catch / trickiness
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catch / trickiness
A hidden difficulty, danger, or malicious quality of a thing or situation that is not immediately obvious.
Die Tücke dieses Vertrags steckt in den kleingedruckten Klauseln.
The catch in this contract lies in the fine-print clauses.
cussedness of objects
A fixed expression that humorously describes the seemingly deliberate tendency of inanimate objects to stop working or cause problems at exactly the worst possible moment.
Gerade als ich die Präsentation starten wollte, stürzte der Laptop ab – die Tücke des Objekts.
Just as I was about to start the presentation, the laptop crashed—the cussedness of objects.
'Die Tücke' belongs to the word family of the adjective 'tückisch' (treacherous/tricky). A situation that is 'tückisch' (treacherous/tricky) has a hidden 'Tücke' (catch, difficulty, or danger).
Die Strömung in diesem Fluss ist tückisch und hat ihre Tücken.
The current in this river is treacherous and has its hidden dangers.
'Tücke' is often used in the construction 'die Tücke liegt in etwas (Dativ)' (the catch lies in something, dative) to describe where the hidden difficulty lies. A well-known saying is 'Die Tücke liegt im Detail' (the devil is in the details).
Die Tücke bei diesem Rezept liegt in der genauen Backzeit.
The catch with this recipe lies in the exact baking time.
The expression 'die Tücke des Objekts' (the cussedness of objects) is a very common fixed expression. It is used humorously when an object stops working exactly when you need it most urgently.
Der Drucker ging genau vor dem wichtigen Meeting kaputt – die klassische Tücke des Objekts.
The printer broke down right before the important meeting—the classic cussedness of objects.
trap
Eine Falle and die Tücke einer Situation can both point to a hidden danger. Die Falle refers to the plan or situation that someone gets caught in; die Tücke refers to the dangerous quality itself. Use „Falle“ for deliberately luring someone into something and „Tücke“ for a difficulty that is hard to recognize.
Die Tücke des Onlinekaufs lag darin, dass der niedrige Preis wichtige Zusatzkosten verschwieg.
The catch with the online purchase was that the low price concealed important additional costs.
Die Falle beim Onlinekauf bestand darin, dass der niedrige Preis nur Kunden anlocken sollte.
The trap in the online purchase was that the low price was only meant to attract customers.
