A-Z - German is Weird

Flitzekacke

Disclaimer: Better not read this before lunch. To all of you who are still with me, I will take you on a journey to the wonderful world of German diarrhea…

Flurfunk: German has an extra word for “the informal gossip and office buzz that spreads quietly among coworkers, until everyone knows about it even though it’s not official, but turns out to be true in the end”

“To know something from the Flurflunk” is roughy the equivalent of the (equally great) English expression “to hear something through the grapevine.” It describes the “in-official” flow of communication inside a company or an organization.

Fremdenverkehr

If there was just one German word that should be stripped from all dictionaries rather sooner than later: “Fremdenverkehr” should be the one.

Fremdscham

Have you ever witnessed a guy desperately trying to make a move on a girl who is at least 2 levels too hot and obviously not interested? Or a spectacularly unfunny comedian on stage?

Galgenfrist

The word has been around since the 16th century and originally referred to the final reprieve given to a delinquent before his execution…

Gänsefüßchen

You won’t believe how complex the topic of quotation marks is until you do what I am doing in this very moment: write a text in a language other than your own.

Gänsewein

A fine dinner without alcohol? This is hardly thinkable for many Germans. People from the Federal Republic tend to consider a glass of beer or wine an essential part of the meal.

Geheimratsecken

Nature is very unjust when it comes to hair loss. Some guys will still look like a Monchichi in their 60s. Others get close to baldness even before their Abitur.

Gell…?

Many Germans don’t even mind pronouncing the “ll,” smearing the word into something like “ge’” or “ge’ah.”

Gemütlichkeit

Don’t be fooled by dictionaries thattell you that Gemütlichkeit is merely a translation of the English word “coziness”. There is much more to the feeling of Gemütlichkeit than sitting on a cozy sofa in your comfy clothes.

Gemütlichkeit

Don’t be fooled by dictionaries that try to tell you that Gemütlichkeit is merely a translation of the English word “coziness.” There’s much more to it than sitting on the sofa in your comfy clothes.

Gericht

The German language offers a good amount of word pairs that seem completely unrelated to each other but spell exactly the same. “Gericht” is a classic example.

German loan words

German loan words are used not only the French and Arabic speaking world, but also in distant places like Papua New Guinea, Kenia or Korea. First and foremost however, the English language is literally packed with them.

Glückspilz

What does a German actually need to be happy? According to a study from 2020, the job is the most important factor—how could it be any different?

Götterspeise

Even as a kid, I kept asking myself: Of all the treats in the world – why on heaven and earth does this gooey mess carry such a sophisticated name?

With 67 letters, this is the longest German word that is actually used

Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung

It is a widely known fact that the German language gives you the opportunity to stack words on top of each other to create genuine lexical monstrosities.

Hamsterkauf

The term goes back to the hamster’s ability to collect vast quantities of supplies in its cheek pouches. Just like the Germans’ ability to stash vast quantities of noodles and toilet paper in their cellars.

Handschuh

Why on earth would anyone bother creating an extra name for this clothing item without the ingenious shoe reference?

Heimscheißer

For such a precise-sounding term, the word Heimscheißer is remarkably versatile. On the most basic level, it simply describes what it says: a person who prefers to do their number 2’s at home.