der Strich
Translation
line, stroke, dash, red-light district
Examples
Er zog einen geraden Strich.
He drew a straight line.
Mach einen Strich unter die Vergangenheit.
Draw a line under the past.
Das war ein Strich durch die Rechnung.
That threw a wrench in the plans.
Grammar Patterns
((et4)) ziehen/machen to draw a line He drew a line on the paper.
einen Strich durch die Rechnung machen ((sb.dat)) to throw a wrench in someone's plans The weather threw a wrench in our plans.
Similar Words
Linie (line), Strichpunkt (semicolon)
Etymology
Related to the verb 'streichen' (to stroke, to strike).
Memory Tips
Think of 'striking' a line with a pen, or a 'stroke' of a brush. It's the physical action of making a line.