da liegt der Hund begraben
that's the crux of the matter; that's where the problem lies
Origin
Attested since around 1600, but the origin is regarded as uncertain; readings range from "hunda" (= booty, treasure) and the treasure-guarding ghost dog to a local legend from Winterstein in Thuringia.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Two-way prepositions contrast: Wo? vs. Wohin? (where vs. where to)Wechselpräpositionen Kontrast: Wo? vs. Wohin?
- Positional verbs with two-way prepositions (stellen/stehen …)Lokale Verben mit Wechselpräpositionen (stellen/stehen …)
- Possessive articles in the dativePossessivartikel im Dativ
- Adjective declension after the definite article (nom./acc.)Adjektivdeklination nach bestimmtem Artikel (Nom./Akk.)
- Regular comparative (-er + als 'than')Komparativ regelmäßig (-er + als)
- Comparison of equality with 'so … wie' (as … as)Vergleich mit so … wie
Examples
Das ist zu – da liegt der .
The budget is far too tight — that's where the real problem lies.