Literally: “hip gold” / meaning: extra pounds around the waist
“A man without a belly is a not a man.” That’s what a German grandma might tell their grandchildren when they refuse to finish their plate.
When it comes to justifying the excess pounds, Germans are remarkably creative. You will find shirts with imprints like “I’m not fat, my legs are just too far back” or “Good tools always hang under a canopy.” There are also numerous affectionate names for the fuller tummy. Among the funniest are Schnitzelfriedhof (“Schnitzel cemetery”) or Feinkostgewölbe (“delicacy vault”). Particularly in the waist area, the extra pounds are often referred to as Hüftgold.
Interestingly though, the word may refer not only to the belly itself but also to the high-calory food that causes this belly to grow. So you can say that eating too much Hüftgold will give you Hüftgold in the end. At least, you won’t give German grandmas a reason to complain.
