Spendierhosen
The expression is born of a joking idea that generosity is not a matter of character, but of the pants you are wearing and the tailor who created them.
The expression is born of a joking idea that generosity is not a matter of character, but of the pants you are wearing and the tailor who created them.
The term is rooted in agricultural life, where animals from the same stable carry a distinctive odor. Over time, this concept took on a figurative meaning.
Just to get that right out of the way: “vacuum cleaner” is a crappy term, as my new Dyson does not clean vacuums, but carpets. In contrast, the German counterpart Staubsauger scores with perfect simplicity.
Many people think that Germany is a nation of grumpy sourpusses who spend most of their free time demonizing their fate. True “Stinkstiefel”, in other words.
it’s mainly the long-time Tinder power users among my friends and colleagues who, at some point in their mid 30s, look a bit dumbfounded.
The term is also frequently used in sports: For example, soccer fans often refer to the entire Europa League as a “Trostpflaster” for clubs that did’t make it to the Champions League.
If you haven’t had an idea of what “verschlimmbessern” means—just think about the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee in soccer that wiped out a lot of the emotions without really making the game any more fair after all.
This term is used quite loosely and frequently in German. For instance, if you try a new recipe on a friend – before you might embarrass yourself in front of your date – he is your Versuchskaninchen.
It’s the grace period or the leniency shown to someone due to their inexperience, much like how you wouldn’t be mad at a puppy for chewing up your shoe.
Back in the days, when I watched my father reading the Wirtschaftsnachrichten („economy news“), I honestly thought he was trying to get informed about new restaurants in town.
A toddler needs a little bit of puppy fat to really appear adorable. This sparks a feeling in us of wanting to pinch his well-fed cheek and say, “Was für ein Wonneproppen!“
Well, you won’t disagree that this is another one of these words that makes perfect sense if you think about it. It simply describes the fleshy tissue surrounding your teeth. Ergo: tooth flesh.
“Okay young man, one more round of Fortnite, but after that, it’s Zapfenstreich!” That’s a sentence you might hear in some German children’s rooms in the 2020s.
This blog is a love letter to the curiosities of the German language that give it its poetic and, at times, oddly humorous qualities.
The “German Is Weird” book is now available: order here!
