German filter

September 5, 2006 4:19 PM

German filter: help me decipher these slang terms my uncle used

My uncle took great pleasure in his German language skills and used certain German expressions when teasing his wife. I'll write these phonetically as much as possible. He referred to her as a "titro vader" (vater=father?) and addressed her directly as "schmalie." He never told me what the terms meant, but man, would she get wound up :)

He'd also refer to people as "cy-roo-ic" and "sock-nix"

This has bugged me for 20 years -- since my uncle passed away suddenly. Any help is greatly appreciated!

posted by queue_strategy to Writing & Language (21 answers total)

You might try asking here. You need to register, but they were very helpful (and quickly, too) to me a couple month ago.
posted by zoinks at 4:42 PM on September 5, 2006

Here's "Mox nix"-Mox Nix
(US European Theatre) Bastardization of the German "es macht nichts", or it makes no difference.
posted by snsranch at 4:53 PM on September 5, 2006

Best answer: oh man, german is my native language. I lived in germany for more than twenty years.

and you know what? I have no idea what he's talking about.

with one exception: "sock nix" could really be "sag nichts" ... which would mean "say nothing" ... or "don't tell him"
posted by krautland at 4:59 PM on September 5, 2006

Could "cy-roo-ic" be "verrückt" (pronounced, roughly, "fer-ewkt")? Because "verrückt" means crazy, so it might be a reasonable thing to call someone as an insult.
posted by feathermeat at 4:59 PM on September 5, 2006

ah yes, mox nix, macht nichts... that would make sense, too
posted by krautland at 4:59 PM on September 5, 2006

"Schmal" can mean "thin," so maybe he was calling her skinny? Was she skinny?
posted by feathermeat at 5:01 PM on September 5, 2006

Best answer: "sei ruhig" is "be quiet."
posted by chococat at 5:13 PM on September 5, 2006

sounds like he was telling people to shut up most of the time.
posted by chococat at 5:14 PM on September 5, 2006

sei ruhig = be quiet/be calm
sag nichts = say nothing

titro vader ? dunno
schmalie ? most probably: little one/small one

your uncle, was he a kind man ?
(heh)
posted by Substrata at 5:36 PM on September 5, 2006

Response by poster: Substrata - kind most times, but a joker for sure :)
sei ruhig & sag nichts -- this is exactly something he'd say to us kids and sometimes the adults!
Thanks
posted by queue_strategy at 7:06 PM on September 5, 2006

Response by poster: Feathermeat - she was thin, so maybe that was it. I'll see of anyone else chimes in about "Schamlie"
posted by queue_strategy at 7:13 PM on September 5, 2006

Der Faden is German for a thread. Is there a German term for a skinny person that might sound like this "titro vaden?"

(And Waden are the lower part of your legs. Did she have great calves?)
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:38 PM on September 5, 2006

q_s, where was Onkel from originally? "titro vader" is driving me crazy, because your other examples are so clearly "sei ruhig" and "sag nichts."

So perhaps "tv" is a German regionalism or Yiddish. Do you remember it as "tee-," "tie-" or "tih-tro" and "vay-" or "fah-der"? (Your answer might help us figure out the actual spellilng.)
posted by rob511 at 8:20 PM on September 5, 2006

Response by poster: Rob511 - my uncle was part of the 2nd generation of German immigrants who were born in US and raised in the coal regions of Pennsylvania (Schuykill Haven).
I remember it as tih-tro (short i sound) and either vay-der or fay-der (long A).
thanks!
posted by queue_strategy at 8:58 PM on September 5, 2006

I think the second part of "titro vader" based on your clarification of the sound is feder (feather). But I don't know what "titro" or "tih-tro" is.
posted by Gnatcho at 11:00 PM on September 5, 2006

So perhaps "tv" is a German regionalism

well, I have most of those covered and if it's bavarian or ...uhh... what's the english term for schwaebisch ...well, I would at least be able to ask.

this is exciting. a bit like scrabble in a foreign language. "cy-roo-ic" ends up being "verrückt" ... it makes perfect sense but who would have thought?
posted by krautland at 12:28 AM on September 6, 2006

vay-der or fay-der

"vater" - that would mean "father"

I just remembered LEO has pronounciation files for translations. search for father, click on the little i icon next to the translation and there's the loudspeaker icon.

here's how the father would sound in german. does that feel right?
posted by krautland at 12:31 AM on September 6, 2006

Response by poster: Krautland - thanks, but with that link to compare I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'the father.'
posted by queue_strategy at 9:17 AM on September 6, 2006

Seriously, it might not be the right word, but Feder sounds exactly like fay-der. Also, I can only see "cy-roo-ic" being "sei ruhig", not "verrückt". Admittedly, I speak with an Austrian accent, so that might affect some of my answers.
posted by Gnatcho at 2:42 PM on September 6, 2006

For those still interested in aural scrabble, my German isn't great but I'll throw in a thought. The description of the sound Ti -tro may be a D as in Die, die Troveder, some slang term for something?? any takers

As for Schmalie, that's quite a common term of endearment if the wife was small, thin as described, a bit like Schatzie, might seem patronising to us nowadays but it was common.
posted by Wilder at 2:25 AM on September 7, 2006

My brilliant German wife reckons that "schmalie" is actually "schau mal her" which means "look here". Hope that helps a bit. She is still thinking about "tito vader".
posted by blindsight at 2:02 PM on September 7, 2006