Of Dust-Suckers And Other Apt German Words

German does what it says on the tin!

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German has a reputation for being tricky to learn. But in fact, it actually just does exactly what it says on the tin! Most nouns couldn’t be more direct. Don’t believe me? See for yourself:

Auspuff

First up: ‘out-puff’ — exhaust pipe. After all, the air does ‘puff out’ of the pipe, doesn’t it? Welcome to the literal world of German nouns!

Kummerspeck

Oh dear. Your significant other has just dumped you, and you can’t help but reach for that ice cream tub. Don’t be surprised if you’ll notice some ‘sorry bacon’ around your midriff soon after! Yup, Kummerspeck refers to the weight someone puts on when they comfort eat (and drink) after a breakup. Cheers to that!

Staubsauger

My personal favourite. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce: the ‘dust-sucker’! ‘Staub’ = ‘dust’ and ‘Sauger’ = ‘sucker’. Simple, right?

Durchfall

I’m not even sure how to approach this one without putting you off your breakfast. Let’s just say that when diarrhoea strikes, things tend to, ahem, ‘fall right through’ you, don’t they? The Germans therefore suffer from an acute bout of ‘through-fall’ after a dodgy chilli. Enough said.

Faultier

‘Lazy animal’ — can you guess which apathetic furry creature this apt term refers to? Sure enough, it’s the sloth! Once again, what you see is what you get.

Glühbirne

Have you ever noticed what a light bulb resembles? What’s that, a pear? Bingo! Hence the Germans call it a ‘glowing pear’. Isn’t German just adorable?

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Stinktier

Another example from the animal kingdom. Ten points if you can guess what ‘smelly animal’ could possibly refer to? Yes, it is indeed the German term for ‘skunk’!

Antibabypille

I know this one sounds crazy, but it is a genuine German term! In Germany, even the contraceptive pill does what it says on the tin: German doctors prescribe the Antibabypille.

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