etwas auf dem Kasten haben
to have a lot on the ball; to be clever
Origin
"Kasten" (box) here stands for the head, in which the mind sits; people spoke of the "brain-box" being filled with knowledge. (The precise origin is explained in various ways.)
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Grammar that uses this word
- Indefinite pronoun 'etwas' (something)Indefinitpronomen 'etwas'
- Indefinite pronoun 'jemand' (someone)Indefinitpronomen 'jemand'
- Indefinite pronoun 'niemand' (no one)Indefinitpronomen 'niemand'
- Conjunctional adverb 'trotzdem' (nevertheless)Konjunktionaladverb 'trotzdem'
Examples
Die neue hat was auf dem .
The new colleague really has a lot on the ball.