|
| angst n. fear, anxiety, inner torment
|
|
| autobahn n. motorway
|
|
| bildungsroman n. novel describing personal development and formation
|
|
| blatt n. (pl. blätter) newspaper
|
|
| blitz n. swift action ~krieg n. war waged by surprise
|
|
| bratwurst n. (pl. G: ~würste E: ~wursts) barbecued sausage
|
|
| braunerde n. geological term (non-calcic brown soils)
|
|
| dachshund n. (pl. ~hunde) short-legged breed of dog
|
|
| delicatessen n. (abbr. deli) (G: Delikatessen) specialty food shop
|
|
| doppelgänger n. a person of almost identical appearance but not related
|
|
| dummkopf n. (pl. ~köpfe) moron, simpleton
|
|
| edelweiss n. alpine flower
|
|
| eigen(~value, ~function, ~vector) n. mathematical terms
|
|
| ersatz n. substitute
|
|
| fach n. a singing vocal type, e.g.: lyric, coloratura
|
|
| fest n. (usually in compounds) abundance
|
|
| festschrift n. (pl. festschriften) collection of learned papers, usu. honouring a colleague
|
|
| gastarbeiter n. (pl. gastarbeiter) (lit) guest worker
|
|
| gedankenexperiment n. thought experiment
|
|
| gemütlich adj. cosy ~keit n. cosiness
|
|
| gestalt n. (pl. ~en) the whole (appearance) of something
|
|
| gesundheit n. health, here: interjection if someone sneezes
|
|
| gneiss n. G: Gneis geological term
|
|
| graben n. geological depression, ditch (F. Herbert, Dune)
|
|
| glockenspiel n. musical instrument
|
|
| hausfrau n. house-wife (usually slightly derogatory or patronising)
|
|
| hinterland n. district behind coast or river banks
|
|
| kaffeeklatsch n. get-together, cf. kitchen cabinet, chardonnay society
|
|
| kaputt adj. not functioning
|
|
| kindergarten n. day-care centre, playschool, preschool
|
|
| kitsch n. without artistic taste, corny
|
|
| kummerbund n. waist-band worn under tuxedo
|
|
| lederhosen n. shorts made from leather
|
|
| leitmotiv n. (also–but not in G.) leitmotif musical theme, esp. with Wagner
|
|
| lied n. (pl. ~er) song, esp. by Schubert
|
|
| meister n. (usually in compounds) expert
|
|
| milch n. milk, only in milch cow
|
|
| nix adv. nothing, for free
|
|
| panzer n. tank
|
|
| poltergeist n. makes things go bump in the night
|
|
| putsch n. insurrection
|
|
| realpolitik n. politics of the possible
|
|
| Reich (3rd) n. period of the Nazi regime (1933-45)
|
|
| riesling n. dry white wine
|
|
| rucksack n. (pl. G: ~säcke E: ~sacks) bag with harness carried on one's back
|
|
| sauerkraut n. fermented cut cabbage
|
|
| schadenfreude n. delight about someone else's misfortune
|
|
| schlepp (G: schleppen) v. to drag around
|
|
| schlieren n. streaks, esp. to describe geological formations
|
|
| schmalz n. sickly sentimentality
|
|
| schnaps n. (E: schnapps) type of gin, strong liqueur, spirits
|
|
| schnitzel n. meat cut
|
|
| schuss n. downhill ski run
|
|
| sitzprobe n. rehearsal of a musical stage work where singers are sitting and without costumes
|
|
| spiel n. smooth talk for the purpose of selling, cheating, seducing
|
|
| sprechgesang, sprechstimme n. intoned speech with melodic contours
|
|
| strafe v.(!) 1. cover with gun fire, 2. slide sideways in computergames
|
|
| strudel n. dessert, cake
|
|
| stumm adj. mute
|
|
| sturm und drang late 18th century novel style
|
|
| torschlusspanik n. sense of panic in middle-age brought on by the feeling that life is passing you by (Weird and Wonderful Words, Eric McKean, OUP)
|
|
| über- adj. (mostly spelt uber) over as in Overlord (cf. meister)
|
|
| umlaut n. diacritical vowel
|
|
| urtext n. original, authorised text
|
|
| verboten adj. prohibited
|
|
| wanderlust n. fond of walking/hiking
|
|
| weltanschauung n. world view, philosophical stance
|
|
| weltschmerz n. depression
|
|
| windjammer n. large sailing ship
|
|
| wunderkind n. exceptionally gifted child
|
|
| zeitgeist n. societal attitude, spirit of the times
|
|
| zugzwang n. in chess: a player is forced to move, but any move will be disadvantageous
|