Author: GermanyinUSA

• Word of the Week: Knuffig

  The digital age has brought about an era that could be described as extremely knuffig – a saccharine yet sweet term of endearment commonly used to suggest something or someone…

  May 20, 2011

• Word of the Week: Plaudertasche

  A “Plaudertasche” is a slang expression for “chatterbox”. It is generally used as a cute term of endearment to describe a very wordy person. While it may also of course…

  May 13, 2011

• Word of the Week: Muttermal

  In German, a “Muttermal” is a birth mark. A more literal translation would be “mother’s mark”, though of course hardly anyone would ever say that in English. A more negative…

  May 6, 2011

• Word of the Week: Arbeitstier

  In the literal sense of the word, an “Arbeitstier” is a work animal, as in a beast of burden on a pre-mechanized farm. The horse at the center of the…

  April 28, 2011

• Word of the Week: Schmuddelwetter

  Although Germany is the world’s biggest solar power producer, its more northerly and easterly regions, in particular, often experience lots of “Schmuddelwetter” in early spring, when “April showers bring May…

  April 20, 2011

• Word of the Week: Umtrunk

  Germans are thought to be disciplined and hard workers who devote themselves to their work. This dedication can only be interrupted by few a things. One allowed interruption is an…

  April 1, 2011

• Word of the Week: Aufheben

  Sometimes language is a complicated thing… so complicated that it can take on a philosophical bent. Take the German word aufheben. It can have multiple meaning that contradict each other.…

  March 25, 2011

• Word of the Week: Duzfreund

  There are still some formalities implemented in European and German linguistic culture. One of the most known formalities, which sometimes surprises many Americans, is the very important distinction between a…

  March 18, 2011

• 

  Word of the Week: Gemütlichkeit

  “Look for the bare necessities The simple bare necessities Forget about your worries and your strife I mean the bare necessities Old Mother Nature’s recipes That brings the bare necessities…

  March 11, 2011

• Word of the Week: Jeck

  Carnival seems to be the best time to have a look at an interesting German word: Jeck. The word is used almost exclusively in the Rhineland, especially in the city…

  March 4, 2011