Funny German Words

Literally "monkey heat", sweltering, unbearably hot weather.

Literally "fear hare", a scaredy-cat or coward.

Literally "anti-baby pill", used for the birth control pill.

Literally "ass antlers", a derogatory term for a lower back tattoo (tramp stamp).

Literally "slap face", a face that practically begs to be punched.

Literally "tree wool", used for cotton.

Literally "better knower", an arrogant know-it-all.

Literally "bed stuff", used for bedding.

Literally "lightning diverter", a lightning rod; also used for someone who absorbs others' anger.

Literally "glasses snake", a mildly derogatory term for someone wearing glasses; also a cobra.

Literally "breast swimming", the breaststroke in swimming.

Literally "breast wart", used for a nipple.

Literally "double goer", a biologically unrelated look-alike or apparition of a living person.

Literally "wire donkey", used affectionately for a bicycle.

Literally "dirt sparrow", a messy child covered in grime.

Literally "three cheeses high", used affectionately for a small child or short person.

Literally "tootle sack", used for bagpipes.

Literally "dumb head", a blockhead or stupid person.

Literally "through fall", the medical term for diarrhea.

Literally "egg-laying wool-milk-sow", an unrealistic all-in-one perfect solution or product.

Literally "ice bear", used for a polar bear.

Literally "pea counter", a pedantic person or nitpicker.

Literally "donkey bridge", a mnemonic trick used to remember something.

Literally "donkey patience", having an immense, stubborn amount of patience.

Literally "drive stuff", used for a vehicle.

Literally "lazy animal", used for a sloth.

Literally "celebration evening", the joyful end of the working day.

Literally "distance ache", a longing for distant places; the opposite of homesickness.

Literally "fire stuff", used for a lighter.

Literally "finger tip feeling", having great tact, empathy, or delicate situational awareness.

Literally "fluttering mouse", used for a bat.

Literally "meat wolf", used for a meat grinder.

Literally "flight stuff", used for an airplane.

Literally "cheeky badger", an impudent but endearing child.

Literally "stranger shame", secondhand embarrassment from watching someone make a fool of themselves.

Literally "goose skin", the German equivalent for goosebumps.

Literally "brain wash", used for brainwashing.

Literally "greed neck", a miser or cheapskate.

Literally "pour jug", used for a watering can.

Literally "luck mushroom", a very lucky person.

Literally "glow pear", used for a lightbulb.

Literally "green stuff", used for greens or foliage.

Literally "belt animal", used for an armadillo.

Literally "have nothing", a penniless person or pauper.

Literally "hand shoe", used for a glove.

Literally "home ache", the standard word for homesickness.

Literally "pants shitter", used for a coward or a small toddler.

Literally "hip gold", used for love handles or excess fat around the waist.

Literally "dog tired", utterly exhausted.

Literally "misery rag", used for a whiner or crybaby.

Literally "cat misery", a terrible hangover or state of depression.

Literally "toilet glasses", used for a toilet seat.

Literally "smart shitter", a know-it-all who constantly corrects others.

Literally "head cinema", playing out vivid, often hypothetical scenarios in one's mind.

Literally "sick house", used for a hospital.

Literally "sick wagon", used for an ambulance.

Literally "cuckoo's egg", an unwelcome surprise secretly passed onto someone else.

An untranslatable rhyming compound meaning absolute chaos or a mess.

Literally "grief bacon", excess weight gained from emotional overeating.

Literally "corpse feast", the traditional meal shared after a funeral.

Literally "air castle", an unrealistic dream or pipe dream.

Literally "lie baron", someone who constantly tells tall tales.

Literally "little sea pig", used for a guinea pig.

Literally "murder fun", used colloquially to mean an absolutely fantastic time.

Literally "morning grouch", someone who is terribly cranky in the mornings.

Literally "garbage swallower", used for a trash chute or someone who eats anything.

Literally "muscle tomcat", the soreness you feel in your muscles after a hard workout.

Literally "mother cake", used for the placenta.

Literally "night swarmer", used for a night owl or someone who enjoys the nightlife.

Literally "naked snail", used for a slug.

Literally "snacking cat", someone with a major sweet tooth.

Literally "nose horn", used for a rhinoceros.

Literally "nerve saw", someone or something that is incredibly annoying and gets on your nerves.

Literally "Nile horse", used for a hippopotamus.

Literally "never full", a glutton or someone whose appetite is never satisfied.

Literally "ear feast", a beautiful piece of music or pleasant sound.

Literally "ear worm", a catchy tune that gets stuck in your head.

Literally "slipper hero", a husband who acts tough but is actually henpecked at home.

Literally "bad luck bird", a chronically unlucky person.

Literally "square stag", an alpha male or someone who dominates a space.

Literally "rumbling ghost", a noisy, mischievous spirit.

Literally "tumble tree", doing a somersault.

Literally "raven mother", an insulting term for a bad or neglectful mother.

Literally "sow weather", awful, miserable weather.

Literally "damage joy", the pleasure derived from another's misfortune.

Literally "shadow parker", a wimp or coward who avoids hardship (by parking in the shade).

Literally "shield toad", used for a turtle or tortoise.

Literally "sleep cap", a sleepyhead or someone who is slow to react.

Literally "beat stuff", used for a drum set.

Literally "swallowing woodpecker", a heavy drinker or alcoholic.

Literally "dirt finch", a very messy person or child.

Literally "beak animal", used for a platypus.

Literally "scream neck", a loudmouthed person or a screaming baby.

Literally "pig cold", used to describe freezing, bitterly cold weather.

Literally "sea dog", used for a seal.

Literally "sitting peeer", a man who sits down to urinate, often used insultingly to mean a wimp.

Literally "fun brake", a killjoy or party pooper.

Literally "play stuff", used for a toy.

Literally "jump in the field", a lively, boisterous, and energetic young person.

Literally "sting pig", used for a porcupine.

Literally "dust sucker", used for a vacuum cleaner.

Literally "stink boot", used to describe a chronically grumpy person.

Literally "stink animal", used for a skunk.

Literally "room squatter", a couch potato who rarely leaves the house.

Literally "good for nothing", a useless or lazy person.

Literally "ink fish", used for a squid or octopus.

Literally "gate-closing panic", the fear that time is running out to achieve life goals.

Literally "staircase joke", a witty comeback you think of only after the moment has passed.

Literally "do no good", a ne'er-do-well, rogue, or scamp.

Literally "to worsen-improve", making something worse in an attempt to fix or improve it.

Literally "full post", used as an insult meaning a complete idiot.

Literally "hike desire", a strong impulse to travel and explore the world.

Literally "warm showerer", a wimp who avoids cold showers.

Literally "waiting snake", used for a queue or line of people.

Literally "wash bear", used for a raccoon.

Literally "water rooster", used for a faucet or tap.

Literally "soft egg", a weakling or wimp.

Literally "world pain", a feeling of melancholy about the state of the world.

Literally "work stuff", used for a tool.

Literally "tooth meat", used for gums.

Literally "tooth wheel", a gear or cogwheel.

Literally "show finger", used for the index finger.

Literally "time spirit", the defining mood or spirit of a particular period in history.

Literally "lemon folder", a brimstone butterfly (often the subject of jokes implying they literally fold lemons).

Literally "tongue breaker", used for a tongue twister.