außen hui, innen pfui
German
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editLiterally, “outside wow, inside yuck”. Perhaps inspired by Matthew 23:27,[1] but the notion can also have arisen independently in everyday life.
Pronunciation
editPhrase
edit- (idiomatic, informal) expresses that something is attractive by first appearance, but repugnant underneath/in truth; generally applicable, e.g. to packaged goods, houses, people, ideologies, etc.
References
edit- ^ The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, →OCLC, Matthew 23:27: “Woe vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for yee are like vnto whited sepulchres, which indeed appeare beautifull outward, but are within full of dead mens bones, and of all vncleannesse.”
Further reading
edit- "außen hui, innen pfui" in Redensarten-Index