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 what makes him tick.

Du tickst doch nicht richtig!

Are you nuts?!

((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.