Expression USED On Occasion BY Adults
(brushing dolls' hair) • Doing something useless or unnecessary, wasting time.
"Vi volete mettere al lavoro? Non vi pago mica per pettinare le bambole!"
"Will you please start working? I don't pay you to brush dolls' hair!"
German
| Plattdeutsch
Northern Germany,
Germany
Word USED On Very Rare Occasion BY Some People
(n.) • (field chatter) • It’s a funny and endearing way to say mobile phone. However most people would simply use the German word for mobile phone (handy) instead. “Field chatter” also suggests the farmerly my background, that most people who speak Plattdeutsch have.
"Hast du din Ackerschnacker dabi? Ick mutt mol ken anropen."
"Do you have your mobile phone with you? I need to call someone."
Word USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(n.) • (damage happiness ) • To be happy by other people’s misfortune.
"Hast du gehört? Herr Müller hat schon wieder verschlafen. *lacht* Jetzt muss er Extraarbeit machen." "Du bist wirklich schadenfroh!"
"Did you hear? Mister Müller overslept again. * laughs* Now he’s got to do extra work." "You’re well gleeful!"
Idiom USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(to throw one's nerves) • To feel overwhelmed or to have a mental breakdown.
"Nachdem mein Laptop zum dritten Mal abgestürzt ist, habe ich die Nerven geschmissen."
"After my laptop crashed for the third time, I threw my nerves."
Expression USED Very frequently BY Everyone
(Greet God!) • Saying "Grüß Gott!" is a polite way of greeting people in Southern Germany and Austria. Despite its obviously religious background, this greeting is being used by everyone, regardless of their religious orientation. Furthermore, it can be used at all times of the day.
"Grüß Gott! Ich würde gerne einen Termin für nächste Woche buchen."
"Greet God! I would like to book an appointment for next week."
Interjection USED Frequently BY Everyone
(interj.) • (my mother!) • You say "mamma mia!" whenever you are surprised, scared, annoyed or happy.
"Sapevi che Anna ha sette figli?" "Mamma mia! Sono così tanti!"
"Did you know that Anna has seven children?" "My mother! They are so many!"
Italian
| Neapolitan
Naples,
Italy
Word USED Frequently BY Everyone
(adj.) • You use "sereticcio" to say that a food has lost its crispness.
"Questo biscotto è sereticcio."
"This biscuit is stale."
Submitted August 2020 by ottavio
Expression USED On Occasion BY Children
(too bad peanut butter) • A sarcastic, childish and rhyming way of saying you feel sorry for someone if something not all that bad happened to them. Like "that's too bad".
"Ben je je potlood kwijt? Helaas pindakaas."
"You lost your pencil? Too bad peanut butter."
Word USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(n.) • (cat evil) • Mischief.
"De jongeren tegenwoordig zijn alleen maar bezig kattenkwaad."
"Youth these days are only busy with cat evil."
Italian
Molise, Campania,
Italy
Idiom USED On Occasion BY Older Generations
(Who do you belong to?) • A question asked to understand who your parents or grandparents are. It's usually asked to young people, especially if they moved away or if they have not spent time in the local community. Often the easiest way to answer is using your family's last name, so that older people can easily recall who your relatives are.
"A chi appartieni?" "Ai Tramontana." "Ah, ma sei il figlio di Antonio!"
"Who do you belong to?" "To the Tramontanas." "Oh so you're Antonio's son!"
Word USED Frequently BY Everyone
(n.) • (Damage-happiness ) • A feeling of happines that someone gets when others fail or things go wrong.
"Hast du gehört? Herr Müller hat schon wieder verschlafen." "Du bist ja richtig schadenfroh!"
"Did you head? Mr. Müller overslept again." "You’re really 'damage-happy'!"
German
| Saarländisch
Saarland,
Germany
Slang USED Very frequently BY Almost Everyone
(and? ) • Dialect for "und?" (and?) which asks how someone is doing or how someone's day has been etc. Often used as a beginning of a conversation
"Unn?" "Jo, und selbst?" "Jo."
"And?" "Good, and you?" "Good."
Submitted August 2020 by nico
German
German speaking countries
Word USED Very frequently BY Almost Everyone
(adj.) • (cool) • Used to express acceptance, or to indicate that you like something.
"Es ist toll das du da bist."
"It is cool that you are here."
German
German speaking countries
Word USED Very frequently BY Young People
(adj.) • Used both as an adjective or an interjection to express that you like something or approval.
"Dein neues Lied ist echt geil!"
"Your new song is really cool!"
Word USED On Occasion BY Most People
(n.) • An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as not worth the time.
"I'd love to redecorate but it's just a bit of a faff."
Word USED On Occasion BY Young People
(adj.) • It means “cool”.
"Das ist echt knorke!"
"That’s really cool!"
Word USED Frequently BY youngsters and former teens
(adj.) • (heavy) • Cool or awesome. Can be used alone to succinctly express approval.
"Je me suis acheté une nouvelle paire de pompes, elles sont confortables et stylées." "Lourd."
"I just bought a new pair of shoes, they're comfy and classy." "Cool."
German
Northern Germany,
Germany
Expression USED Very frequently BY Almost Everyone in Northern Germany
A greeting that can be used at every time of day in Northern Germany - basically the equivalent to "Hi". In Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, it is more common to use "Moin" and not "Moin moin", since the latter is sometimes considered to be too much talk.
"Moin Andreas, alles klar?"
"Moin Andreas, everything alright?"
Idiom USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(To be a nibbling cat.) • To have a sweet tooth.
"Meine Tochter ist eine echte Naschkatze. Sie isst gerne Kuchen, Kekse, Schoko - alles!"
"My daughter has a really sweet tooth. She likes eating cakes, biscuits, chocolate - everything!"
