Verb

ticken

Translation

to tick, to think (coll.), to work (coll.)

Die Uhr tickt sehr laut.

The clock is ticking very loudly.

Ich verstehe nicht, wie er tickt.

I don't understand how he thinks.

Du tickst doch nicht richtig!

Are you out of your mind?!

((intransitive)) to tick The old grandfather clock doesn't tick anymore.

((intransitive, coll.)) to think, to function I know exactly how you tick.

schlagen (to strike, of a clock), klopfen (to knock)

Onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of a clock: 'tick-tock'.

Imagine the 'tick-tock' sound of a clock. For the colloquial meaning 'to think', picture the clockwork inside someone's brain ticking away.