this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2025
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[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 81 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days 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 39 points 3 days 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 14 points 3 days ago

I counter:

French: briquet

Spanish: mechero

English: lighter

German: Feuerzeug => FIRE THING

Who's the caveman now?

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] pyre@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

same origin, not the same meaning.

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days 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 6 points 3 days 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 3 days ago (1 children)

'Fire shoe' encompasses both meanings satisfactorily.

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days 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 14 points 3 days ago

Fußhandschuhe

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 3 points 3 days ago

No, they're called 'Läderlappen'.

[–] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 39 points 3 days ago (1 children)

German is easy:

gloves = Handschuhe => hand shoes

scarf = Halsschuh => neck shoe

condom = Schwanzschuh => dick shoe

[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days 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 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

So, germans have a foot fetish?

[–] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 22 points 3 days ago

No. It's more about the shoes.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 24 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Robot -> Das Bipenböpenmann

Guitar -> Die Stringenstick

To die -> Endenleib

You can say "die in hell" in a shoe store to ask for a different pair of shoes.

[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

My favorite song is "Wir sind die Bibenböpenmannen" by Kraftwerk

[–] blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Whoever decided that first one was high off their ass

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Woooosh. It's closer to der Roboter, die Gitarre, sterben.

It doesn't matter how robot your robot is, German robots are Roboter.

[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Handschuhe und Pferdegranaten

[–] blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days 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 16 points 3 days 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

[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Japanese Tebukuro - Hand Socks

[–] fireweed@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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

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

Worse, better who can say?

[–] trinsec@piefed.social 9 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] Affidavit@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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.

[–] trinsec@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago

We have 'handschoenen'. It's used a lot.

[–] bluesheep@lemm.ee 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The alternative closest to glove I'd say would be "want(en)", but it's not nearly used as much as "handschoen(en)" - hand shoes.

[–] trinsec@piefed.social 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wanten would actually be mittens. Gloves where all the fingers are fused together. Mostly used by kids or cooks (the ovenwanten 😋).

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

the French word gant has the same etymological root as the Dutch word want

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Just a bit more mangled

[–] arschflugkoerper@feddit.org 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] MacNCheezus@lemmy.today 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

WENN HIER EINER ANNA NASS MACHT DANN BIN ICH DAS!

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 2 points 2 days ago

Loved that joke as a kid. Took me far too long to actually get it.

[–] rockerface@lemm.ee 4 points 2 days ago

that one is more common across languages than pineapple tho

[–] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

ist das aus baunwolle gemacht?

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 6 points 3 days 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 3 days ago

Tree wool.

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