DON'T MENTION IT, GERMANY
The English language's annual contribution to German.
Advisory: Bad word.
(Thanks to Brian Duval and Unholy Slacker)
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February 13, 2012
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It's only fair; they gave us " scheisskopf " .
Posted by: Clankie | February 13, 2012 at 01:15 PM
Hmmmmmm ... I'd've voted for "cluster****" ... and I s'pose "Chinese Firedrill" is either too unfriendly to an ethnic grouping, or already taken ...
Posted by: O the Umanity | February 13, 2012 at 01:34 PM
oh, yah. vee needed det. it was a good trade for leitmotif.
Posted by: queensbee | February 13, 2012 at 01:40 PM
Why all the Sturm und Drang over this?
Posted by: Meanie the Blue | February 13, 2012 at 01:46 PM
Yesh, wouldn't it be "scheißstürm"?...
Posted by: Allen at Division | February 13, 2012 at 01:59 PM
...or, "Yeesh..."
Posted by: Allen at Division | February 13, 2012 at 02:00 PM
Oy, vey!
Posted by: O the Umanity | February 13, 2012 at 02:05 PM
The French expressed their schadenfreude over the language borrowing.
Posted by: wiredog | February 13, 2012 at 02:31 PM
HAR!
Posted by: O the Umanity | February 13, 2012 at 03:03 PM
snork @wiredog.
oy vey, is of course yiddish, which sounds a lot like cherman. but is not german. uses german grammar. when written, uses hebrew lettering.
what you probly meant to say was: ach, du lieber! (means oh, to love, but that makes no sense)
just another example of zee zeitgeist. or whatever.
Posted by: queensbee | February 13, 2012 at 03:04 PM
Nah ... gnu that wuz Yiddish ... merely tryin' fer a reverse humor type of dealie ...
Tho I gotta say, q'bee ... y'all remind me of my uncle ... he'd grasp the humor of one of my puns, then proceed to parse it as several languages might apply to such usageness ...
His best-ever (and spur of the moment) pun related the connection between the entree @ dinner, my Ma's vegetarianism, a commonly held bit of bigotry, and whut might be considered a Spanish (or Latino?) pronunciation ... I still recall it with fondness nearly 60 years later ...
(This also means that I'm not upset with yer elucidation on my pale efforts ... )
Posted by: O the Umanity | February 13, 2012 at 03:24 PM
There are certain words that, when they first come into being, are instantly defined and absolutely appropriate.
Posted by: Steve | February 13, 2012 at 03:34 PM
After last year, when our European cousins gave them the words "bankrupt" and "freeloader" they needed something to lighten things up a little.
Now, if you really want to make them chuckle give them "lite beer"
Posted by: wingnut | February 13, 2012 at 03:39 PM
OK, OtheU, please share your fond memory - don't be a tease!
Posted by: DrPat | February 13, 2012 at 03:47 PM
OK ... longish, but I'll try ta be as brief as possible ... gotta set the scene tho ...
First, Uncle C. wuz a Presbyterian Theologian, incredibly intellectual ... but a wonderful man ...
Ma's sister wuz the youngest of the seven, and they'd all been raised and taught to respect tolerance of any person, no discrimination based on religion, color of skin ... and so on ...
We traveled to Chicago (frum Nodak, by train) to be with them @ Christmas, they lived @ McCormick place, fer them of y'all who know that area ...
Ma never ate meat ... simply didn't want to ... and everybuddy gnu it ...
The main event in one of the very nice dinners wuz, I think, pork ... stuffing (not mud'), done in a large roasting pan, with lots of enhancing sides in the same dish ... includin' taters and other such, that Ma WOULD eat ...
Old-style, we'd pass our plate to Uncle C., who would serve, and pass it back.
Ma's plate. Aunt J. said, "Be careful of the juice, C. ... Watch out for the juice ... Don't put any juice on her vegetables ... " (as best I can recall.)
Uncle C. ... never missing a beat ... with complete aplomb, replied.
"Let's not discriminate against the juice."
Posted by: O the Umanity | February 13, 2012 at 05:02 PM
*Schnork @ O der Menschlichkeit*
Posted by: Meanie the Blue | February 13, 2012 at 06:30 PM
Tnx, MtB ... he passed away a couple of years ago, and Aunt J. just prior to last Christmas ... I miss their warmth and wit ...
Posted by: O the Umanity | February 13, 2012 at 07:16 PM
Anyone who thinks (and types out loud) that Yiddish uses German grammar is inviting a shitstorm. As the Yiddish saying goes, "it didn't rise and it didn't fly," meaning "never happened, buddy-boy."
Posted by: Der Vortsman | February 13, 2012 at 09:05 PM
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd once used the expression "political shitstorm" in an interview. Also, the words "programmatic specificity" in another. Both are now part of the great Australian lexicon.
Posted by: MAC | February 13, 2012 at 11:33 PM
My boss once used the word "basically" over a dozen times in a half-hour meeting. My favorite phrase was when she said "Basically, what we're trying to do is basically attack this in a programmatic fashion." I wish we were playing "B.S. Bingo" at the time, as I would have instantly won the entire match for phrase.
Posted by: Pirateboy | February 14, 2012 at 12:32 AM
Oh.
I always thought it referred to political campaigns.
Posted by: Wolfsong | February 14, 2012 at 04:16 AM
That sorta reference to politics has been around fer quite sum time ... variations attributed to Harry S Truman, Alf Landon, Warren Gamaliel Harding, and others ... which sorta indicates that rhetorical mudslinging wuz more sophisticated in the 19th century, at least in their word choices ... not "cleaner" ... merely usin' werds of more syllables, usually ...
Posted by: O the Umanity | February 14, 2012 at 09:24 AM
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