The present article deals with common phraseological comparisons (similes) in German and their possible counterparts in English, French, and Spanish. This phenomenon is a universal one as to its genesis and communicative purpose, but it is often carried out by using a variety of linguistic means. For this reason, we have compiled four different listings: (1) complete or near-complete equivalence in structure and word-choice, we consider the semantic field the similes are taken from; (2) lexical difference with similar meaning and same nexus; (3) similar meaning without an explicit nexus in one or more of the target languages - a conceptual listing is provided as an aid for the user; (4) similar meaning through a metaphor in the target languages. We also give several examples of so-called false friends. By these different approaches, we want to make the point that we are dealing with the same idiomatic phenomenon, which should be treated as a separate group in future lexicographic compilations. (LLBA 2003, vol. 37, n. 2)