Gardinenpredigt

Remember when you were a teenager and came home past your curfew to find your parents sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting up for you? You were hoping to just sneak in and slip into bed, but then you got an earful. They scolded you for hours, trying to convince you they know what's better for you. That's what Germans call "Gardinenpredigt" - literally, curtain sermon. In the Middle Ages, curtains weren't just hung over the front windows, but also on the sides of the bed. When a husband came home too late, his wife could give him a piece of her mind through the bed curtains. Even though draped beds may be passé, you can still give a Gardinenpredigt when you feel like nagging someone.