Suggested Germanisms

Check out all the suggested Germanisms starting with the most popular ones. Express your opinion and rate them! Your favorite German word is not on the list? Join the community, submit your Germanism and promote it!

 

feeling of security, safety, comfort, feeling of belonging

He feels safe at this place.

Your rating: None Average: 4.3 (7 votes)

transl. roughneck, hoodlum, streetwise toughguy, 

Those Raufbolde are always looking for a fight.

Your rating: None Average: 4.2 (5 votes)

Gedankenspiel or better "Längeres Gedankenspiel" (LG) was introduced by the German writer Arno Schmidt. It means playing with thoughts, some kind of daydreaming.

He didn't notice me, being absorbed with his gedankenspiel.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)
Tags:

In German it means to "cuddle", where in the US it means to talk in order to gain an advantage.

In the disco there was more schmusen going on than there was dancing.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)
Tags:
and many more >>

Drama Queen, an overly dramatic person.

Mary blows everything out of proportion! She's such a drama queen!

Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)

[noun] Spiel (german) = Game (english)
[verb] spielen (german) = to play (english)

This is quite and obvious one that hasn't been posted, but problem the most used out of all of them.

It can be deciphered as such: Definition of English word spiel in my own words without looking at dictionary = 1. convincing argument, 2. utterly ridiculous argument, 3. play on words, 4. joke, 5. demonstration, 6. delivery of a presentation, 7. detailed verbal analysis, 8. collaborative leg pulling device used on 1 or more people

"I'm going to give them my spiel, then they will understand what a master of cow tipping I am."

"His spiel put me to sleep because of his droning voice."

"Let's spiel on it, then they will realize how brilliant the idea is and want to be our friends."

Spiel is more of an abstract term, not meaning exactly "Game" or "to play", but is more of a descriptive anomaly. We have no direct synonym in English for the word because we have derived the word from German to fill that absent space.

-Steve

"I'm going to give them my spiel, then they will understand what a master of cow tipping I am."

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

warmduscher: someone who only takes warm showers, not tough enough to take cold showers, sign of not being hart wie krupp stahl...

jump over the fire pit or i'll call you a total warmduscher.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

It´s a ball of mixed ham aud sausages.

You look hacksteaki´n good

Your rating: None Average: 4 (4 votes)
Tags:

trickster, raketeer, often little rascal

She can be a little rascal but we all love her to bits

Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)
Tags:

translates to oddball, weirdo or generally a person who is considered strange to other people.

He listens to 80's music and wears tye-dye. What a Kauz!

Your rating: None Average: 4 (3 votes)
Tags: