this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2025
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[–] arschflugkoerper@feddit.org 2 points 2 hours ago
[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 6 points 4 hours ago

Robot -> Das Bipenböpenmann

Guitar -> Die Stringenstick

To die -> Endenleib

[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Handschuhe und Pferdegranaten

[–] blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

Are you joking or do you really think, the second one is a word used in german? I cannot tell. It is not.

[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 hours ago

It's a reference to the saying "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades"

The second word is a (probably poorly, I hardly know any German) made-up compound word for "horse grenades", so it's handshoes and horse grenades instead

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 49 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (2 children)

You're just jealous that we can actually understand what our words mean instead of copying them wholesale from latin or french (which we also do, just not as much).

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 18 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

agreed. plus everything can be funny if you just translate it word for word, even though in almost all languages the meaning for the original words barely cross people's minds when they use compound words.

eg:

German: Kamin

French: Cheminée

Spanish: Chimenea

English: FIREPLACE!

like fucking cavemen

[–] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 5 points 4 hours ago

I counter:

French: briquet

Spanish: mechero

English: lighter

German: Feuerzeug => FIRE THING

Who's the caveman now?

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago (2 children)
[–] pyre@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

same origin, not the same meaning.

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

But yeah, fireplace just sounds so much cooler...

Although... Why not... Fire shoe? Yeah, that's even better.

Fire shoe it is. I'll let Oxford know.

[–] Chronographs@lemmy.zip 5 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Also not the same thing, the fireplace is the part where the fire goes, the chimney is the part above it that makes it so you don’t die of smoke inhalation

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

'Fire shoe' encompasses both meanings satisfactorily.

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

I'll have you know that the history of 'gloves' in English goes back long before the Norman conquest; the roots in English are neither from French nor Latin.

What I really want to know is if shoes in German are called 'fußglof'?

If you say, 'yes', then I really will be jealous. I want a foot glove...

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 10 points 9 hours ago

Fußhandschuhe

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 3 points 9 hours ago

No, they're called 'Läderlappen'.

[–] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 26 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

German is easy:

gloves = Handschuhe => hand shoes

scarf = Halsschuh => neck shoe

condom = Schwanzschuh => dick shoe

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 28 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

Wow, you're right. German really is amazing!

mittens = Faustschuhe => fist shoes

hat = Kopfschuh => head shoe

glasses = Augenschuhe => eye shoes

earrings = Ohrschuhe => ear shoes

mask = Gesichtsschuh => face shoe

bra = Brustschuhe => breast shoes

shirt = Rumpfschuh => torso shoe

pants = Beinschuhe => leg shoes

helmet = Gehirnschuh => brain shoe

diaper = Babyschambereichschuh => baby shame-area shoe

[–] ouch@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

So, germans have a foot fetish?

[–] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 8 points 4 hours ago

No. It's more about the shoes.

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 9 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Japanese Tebukuro - Hand Socks

[–] fireweed@lemmy.world 6 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

It's worse than that, it means hand bags (手袋)

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 3 points 4 hours ago

Worse, better who can say?

[–] trinsec@piefed.social 5 points 9 hours ago (2 children)
[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

Does Dutch keep both forms?

I believe both Old English and Old High German kept both the compound word (hand shoe) and the singular word (e.g. glōf) before eventually choosing one and discarding the other. I'm curious if there are any Germanic languages that have kept both forms into the modern era.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

Just a bit more mangled

[–] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

ist das aus baunwolle gemacht?

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I've read enough clothing labels to know that that should be Baumwolle. Tree wool. Because of course cotton is "tree wool" in German.

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

Tree wool.

Okay, that is really cool. I think German wins here.