A look at the idiomatics of the senses.
In the realm of the senses (Im Reich der Sinne) is a Japanese film from the late seventies. Though I haven’t seen it, I know that it was more about sensuality (Sinnlichkeit) than the senses. Let’s see whether we have our five senses together (alle fünf Sinne beisammen haben), that is, whether we’re sensible and can enter into the realm of those five senses. Eyesight and hearing are the first that spring to mind. The threat “dir wird Hören und Sehen vergehen” (you will lose hearing and sight) sounds dreadful indeed, but rest easy, it only means you will be dumbfounded. You may know someone only by sight (vom Sehen kennen) or from hearsay (vom Hörensagen), but don’t get your hopes up from the remark “Sie werden von uns hören!” since it’s on a par with “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” If someone says “Sie werden noch von mir hören!” with the proper inflection, it’s a threat, meaning: “You haven’t heard the last of me.” Ex-soccer player Franz Beckenbauer has added a charming Bavarian variety: “Schaun wir mal, dann seh’n wir schon” (Let’s look, then we shall see). To turn a blind eye to something is known as “ein Auge zudrücken” (close one eye). “Kein Auge zu bekommen” (not being able to close an eye), denotes a sleepless night. The tendency of some people to turn a deaf ear to requests or complaints is described as: “Auf dem Ohr hört er schlecht” (He is hard of hearing in that ear). The sense of touch (Tastsinn or Gefühl) has given the name to keys, Tasten, and a keyboard, Tastatur. The verb tasten means to feel or grope around. Groping of the unpleasant kind is known as grapschen. Indeed, the yellow press has coined the word Busengrapscher (breast-groper) for sexual harassers. Taste is commonly considered something you either have or you don’t, but nonetheless shouldn’t be debated: “Über Geschmack soll man nicht streiten.” You may find something that’s to your taste both literally and figuratively: “Geschmack an etwas finden” or “Auf den Geschmack kommen.” The same goes for the remark “das schmeckt mir nicht” (I don’t like the taste of this). But if you like the taste of something you’re eating, this is what you say to ask for a second helping: “das schmeckt nach mehr!” (this tastes like more!). Abschmecken is the tasting a cook does to find out whether the seasoning is all right. Abgeschmeckt means “in bad taste” and we are not talking food here! Our tastebuds can only discern sweet, sour, bitter and salty. All other tastes are actually taken in through the nose. That’s the reason, of course, why you can’t taste anything with a head cold. The southern German dialects may have a point when they use schmecken for smelling as well as for tasting. You may hear: “Das kann ich doch nicht schmecken” whereas people in other parts of Germany would say “Das kann ich doch nicht riechen!” (I can’t smell this), meaning: How am I supposed to know?! If you follow your instincts, you don’t necessarily play it by ear (nach dem Gehör), but you might follow your nose: immer der Nase nach. If you say that you don’t like the smell of someone (“Den kann ich nicht riechen”), you’re not referring to body odor, just someone you can’t stand! Have you ever heard the line“Ich schau Dir in die Augen, Kleines.”? This is what Humphrey Bogart says to Ingrid Bergmann in the German-dubbed version of Casablanca. Well, then: “Here’s looking at you, kid!”