being late still upsets me in the evening.