Mitesser
literally: “eating companion” / meaning: blackhead; comedo
I hope many of you are enjoying the 2-3 years between puberty and midlife crisis at this point. That means that neither your newly grown gray hair will spoil your every morning—nor will the overnight pimples. Or the infamous blackheads, also called comedones, for that matter. These little pus bombs don’t just look gross. They also have a name in German that does not make their appearance any more appetizing.
The term Mitesser first appeared in a dictionary at the end of the 17th century. The expression refers to the widespread belief at the time that diseases were mainly caused by parasites. In this sense, it was believed there were actually vermins sitting inside of your facial skin and enjoying your delicious pus. As a result, comedones were also referred to as Zehrwürmer (roughly: “binge worms”) or Dürrmaden (“skinny maggots”).
This might not be the best piece of bragging knowledge to share on a first date, especially when you are still in puberty.
