Spendierhosen

Spendierhosen: When you are in a generous mood, Germans will sayyou are wearing your “spending pants”

literally: “spending pants” / meaning: something you are figuratively wearing when you are in a generous mood

Are Germans a generous people? They seem to be, but it depends largely on where exactly they come from. A survey of the “Dreamlines” cruise portal investigated the tipping habits of guests from different regions in 2018.

The German participants showed themselves to be more spendy than their fellow passengers from countries such as France, Russia or Holland—only surpassed by Italy. However, the difference between the Bundesländer was huge. According to the study, people from Bremen are willing to tip twice as much as people from Saxony—and also, Hamburgers tend to open their pockets widely. So if you’re looking for people who wear Spendierhosen, you’re most likely to find them in the north of the Federal Republic.

The expression became known through students’ language and has been in use throughout Germany as early as the 17th century. It 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. So maybe, Saxons simply need to change their clothing store.

References:

https://travmedia.com/showPRPreview/100047283

Category:

German Is Weird: Crazy Words von Arschkarte bis Zielwasser - from "ass card" to "aiming water"

For more language weirdness, check the brand new “German is weird” book. 

Related Weirdness

German is weird: Fun Facts and Trivia about the German language

This blog is a love letter to the curiosities of the German language that give it its poetic and, at times, oddly humorous qualities.

German Is Weird: Crazy Words von Arschkarte bis Zielwasser - from "ass card" to "aiming water"

The “German Is Weird” book is now available: order here!

Weirdest Articles
Instagram Feed
Categories