A couple of expressions not found in dictionary
I'm having troubles with the following. What do they mean / how can they be used?
Still waters run deep: could that be used in a case where a nice neighbour of yours, for example, turns out to be a criminal?
(Almost having had something unfortunate) Fortunately it has not gone so far yet!
How far have you got?
To raise big waves in still waters
To create a stir
What does he actually take himself for?
Think of that!/That's enough!
That's all I wanted!
(I tell you,) I have never been ill and I don't mean to fall ill: what is "mean" here? Would that mean the speaker wouldn't fall ill, rather than "to have the intention to fall ill"?
I can find some in dictionary, but I still get no clues.
Supplement (above): the last three are found in one story (about illness), and the rest in another (about the neighbour).
These are all expressions or idioms, which mean that they may or may not have literal meanings, but most people will be very familiar with them. What you need here is not a dictionary, but a book of expressions.
Still waters run deep: could that be used in a case where a nice neighbour of yours, for example, turns out to be a criminal?
No. "Still waters run deep" is a way of saying that quiet, introspective people often have a lot personal depth or wisdom that they don't say out loud and may not be obvious to the casual observer. It doesn't really have any ominous connotations.
(Almost having had something unfortunate) Fortunately it has not gone so far yet! -- not sure what the question is here.
How far have you got? --How much progress have you made on a task?
To raise big waves in still waters -- To deliberately create a lot of controversy in a previosly calm setting.
To create a stir -- to do something that draws a lot of attention and controversy.
What does he actually take himself for? -- Similar to "Who does he think he is?" -- meaning that someone obviously imagines himself to be more important than he really is or play a different role than others see him playing.
Think of that!/That's enough!
"Think of that" is just an interjection of mild surprise at an unexpected idea or event. "That's enough" is a reproach, meaning stop doing what you're doing; if you continue, there will be consequences.
That's all I wanted! -- this is pretty literal -- not sure where your confusion is.
(I tell you,) I have never been ill and I don't mean to fall ill: what is "mean" here? Would that mean the speaker wouldn't fall ill, rather than "to have the intention to fall ill"?
To mean is to intend.
>>These are all expressions or idioms, which mean that they may or may not have literal meanings, but most people will be very familiar with them.
Hm, yes. I can post the whole thing, but it'll get too long.
>>Fortunately it has not gone so far yet!
I think it should be "go far" or "go too far", and the latter is more probable. Its the translation for "Ganz so weit ist es glücklicherweise noch nicht!"
>>Think of that!/That's enough!
It's actually a translation for "Na, hören Sie mal!". It should have been just "listen!" but perhaps in English it could also be just "that's enough!", and was said to get somebody shut up, stop doing sth or etc.
>>That's all I wanted!
It's the translation for "Das würde mir ja gerade noch fehlen!"
Then, well, I've just checked my big German-Chinese dictionary, and I saw "Das hat mir gerade noch gefehlt!", which is literally "I by chance come across this unlucky event!" The above might then be "I would come across..."
The langenscheidt German-English dictionary shows "That's all I/you need!" (ironic) for "gerade noch fehlen". It might be the closest equivalent of this sentence.
==
Oh, it's getting self-explanatory now. :)