den Teufel an die Wand malen*

* to paint the devil on the wal

German Germany

Idiom USED Frequently BY Older people

When we assume the worst of a situation before anything has even happened. It can be discouraged to say - don't anticipate awful things or they will happen.

“Du solltest nicht immer den Teufel an die Wand malen, nur weil du ein schlechtes Gefühl hast—oft kommt alles doch anders als befürchtet.”

“You shouldn’t always paint the devil on the wall just because you have a bad feeling—often everything turns out differently than feared.”