Are German nipples the worst?

[Crackerofdoom]

I just learned the word for nipples in German is Brustwarzen

The literal translation is "breast warts"

Is this the worst direct translation or are there more out there?

@RedSquirrel @RedSquirrelMoonlight
"Schadenfreude" doesn't mean anything so poetic as "damaged happiness", it's a straightforward compound noun, "damage happiness", and the English usage is correct.

There are loads of English words that have been appropriated into modern German usage through globalisation and are misused freely. The worst are verbs which are butchered with German grammatical prefixes and endings. Football commentary and media speak is the worst . "gefightet" "gedownloadet" "gepostet" (shudder)

Animal doctor just reminded me
The danish is also animal - dyr and doctor- læge

However, dyr also means expensive

This is my favourite thread this week

@Iwannabeadored20 It is called Measuring the World in English.

I didn’t know there was a film of it. Just read some of the reviews. Not flattering!

Then there is googlieren.....

Manager Hosen =trousers or slacks to be worn in the workplace .Always found that hilarious!

dyr - pronounced a bit like dear? Which means expensive in English too. Did we get it from Old Norse, or did they borrow it from us?

I've noticed quite a few languages have appropriated the word Sorry.

@DGRossetti

Don't worry, it was my fault for suggesting that you would be distressed because when you mentioned Beaches, someone asked if it was a TV show!

Nothing like a storm in a teacup.

Now I am wondering if "storm in a teacup" sounds bonkers to someone learning English

😂😂😂

I don't know what Beaches is either. Except something you go and enjoy when it's sunny.

It shows how English is such a mishmash when you see the logic in other languages which we just don't have:
German to English
Arzt - Doctor
Zahnartz (tooth doctor) - Dentist
Kinderarzt (child doctor) - paediatrician
Tierarzt (animal doctor) - Vet

I think that because we don't study Greek or Latin anymore, a lot of the patterns in English are lost on most of us.

If a word gets used within another language and becomes an integral part of that language's vocabulary it of course has to conform to the structures of that language. So seen from the inside, there is no butchery involved.

I can't find the link right now but there's a great page that compares idioms across Europe, e.g. kill two birds with one stone

In some places it's kill two rabbits with one shot or a variation of, in others it's kill two flies with one slap or similar

@IllegalFred

No pressure, but you need to find that thread.

Right now.

Pleeeaaaaasssseee!

If a word gets used within another language and becomes an integral part of that language's vocabulary it of course has to conform to the structures of that language.

That's why we have paninis and blinis in English, much to the exasperation of Italians and Russians.

Havanananana

'Para' comes from the Latin 'to shield against' (e.g. the English word 'parry' to deflect a sword or blow) so it means 'shield against water.' The same in French - 'Parapluie'' = 'against rain' i.e. umbrella and 'Parasol' = 'against sun'

German does the same with schirm (shield) regenschirm and sonnenschirm.

Does anyone know why umbrella doesn't follow this pattern when we use parasol in English?

As a side note, I went into a sports store here and asked for a Zahnfleischschirm (tooth meat shield) and was disappointed that in German a gumshield is actually something else. I really thought I had it cracked

I think that because we don't study Greek or Latin anymore, a lot of the patterns in English are lost on most of us.

I probably "use" the Latin I learned at school more than would be expected. It's a great window into most European languages.

Best thread ever award.

Threadworms in danish are børneorm

børne = children
orm = worm

Here's the link

jakubmarian.com/kill-two-birds-with-one-stone-in-european-languages/

Brits just can't resist a bit of German bashing, can they

Oh give over. There are plenty of unoffended Germans on this thread. Including me (half German). It's a fascinating language. A bit of lighthearted discussion is what we all need at the moment.

storm in a teacup = Sturm im Wasserglas (storm in a glass for (not of) water)

Umbrella: 'early 17th century: from Italian ombrella, diminutive of ombra ‘shade’, from Latin umbra (see umbra).'

Brits just can't resist a bit of German bashing, can they.

Given the total and utter lack of anyone else feeling even the slightest bit bashed (save me ) on this thread, there must be a point to be made about lacking a sense of humour ?

@TooGood2BeTrue

If you RTFT, you will see we have quite a few native speakers of other languages here. I am sure they will speak up if someone offends them.

I have lived out of the UK for half my life and have had many such similar discussions about English with people from the countries where I have been an immigrant.

Language is a living, evolving thing which can be beautiful and funny. Enjoying the humour of how our languages intersect and translate with each other is celebration, not derision.