How do you say “Have a bone to pick with someone” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is mit jemandem ein Hühnchen zu rupfen haben, which literally means “to have a little chicken to pluck with someone”. English speakers use have a bone to pick with someone to mean to have a complaint you want to discuss with someone. A close German idiom for having an unresolved complaint. It can be teasing or threatening, depending on delivery. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
mit jemandem ein Hühnchen zu rupfen haben
/mɪt ˈjeːmandəm aɪn ˈhyːnçən tsuː ˈʁʊpfn̩ ˈhaːbn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to have a little chicken to pluck with someone”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
96 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German gives the two people a chicken to pluck instead of a bone to pick. Both phrases announce that something needs to be discussed.
“Ich habe mit dir ein Hühnchen zu rupfen” works as an opening line. Explain the complaint next rather than leaving it sounding like a threat.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity3 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I've got a bone to pick with you: you returned my bike with a flat tyre.
German
Ich habe mit dir ein Hühnchen zu rupfen: Du hast mein Fahrrad mit einem platten Reifen zurückgebracht.
English
She has a bone to pick with the organiser about the missing refund.
German
Sie hat mit dem Veranstalter wegen der ausstehenden Rückzahlung ein Hühnchen zu rupfen.
Related expressions
- What “Have a bone to pick with someone” means in English
- An axe to grind, A personal agenda or grievance
Last updated 2026-10-01