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LEARNING GERMAN

German word of the day: Das Weichei

A 'weak egg' belongs among the most interesting of German insults.

German word of the day: Das Weichei
Photo: Depositphotos

What does it mean?

Weichei is a piece of German slang or Umgangssprache which simply means “wimp” or “weakling”, or literally a soft egg.

There are many synonyms of Weichei in the German language, including “Memme”, (meaning craven) “Angsthase” (literally meaning “afraid rabbit”, although often used like “scardy cat”), and “Feigling” (meaning coward).

SEE ALSO: Nerdy flowers to alcoholic birds: The most colourful German insults

What is its origin?

Weichei is another kompositum (a combination of two words to form one word); it consists of the nouns “Weich” (which means soft) and “Ei” (meaning egg).

One could easily say this relates to the meaning, as the mental image of a soft egg is basically never related to strength and heroism. The term is said to have originated during the 80s, a time during which men in Germany became more conscious of their self-image.

The concept of a “soft” man was born as a result: a man who was very pliable, gentle and had a more alternative social viewpoint.

The term “Weichei” could be easily used to describe this concept of a man, similar to a “Warmduscher” (meaning a guy who takes warm showers, something which was considered unmasculine).

SEE ALSO: German word of the day: Der Warmduscher

A particularly soft guy could even be called an “Oberweichei” (literally meaning head wimp, but usually meant more as “a huge wimp”).

How is it used?

Since then, its background has become irrelevant to how Germans use the word, and it is used in a broader variety of situations, as well as against both women and men alike. It isn’t known to be a particularly common word, yet it is somewhat popular with younger children.

You might hear it being yelled through a Kiezspielplatz (community-area playground) by some kindergarten-aged boys who want to prove that they are the manliest three-to-five-year-olds around.

Uses of Weichei:

Ich gehöre zu den Weicheiern, die sich vor Gewalt fürchten.

I belong to the wimps that are afraid of violence.

Wer es nicht wagt, von der Klippe zu springen, ist ein Weichei!

Whoever does not dare jump from the cliff, is a wimp!

Maximilian fürchtet sich vor dem Ball, darum ist er ein Oberweichei.

Maximilian is frightened of the ball, that’s why he is a huge wimp.

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Dudelsack

This hilarious sounding German word describes something quintessentially Scottish.

German word of the day: Dudelsack

Why do I need to know Dudelsack?

In the run-up to the German v Scotland opening match of Euro 2024, there were a lot of these gracing the streets of Munich. More importantly, why wouldn’t you want to know a word like Dudelsack?

Just say the word aloud and it will brighten your day. 

What does it mean?

Dudelsack (pronounced like this) is one of those German words that’s both charmingly literal and somewhat onomatopoeic, describing a big bag or sack that makes a ‘doodling’ kind of noise: in other words, the bagpipes.

As well as sounding like the noise this traditional Scottish instrument makes, dudeln also translates as ‘to drone’, and anyone who’s heard the bagpipes will know that this is also a fairly accurate description of how they sound. 

READ ALSO: 10 German words with hilarious literal translations

As Scotland geared up to play Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024 in Munich, many sacks were doodled in the Bavarian capital. 

Seeing parades of kilts and hearing the distinctive wail of the Dudelsack against the backdrop of Munich’s gothic town hall isn’t something you experience every day, and we’re sure it’s an experience the people of Munich also won’t forget for a while. 

Use it like this: 

Hör mal auf, Dudelsack zu spielen! Es geht mir auf die Nerven.

Stop playing the bagpipes! It’s getting on my nerves.  

Weißt du, wie der Dudelsack klingt? Man hört ihn überall in Schottland.

Do you know what the bagpipes sound like? You can hear them everywhere in Scotland. 

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