LIST OF GERMAN EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH
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This is a list of German expressions used in English; some relatively common (e.g. ''hamburger''), most comparatively rare. In many cases, the German borrowing in English has assumed a meaning substantially different than its German forebear.
English and German both descended from the West Germanic language, though their relationship has been obscured by the great influx of Norman French words to English consequence of the Norman Conquest in 1066, and the second Germanic sound shift. In recent years, however, many English words have been borrowed directly from German. Typically, English spellings of German loanwords suppress any umlauts (the superscript, double-dot diacritic in ''Ä'', ''Ö'', ''Ü'', ''ä'', ''ö'' and ''ü'') of the original word and replaces them with ''Ae'', ''Oe'', ''Ue'', ''ae'', ''oe'', ''ue'', respectively (influenced by ''Latin'': æ, œ.)
German words have been incorporated to English usage for many reasons; common cultural artefacts, especially foods, have spread to English-speaking nations and often are identified either by their original German names or by German-sounding English names. The history of academic excellence of the German-speaking nations in science, scholarship, and classical music has led to the academic adoption of much German for use in English context; discussion of German history and culture requires knowing German words. Lastly, some German words are used simply to a fictionalise an English narrative passage, implying that the subject expressed is in German, i.e. using ''Frau'', ''Reich'', et cetera, although sometimes usage of German words holds no German implication, as in ''doppelgänger'' or ''angst''.
As languages, English and German descend from the common ancestor language Proto-Germanic, because of this, some English words are identical to their German lexical counterparts, either in the spelling (Hand, Finger) or in the pronunciation (Fish = ''Fisch''), or both (Arm); these are excluded from this words list.
German terms commonly used in English
The German words of this category will easily be recognized by many English speakers; they are commonly used in English contexts. Some, such as ''wurst'' or ''pumpernickel'', still retain German connotations, while others, such as ''lager'' and ''hamburger'', retain none. Not every word is recognizable outside its relevant context.
Food and drink
★ Beergarden (German spelling: ''Biergarten'')
★ Bratwurst (sometimes abbv. brat)
★ Delicatessen (modern German spelling: ''Delikatessen''; abbv. ''deli'')
★ Hamburger
★ Hasenpfeffer, a type of rabbit (or hare) stew
★ Frankfurter
★ Kirschwasser (in U.S. English only)
★ Kohlrabi
★ Kraut (in U.S. English only — can also be a derisive term for Germans)
★ Lager (beer)
★ Liverwurst (from the German ''Leberwurst''; e.g., Braunschweiger)
★ Muesli (German spelling: ''Müsli'', Swiss German ''Müesli'')
★ Pils, Pilsner, Pilsener (originally Bohemian town Pilsen (now Czech Plzeň) — in the Holy Roman Empire
★ Pretzel (German spelling: ''Brezel'')
★ Pumpernickel, a type of sourdough rye bread, strongly flavoured, dense, and dark in colour.
★ Sauerkraut
★ Schnapps (German spelling: ''Schnaps'')
★ Spritzer (from the Austrian and Bavarian 'G'spritzter', in Germany commonly called "Weinschorle", German word Spritzer-English squirt)
★ Stein (i.e. "Bier Stein", pronounced [beer stÄ«n], a large drinking mug, usually for beer, made of materials ranging from wood to plastic; the English word refers to the decorated, ceramic version of the artifact. In German, the word ''stein'' means "stone", but its English form originates from ''Steinkrug'', meaning "stone mug"; Germans also refer to it as a ''Bierkrug.'')
★ Strudel (e. g. Apfelstrudel)
★ Wiener (abbreviated from the German ''Wiener Würstchen'', sausages from Vienna. In Austria, they are called ''Frankfurter''.)
★ ''Wienerschnitzel'', Wiener schnitzel (German spelling: Wiener Schnitzel; ''Wien'' is the German name of the austrian city "Vienna".)
★ Wurst
★ Zwieback, a fictitious word that means "double baked"
Sports and recreation
★ Abseil (German spelling: ''sich abseilen'', a reflexive verb, to rope (seil) oneself (sich) down (ab))
★ Foosball (German spelling: ''Fußball''; refers to the field game football; in the United States and Canada, foosball refers exclusively to the tabletop football game found in bars, saloons, and pubs; also ''Tischfußball'', ''Wuzzler'', ''Kicker'', or ''Krökeln'' in German, ''Töggele'' in Swiss German, and simply ''table football'' in the UK, Australia and the rest of the Anglic world.
★ Carabiner (German spelling: Karabiner - Snaplink, a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate, used in climbing and mountaineering); modern short form/derivation of the older word 'Karabinerhaken'; translates to 'Riflehook'
★ Fahrvergnügen (the trick in aggressive inline skating. German: Fahrvergnügen, meaning "driving pleasure"; originally, the word was introduced in a Volkswagen advertising campaign in the U.S., one tag line was: "Are we having Fahrvergnügen yet?")
★ Kletterschuh
★ Rucksack (more commonly called a backpack in U.S. English)
★ Schuss (literally: shot — ski down a slope at high speed)
★ Volksmarching
★ Volkssport
★ Volkswalk
★ Volkswanderung
★
Other aspects of everyday life
★ -bahn as a suffix, e.g. Infobahn (ironic term for 'high-capacity data networks', after ''Autobahn''.)
★ Dachshund (a word that Germans rarely use; they say 'Dackel' or 'Teckel')
★ Doberman Pinscher (German spelling: ''Dobermannpinscher'', Germans often just say 'Dobermann')
★ Doppelgänger ("double-goer"; also spelled in English as: ''doppelganger'') — usages: "double", "look-alike" or "imitation", in German it denotes a ''person'' impersonating another, ''not'' an object
★ Dreck Literally dirt or smut, but now means "trashy", "awful"
★ Dummkopf (dumm=dumb/not intelligent + Kopf=head) a stupid, ignorant person (used contemptuously)
★ Ersatz, "replacement" as from the German Ersatzteil (spare part, replacement part); in English: "substitute", "imitation" (used derogatorily)
★
★ Flak ('''Fl'ug'a'bwehr'k'anone'' — literally: ''aircraft-defense gun''), for anti-aircraft guns or their shells, as in flak jacket; or in the figurative sense: "drawing flak" = being heavily criticized
★ Gesundheit (German: "health"; an exclamation used in place of "bless you!" after someone has sneezed, an interesting theory traces this use back to the Bubonic plague epidemic.)
★ (German spelling: ''kaputt'')
★ Kindergarten, ''children’s garden'', common in many countries, though not in the UK —
★ Kitsch: cheap, sentimental, gaudy items of popular culture
★ Kraut, a derogatory term for a German, because of assumed dietary habits (cabbage). Primarily used during World War I and World War II.
★ Lebensraum — space to live
★ Meister, "Master", also as a suffix "-meister" — in modern English used sarcastically ; compare to Italian ''Maestro''
★ nazi — short form for National Socialist; now U.S. slang for people who behave very uptightly about something. This meaning was popularised in an episode of the U.S. television comedy programme Seinfeld, which features the soup nazi restaurateur character.
★ Neanderthal (modern German spelling: ''Neandertal''), of, from, and or pertaining to the "Neander Valley", site near Düsseldorf where early ''Homo erectus'' fossils were found.
★ Oktoberfest — A Bavarian Folk Festival held annually in Munich during late September and early October.
★ Poltergeist — 'mischievous, noisy ghost' cases of haunting involving spontaneous psychokinesis
★ Rottweiler — breed of dog, named for its town of origin
★ Schadenfreude, also ''Schadensfreude'' — happiness at the misfortune of others
★ Schnauzer (a German breed of dog with a close, wiry coat and heavy whiskers round the muzzle; also means "mustache")
★ Spitz (a breed of dog)
★ , (German spelling: ''über'') "over", used to indicate that something, someone is of better or greater magnitude, e.g. überherren, cf. ''Ãœbermensch''.
★ Ur- (German prefix): original or prototypical, e.g., ''Ur''-feminist, ''Ur''-language; Ursprache (proto-language)
★ (prohibited or forbidden)
★ Volkswagen proper name in English; usually read with English phonetics (i.e. initial German v is sounded as English v, rather than German f; English w, rather than German v). In Germany, the abbreviation ''VW'' is often used instead of the long form.
★ Wanderlust the yearning to travel
★ Weltanschauung — World-view, underlying assumptions about reality.
★ , "wonder child", a prodigy
★ Zeitgeist "spirit of the time"
★ Zeppelin, type of airship named after its inventor
German terms common in English academic context
German terms frequently appear in English academic disciplines, notably history, psychology, philosophy, music, and the physical sciences; laymen in a given field may or may not be familiar with a given German term.
Academia
★ , basic approach
★ Festschrift, book prepared by colleagues to honor a scholar, traditionally presented sixty years after the first major work by the individual being thus honored.
★ Leitfaden, ('guiding thread') illustration of the interdependence between chapters of a book.
★ Methodenstreit, disagreement on methodology
★ Privatdozent
★ Doktorvater, dissertation advisor
Architecture
★ Bauhaus
★ Jugendstil
★ Plattenbau
Arts
★ Gesamtkunstwerk, "total work of art" or "complete artwork"
Theatre
★ Verfremdungseffekt
Biology
★ Bauplan
★ Anlage
★ Bereitschaftspotential
Chess
★ Fingerfehler: slip of the finger
★ Luft
★ Zeitnot
★ Zugzwang
★ Zwischenzug
Economics
★ Freigeld
★ Freiwirtschaft
★ Lumpenproletariat
★ Takt
★ Wirtschaftswunder
Geography
★ Hinterland
★ Inselberg
★ Mitteleuropa
★ Thalweg (written "Talweg" in Germany today)
Geology
★ Gneiss (German ''Gneis'')
★ Graben
★ Karst
★ Dreikanter
Minerals including:
★ Quartz (German ''Quarz'')
★ Feldspar (German ''Feldspat'')
★ Meerschaum
History
(Some terms are listed in multiple categories if they are important to each.)
The Third Reich
See Glossary of the Weimar Republic and Glossary of the Third Reich.
Other historical periods
★ Junker
★ Kaiser, "emperor" (derived from the title "''Caesar''")
★ Kulturkampf
★ Landflucht
★ Ostflucht
★ Ostpolitik
★ Ostalgie (nostalgia for the former Eastern Bloc, specifically for the DDR)
★ Realpolitik (Political science: "real politics"); usually implies the way politics really work, i.e. via the influence of power and money, rather than a political party's given interpretation.
★ Reichstag (Imperial Diet; see Reichstag (building) and Reichstag (institution))
★ Sammlungspolitik
★ Völkerschlacht — the Battle of Nations
★ Völkerwanderung (pronounced folkervanderung)
★ Weltpolitik — the politics of global domination; contemporarily, "the current climate in global politics".
★ Biedermeier, era in early 19th century Germany
Noble titles
★ Freiherr and Baron, roughly equivalent to an English baron, the lowest rank of higher nobility
★ Fürst, prince, but see entry for notes and qualifications: in German use refers to leader of a principality, not an heir to a throne
★ Graf, count
★ Junker squire, landowner
★ Kaiser, emperor
★ Landgraf, count with princely (sovereign) powers, see entry for relation to ''Graf''
★ Margrave (from German ''Markgraf'', [mark-graf]: "''count of the march''")
General military terms
★ Blitzkrieg Lightning war. Phrase invented by a Spanish journalist to describe mobile combined arms methods used by Nazis in 1939–1940.
★ Flak ('''Fl'ug'a'bwehr'k'anone''), anti-aircraft gun
★ Fliegerhorst, another word for a military airport
★ Karabiner type of a gun. For the climbing hardware, see carabiner above
★ Kriegspiel, war game; correct German word: ''Kriegsspiel'')
★ Luftwaffe, air force
★ Panzer refers to tanks and other armoured vehicles, or formations of such vehicles
★ Panzerfaust, tank fist anti-tank weapon, a small recoilless gun.
★ Strafe, punishment
★ U-Boot (abbreviated form of ''Unterseeboot'' — submarine, but commonly called ''U-Boot'' in Germany as well)
★ Vernichtungsgedanke (thought of annihilation)
Military ranks
★ Soldat (Soldier)
★ Gefreiter (Private)
★ Feldwebel (Sergeant)
★ Fähnrich (Ensign)
★ Leutnant (Lieutenant)
★ Hauptmann (Captain)
★ Major
★ Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant-Colonel)
★ Oberst (Colonel)
★ General
Linguistics
★ Ablaut
★ Abstandsprache
★ Aktionsart
★ Ausbausprache
★ Dachsprache
★ Dreimorengesetz, "three-mora law", the rule for placing stress in Latin
★ Grenzsignal, "boundary signal"
★ Loanword (ironically not a loanword but rather a calque from German ''Lehnwort'')
★ Leitmotiv, a recurring theme
★ (Biblical linguistics mainly; the study of Pragmatics has a similar approach)
★ Sprachbund, "language union", a group of languages that have become similar because of geographical proximity
★ Sprachraum
★ Suffixaufnahme
★ Umlaut
★ Urheimat
★ Ursprache, "proto-language"
★ Wanderwort
Literature
★ Bildungsroman
★ Künstlerroman
★ Sturm und Drang, an 18th century literary movement; "storm and stress" in English, although the literal translation is closer to "storm and urge".
★ Urtext, "original text"
★ Vorlage, original or mastercopy of a text on which derivates are based
★ Wahlverwandtschaft (pronounced with a v) (from Goethe's ''Die Wahlverwandtschaften'')
★ Q, abbreviation for ''Quelle'' ("source"), a postulated lost document in Biblical criticism
Mathematics and formal logic
★ Ansatz (lit. "set down," roughly equivalent to "approach" or "where to begin", a starting assumption)
★ "Eigen-" in composita such as eigenfunction, eigenvector, eigenvalue, eigenform; in English "-self" or "own".
★ Entscheidungsproblem
★ Grossencharakter
★ Hilbert's Nullstellensatz (Without apostrophe in German)
★ Ideal (Originally "ideale Zahlen", defined by Ernst Kummer)
★ Krull's Hauptidealsatz (Without apostrophe in German)
★ Möbius band (ger.: Möbiusband)
★ quadratfrei
★ Vierergruppe (also known as Klein four-group)
★ "Neben-" in composita such as Nebentype
★ from (ganze) Zahlen ((whole) numbers), the integers
Medicine
★ Kernicterus
★ Mittelschmerz ("middle pain", used to refer to ovulation pain)
★ Rinderpest
★ Spinnbarkeit
★ Witzelsucht
Music
★ Flugelhorn (German spelling: ''Flügelhorn''), a type of brass musical instrument
★ Glockenspiel, a percussion instrument
★ Heldentenor, "heroic tenor"
★ Hammerklavier, "hammer-keyboard", an archaic term for piano or the name of a specific kind of piano; most commonly used in English to refer to Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata.
★ Kapellmeister, "music director"
★ Leitmotif (German spelling: ''Leitmotiv'') a musical phrase that associates with a specific person, thing, or idea.
★ Lied (pronounced "leet"), "song"; specifically in English, "art song"
★ Lieder ohne Worte, "songs without words"
★ Liedermacher
★ Meistersinger
★ Minnesinger (German spelling: ''Minnesänger'') "Love poet or minstrel"
★ Schlager, "a hit" (German "schlagen", to hit or beat).
★ Schuhplattler, a regional dance from Upper Bavaria and Austria
★ Singspiel, German musical drama with spoken dialogue
★ Sprechgesang, form of musical delivery between speech and singing
★ Sturm und Drang, "storm and stress", a brief esthetic movement in German literature, just before Weimar Classicism
★ Urtext, "original text (of the composer)"
★ Volksmusic (German spelling: ''Volksmusik'')
★ Waltz (German spelling: ''Walzer'')
Philosophy
★ An sich, ''in itself''
★ Dasein
★ Ding an sich, ''thing in itself'' from Kant
★ Geist, mind, spirit or ghost
★ Gott ist tot!, a popular phrase from Nietzsche; more commonly rendered ''"God is dead!"'' in English.
★ Ãœbermensch, also from Nietzsche; the ideal of a Superhuman or Overman.
★ Weltanschauung, Worldview or View of the world
★ Weltschmerz, World-weariness/World-pain, angst; despair with the World (often used ironically in German)
★ Wertfreiheit, Freedom from value judgements; ethical neutrality (in a post-modernistic philosophy sense)
★ Wille zur Macht, a central concept of Nietzsche's philosophy; it means ''"the Will to Power."''
Physical sciences
★ Ansatz, an assumption for a function that is not based on an underlying theory
★ Aufbau principle (physical chemistry)
★ Bauplan, body plan of animals
★ Bremsstrahlung
★ Entgegen and its opposite zusammen (organic chemistry)
★ Föhn, also foehn, a warm wind which sometimes appears on the northern side of the alps in south Germany.
★ Gedanken experiment (German spelling: ''Gedankenexperiment''; more commonly referred to as a "thought experiment" in English.)
★ Gegenschein
★ Gerade and its opposite ungerade (quantum mechanics)
★ Heiligenschein
★ Lagerstätten, repositories
★ Mischmetall, alloy.
★ Rocks and minerals like Quartz (German spelling: ''Quarz''), Gneiss and Feldspar (originally "Gneis" respectively "Feldspat"), Meerschaum
★ Reststrahlen (residual rays)
★ Sollbruchstelle, predetermined breaking point
★ Spiegeleisen
★ Umpolung (organic chemistry)
★ Vierbein, and variations such as 'vielbein'
★ Zitterbewegung
★ Zwitterion
Politics
★ Machtpolitik, power politics
★ Putsch, overthrow of those in power by a small group, coup d'etat
★ Realpolitik, "politics of reality": foreign politics based on practical concerns rather than ideology or ethics.
★ Rechtsstaat, concept of a state based on law and human rights
Psychology
★ Angst, feeling of Fear, but more deeply and without concrete object.
: (Many think the meaning is much more specific in English and the German ''Angst'' equals "fear". Yet, this is not true, as the German ''Furcht'' means fear. The difference is that ''Furcht'' is provoked by a specific object or occurrence, while ''Angst'' is a more general state of being that does not need to be initiated by anything concrete. It can happen autonomously, i.e. influenced by prior experience of ''Furcht'' without reason. ''Angst'' is more appropriately equated to the English concept of "anxiety.")
★ Sorge, a state of worry, but (like ''Angst'') in a less concrete, more general sense, worry about the world, one's future, etc.
★ Gestalt (psychology; much narrower meaning than in German, where it is a generic word with meanings like i.e. shape, form, likeness, figure)
★ Schadenfreude (gloating - a malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others)
★ Umwelt, environment.
★ Zeitgeber (lit. time-giver; something that resets the circadian clock found in the SCN.)
★ Weltschmerz, world-pain or world-weariness
★ Wunderkind, child prodigy. This has become a loanword in English.
Sociology
★ Gemeinschaft (sociology; community.)
★ Gesellschaft (sociology; society.)
★ Weltanschauung
★ Zeitgeist, spirit of the times or age
Theology
★ Heilgeschichte (salvation history, God's positive saving actions throughout history)
★ Sitz im Leben (setting in life, context)
German terms mostly used for literary effect
There are a few terms which are recognised by many English speakers but are usually only used to deliberately evoke a German context:
★ Autobahn — particularly common in British English and American English referring specifically to German motorways which have no general speed limit.
★ — Literally, "attention" in English.
★ and Fräulein — Woman and young woman or girl, respectively in English. Indicating marital state, with Frau — Mrs. and Fräulein — Ms.; in Germany, however, the diminutive ''Fräulein'' lapsed from common usage in the late 1960s. Regardless of marital status, a woman is now commonly referred to as ''Frau'', and ''Fräulein'' has come to be perceived as insulting.
★ Führer (umlaut is usually dropped in English) — always used in English to denote Hitler or to connote a Fascistic leader — never used, as is possible in German, simply and unironically to denote a (non-Fascist) leader, (i.e. Bergführer = mountain guide, Stadtführer = city guide (book), Führerschein = driving licence etc.)
★ Gott mit uns, (in German means "God be with us"), the motto of the Prussian emperor, it was used as a morale slogan amongst soldiers in both World Wars. It was bastardized as "Got mittens" by American and British soldiers, and is usually used nowadays, because of the German defeat in both wars, derisively to mean that wars are not won on religious grounds.
★ — hands up
★ — evokes German context; Literally the German equivalent of Mr./Mister (derived from the adjective ''hehr'', meaning "honourable" or "senior"). In a religious environment it means Lord.
★ Lederhosen (Singular ''Lederhose'' in German denotes one pair of leather short pants or trousers. The original Bavarian word is ''Lederhosn'', which is both singular and plural.)
★ Leitmotif (German spelling: ''Leitmotiv'') Any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person.
★ Meister — used as a suffix to mean expert (''Maurermeister''), or master; in Germany it means also champion in sports (''Weltmeister,'' ''Europameister,'' ''Landesmeister'')
★ — no
★ Raus — used to mean Out!
★ Reich — to English speakers, ''Reich'' does not denote its literal meaning, "empire", but strongly connotes Nazism and is often used to suggest Fascism or authoritarianism, e.g., "Herr Reichsminister" used as a title for a disliked politician. German ''reich'' as an adjective means "rich", as a noun it means "empire" and "realm".
★ Ja — yes
★ a German term that connotes an emphatic yes'' — "Yes, Indeed!" in English. It is often equated to "yes sir" in Anglo-American military films.
★ Schnell! — Quickly!
★ Kommandant — officer or person in command, especially of a military camp or U-Boat. (Applies regardless of military rank, in distinction to the English "commander".)
★ Schweinhund (German spelling: Schweinehund) — literally: Schwein = pig, Hund = dog, Vulgarism like in ''der verdammte Schweinehund (the damned pig-dog)''. But also used to describe the lack of motivation (for example to quit a bad habit) ''Den bekämpfen.'' = to battle the inner ''pig-dog''.
German terms rarely used in English
''This is the unsorted, original list. If a term is 'common' in a particular academic discipline, and there is no more commonly used English equivalent, then please move it to the list above.''
★ Aha-Erlebnis literally "aha experience" eg "Eureka".
★ (German spelling: ''Fahrvergnügen'', literally pleasure of driving. Coined for a Volkswagen advertising campaign; caused widespread puzzlement in America when it was used in television commercials with no explanation.)
★ Gastarbeiter — a German "guest worker"
★ Kobold — a small mischievous fairy creature, traditionally translated as "Goblin", "Hobgoblin, and "Imp"; the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons has included reptilian Kobolds (as well as creatures called "Goblins", "Imps" and "Hobgoblins" in completely separate forms) as part of the bestiary for a number of editions, including the current edition, D&D d20 v3.5. ''Kobold'' is also the origin of the name of the metal cobalt.
★ Schmutz (smut, dirt, filth). This term is, however, particularly popular in New York, reflecting the influence of the Yiddish language.
★ (originally "Deutschland über Alles" (actually this sentence meant to propagate a united Germany instead of small separated German Territories only); now used by extension in other cases, as in the Dead Kennedys song "California Ãœber Alles"). This part (or rather, the whole first stanza) of the "Deutschlandlied" akaLied der Deutschen (Song of the Germans) is not part of the national anthem today, as it is thought to have been used to propagate the attitude of racial and national superiority in Nazi Germany, as in the phrase "Germany over all".
★ Ur- (as a prefix to mean "proto-")
★ Vorsprung durch Technik ('headstart through technology'): used in an advertising campaign by Audi, to suggest technical excellence
★ Zweihander (German spelling: ''Zweihänder'')
Quotations
Many famous English quotations are translations from German. On rare occasions an author will quote the original German as a sign of erudition.
★ ''Muss es sein? Es muss sein!'': "Must it be? It must be!" —Beethoven
★ ''Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln'': "War is politics by other means" (literally: "War is a mere continuation of politics by other means") — Clausewitz
★ ''Ein Gespenst geht um in Europa — das Gespenst des Kommunismus'': "A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism" — the Communist Manifesto
★ ''Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!'': "Workers of the world, unite!" — the Communist Manifesto
★ ''Gott würfelt nicht'': "God does not play dice" — Einstein
★ ''Raffiniert ist der Herrgott, aber boshaft ist er nicht'': "Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not" — Einstein
★ ''Wir müssen wissen, wir werden wissen'': "We must know, we will know" — David Hilbert
★ ''Was kann ich wissen? Was soll ich tun? Was darf ich hoffen?'': "What can I know? What shall I do? What may I hope?" — Kant
★ ''Die ganzen Zahlen hat der liebe Gott gemacht, alles andere ist Menschenwerk'': "God made the integers, all the rest is the work of man" — Leopold Kronecker
★ ''Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen!'': "Here I stand, I cannot do differently. God help me. Amen!" — attributed to Martin Luther
★ ''Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen'': "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent" — Wittgenstein
★ ''Einmal ist keinmal'': "What happens once might as well never have happened." literally "once is never" - Theme of ''The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' by Milan Kundera
Music
For terms used in music, see above.
Meanings of German band names
★ Böhse Onkelz = (correct German spelling: böse Onkel, although it should be noted that "Onkels" is itself an incorrect plural form of "Onkel", the correct plural being "Onkel" without the s) "evil uncles," a term used in German as a euphemism for child molesters. The wrong spelling is done to "harden" its appearance (''h'' in this context amplifies the ö; ''z'' is pronounced ''ts'' in German, and sounds sharper than s). The umlaut over the o in ''Böhse'' is not a heavy metal umlaut.
★ Deichkind = dike (or levee) child
★ Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (or ''D.A.F.'') = German-American Friendship
★ Die Ärzte = (medical) doctors, a German Punkrock band.
★ Die Sterne = the stars (celestial body)
★ Die Toten Hosen = literally ''the dead trousers''. A slang expression for a boring place to be (phrase: "Hier ist total tote Hose.") (commonly used in the northern parts of Germany), it can also refer to impotence.
★ Dschinghis Khan = The German spelling of Genghis Khan.
★ Einstürzende Neubauten = "collapsing new buildings". For the band this evokes the image of buildings built during the postwar era, which were very hastily erected, hence supposedly prone to collapse.
★ Eisbrecher = Ice breaker
★ Fettes Brot = literally ''fat bread'', but "fett" is also a Slang expression for cool
★ Juli = ''July''.
★ KMFDM = Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid (literally "no majority for the pity," which is a grammatically incorrect "headline clipping" style rearrangement of "Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit" or "no pity for the masses.")
★ Kraftwerk = power plant
★ Massive Töne = massive sounds
★ Neu! = new!
★ Rammstein = "ramming stone" (literal) or "battering ram" (figurative), refers to the Ramstein airshow disaster. Some translate it as "[stone] hammerhead"
★ Silbermond = literally ''silver moon''. A German Popband.
★ Virginia Jetzt! = Virginia now!
★ Wir sind Helden = we are heroes
See also:
★ ''Krautrock'': "''Kraut'' (= cabbage) rock". A German-like English name for a variety of German rock music.
★ ''Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW)'': "New German Wave". A genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music.
Classical music works
★ Johann Sebastian Bach's ''Das wohltemperierte Klavier'': "the well-tempered clavier" and ''Jesu bleibet meine Freude'': "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"
★ Brahms's "Schicksalslied": "song of fate"
★ Kreisler's "Liebesleid": "pain of love"
★ Kreisler's "Liebesfreud": "joy of love"
★ Liszt's ''Liebesträume'': "love dreams" or "dreams of love"
★ Mozart's ''Eine kleine Nachtmusik'': "A little night music" (serenade) and ''Die Zauberflöte'': "The Magic Flute" (opera)
★ Schubert's ''Winterreise'': "winter journey"
★ Schumann's ''Dichterliebe'': "poet's love"
★ Richard Strauss's ''Rosenkavalier'': "cavalier of the rose" and ''Also sprach Zarathustra'': "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" "Vier letzte Lieder" : "Four last songs"
★ Johann Strauss II's ''Die Fledermaus'': "The Bat", "An der Schönen Blauen Donau" (English: On The Beautiful Blue Danube)
★ Richard Wagner's Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung : "The Valkyrie" and "Twillight of the Gods" both from his Opera Cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" ("The Ring of the Nibelung")
Carols and hymns
★ ''Stille Nacht'': "Silent Night"
★ ''O Tannenbaum'': "O Christmas Tree"
Modern songs
★ ''99 Luftballons'': "99 Balloons" (English title: "99 Red Balloons") by Nena
See also
★ Germish (English loanwords in German)
★ List of Portuguese words of Germanic origin
★ List of Spanish words of Germanic origin
★ List of French phrases
★ List of Latin words with English derivatives
★ List of Latin phrases
★ List of Greek phrases
★
★ List of French phrases used by English speakers
★
★ Yiddish
★ Yinglish
★ List of English words of Yiddish origin
★ List of English words of Dutch origin
★ Jerrycan
★
External links
★ Dictionary of Germanisms
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