How do you say “Pull the wool over someone's eyes” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemandem Sand in die Augen streuen, which literally means “to scatter sand into someone's eyes”. English speakers use pull the wool over someone's eyes to mean to deceive someone by keeping them from recognising the truth. A close match for deliberate deception, rather than friendly teasing. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemandem Sand in die Augen streuen
/ˈjeːmandəm zant ɪn diː ˈaʊɡn̩ ˈʃtʁɔʏən/
- Literal meaning
- “to scatter sand into someone's eyes”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
93 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German uses sand instead of wool, but both images stop someone seeing the truth. The meaning is deliberate deception, not friendly teasing.
Use “mir Sand in die Augen streuen” for fooling me, or “dir” for fooling you. In a formal report, “täuschen” states the meaning without the image.
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.
What are other ways to say it in German?
jemanden täuschen
Literally: “to deceive someone”
Neutral and broad, suitable in formal explanations.
jemanden hinters Licht führen
Literally: “to lead someone behind the light”
Another established idiom for deceiving a person.
In context
English
The impressive charts were meant to pull the wool over our eyes.
German
Die beeindruckenden Diagramme sollten uns Sand in die Augen streuen.
English
You can't pull the wool over her eyes with a story like that.
German
Mit so einer Geschichte kannst du sie nicht hinters Licht führen.
Related expressions
- What “Pull the wool over someone's eyes” means in English
- Pull someone's leg, To tease someone playfully.
- Take it with a pinch of salt, To treat a claim with mild scepticism.
Last updated 2026-09-16