[i]Weder Fisch noch Vogel sein[/i] "To be neither fish nor bird" Making odd compromises or being indistinct
[i]Eulen nach Athen tragen[/i] "To carry owls to Athens" Useless and redundant activity
[i]Jemanden ins Pfefferland wünschen[/i] "To wish someone moved to pepper land" If you want someone to disappear or move far away (probably because India "pepper land" was one of the most distant regions people would think about)
[i]Die Flinte ins Korn werfen[/i] "To toss the musket into the grain field" To give up (soldiers who go AWOL are faster without musket)