reserve / backward lean
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reserve
An amount of money that is set aside for future, often unexpected expenses or investments and is not used for current consumption.
Für die Reparatur des Daches mussten wir auf unsere finanziellen Rücklagen zurückgreifen.
For the roof repair, we had to draw on our financial reserves.
backward lean
A body position, especially in sports such as skiing or horseback riding, in which the upper body is tilted too far backward.
Durch die starke Rücklage verlor der Skifahrer die Kontrolle und stürzte.
Because of the strong backward lean, the skier lost control and fell.
The word is made up of 'rück' (back) and 'Lage' (position/situation). It describes something that has been 'zurückgelegt' (set aside) (money) or a body position in which you 'zurücklegt' (lean back).
Für Notfälle sollte man immer etwas Geld zurücklegen.
You should always set aside some money for emergencies.
You can recognize the meaning from context. If it is about finances or saving, it means money reserves. If it is about sports, it means the body position.
Das Unternehmen hat hohe Rücklagen für schlechte Zeiten.
The company has large reserves for hard times.
In the financial meaning, the word is almost always used in the plural: 'die Rücklagen' (the reserves). People rarely speak of 'einer Rücklage' (a reserve), but rather of the total amount of saved money.
Wir müssen unsere Rücklagen angreifen, um das Auto zu reparieren.
We have to dip into our reserves to repair the car.
Typical verbs used with financial reserves are 'Rücklagen bilden' (to build up reserves/save), 'Rücklagen auflösen' (to release/use up reserves), or 'auf Rücklagen zurückgreifen' (to draw on reserves).
Jedes Jahr bilden wir Rücklagen für den Urlaub.
Every year, we build up reserves for the vacation.
reserve
Both die Reserve and die Rücklage can refer to money saved for later or for difficult times. Rücklage emphasizes more strongly that money is deliberately withdrawn from current spending and accumulated for a specific future purpose. Reserve is the more general term, especially for emergency protection.
Für die geplante Renovierung legt die Familie jeden Monat eine Rücklage zurück.
The family sets aside money every month for the planned renovation.
Für unerwartete Reparaturen halten wir eine finanzielle Reserve bereit.
We are keeping a financial reserve for unexpected repairs.
