Poetic compounds
August 2, 2010 8:05 PM Subscribe
What are some clever, figurative, poetic English or German compounds?
I'm looking for compound nouns in English (or German) that are funny and inventive in a metaphorical or metonymic way. I know they exist-- every once in a while I'll think, "huh, that's a kickass word that only a Germanic language could have"-- but I can't think of any right now.
If you've studied Old English, you may be familiar with "kennings," or similar poetic compounds. A well-known example of a kenning is hronrad or "whale-road" for "ocean." What I'm looking for are some modern English (or German) kennings.
I'm looking for compound nouns in English (or German) that are funny and inventive in a metaphorical or metonymic way. I know they exist-- every once in a while I'll think, "huh, that's a kickass word that only a Germanic language could have"-- but I can't think of any right now.
If you've studied Old English, you may be familiar with "kennings," or similar poetic compounds. A well-known example of a kenning is hronrad or "whale-road" for "ocean." What I'm looking for are some modern English (or German) kennings.
Oooh ooh! And you've also got the German for "hovercraft"- "Luftkissenboot", which translates to "air kissing boat". That's a good one, too.
That's an incorrect translation. A Kissen is a cushion. A Luftkissenfahrzeug or Luftkissenboot just means an air-cushion vehicle or air-cushion boat. An "air kissing boat" would be a Luftküssendboot or some such.
posted by jedicus at 9:18 PM on August 2, 2010
That's an incorrect translation. A Kissen is a cushion. A Luftkissenfahrzeug or Luftkissenboot just means an air-cushion vehicle or air-cushion boat. An "air kissing boat" would be a Luftküssendboot or some such.
posted by jedicus at 9:18 PM on August 2, 2010
Jedicus: whoops! You're right about that- you mean I've spent the last 15 years believing something completely erroneous my German teacher (of all people!) told me? Thanks for correcting me- I can stop spreading that lie, now. Still, "air cushion boat" is still a good one.
posted by Philby at 9:46 PM on August 2, 2010
posted by Philby at 9:46 PM on August 2, 2010
Oh and "Fleder" isn't "flying", at least not in today's language, sorry. It might still be derived from "to fly/flying" ("fliegen/fliegend"), etymologically.
posted by oxit at 10:32 PM on August 2, 2010
posted by oxit at 10:32 PM on August 2, 2010
I have always enjoyed "Brustwarze"--German for nipple, which translates to English as "Breast Wart."
posted by rumposinc at 10:32 PM on August 2, 2010
posted by rumposinc at 10:32 PM on August 2, 2010
The German for "push-up bra" is tiefausgeschnitten Bustenhalter, or profoundly-upward-thrusting breasts-holder.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:44 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:44 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Another mistranslation, I'm afraid. "Tiefausgeschnitten" means "deeply cut out", as in "plunging neckline". I think any plunging bra in German would be a tiefausgeschnittener Büstenhalter, whether push-up or not. Off the top of my head, I can't come up with a translation for the "push-up" part.
Oh, and Büstenhalter needs the ü, BTW.
posted by aqsakal at 11:01 PM on August 2, 2010
Oh, and Büstenhalter needs the ü, BTW.
posted by aqsakal at 11:01 PM on August 2, 2010
Hedgehog (or "hedge-pig" as my gran would say). Foxglove (because the flowers look like ...well... you know). Gutbuster, Gobstopper, shipshape, guttersnipe, widowmaker, thunderflash, whizzbang, quicksilver...
posted by nicktf at 11:07 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by nicktf at 11:07 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
My favorite from musical instrument lingo is "Stimmstockstegstift" which translates into nut pin, but literally would be tuning stick jetty pin or some other nonsense. (on a grand piano, harpsichord or similar instrument, it would be the pins on the bridge nearest to the player).
The beauty (well) with German is that you can create your own compounds and make them as long as you wish. You can press the the wife of the director of the nut pin factory's outpost into one word
Stimmstockstegzweigfabrikdirektorsfrau. And that's a simple one. My cousin and I used to spend hours on this game.
posted by Namlit at 11:28 PM on August 2, 2010
The beauty (well) with German is that you can create your own compounds and make them as long as you wish. You can press the the wife of the director of the nut pin factory's outpost into one word
Stimmstockstegzweigfabrikdirektorsfrau. And that's a simple one. My cousin and I used to spend hours on this game.
posted by Namlit at 11:28 PM on August 2, 2010
I love that 'gloves', 'handschuhe' translates to hand shoes.
posted by karminai at 11:39 PM on August 2, 2010
posted by karminai at 11:39 PM on August 2, 2010
The German word for rhinoceros is nashorn: nose horn. (I like this one so much that I made it my username, although in Dutch.)
posted by neushoorn at 12:14 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by neushoorn at 12:14 AM on August 3, 2010
Perfect for contemporary vernacular poetry, as well as being hilariously funny and inventive: Arschgeweih. Literally, ass antlers.
posted by Chichibio at 12:31 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by Chichibio at 12:31 AM on August 3, 2010
If I could bring the tone down a bit.
My favourite such word is the German term for diarrhea: durchfall which translates literally as 'fall-through'.
Though I do note that diarrhea means something similar in the original Greek.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 12:51 AM on August 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
My favourite such word is the German term for diarrhea: durchfall which translates literally as 'fall-through'.
Though I do note that diarrhea means something similar in the original Greek.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 12:51 AM on August 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the replies! German "Handschuhe" probably comes closest to what I'm gunning for-- it's a funny, slightly offbeat metaphor buried in a single compound word. Keep the suggestions coming.
posted by ms.codex at 12:59 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by ms.codex at 12:59 AM on August 3, 2010
Best answer: The Berliner dialect word for beer is "Molle." A beer belly, then, is a "Mollefriedhof"--a beer graveyard.
posted by nasreddin at 1:04 AM on August 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by nasreddin at 1:04 AM on August 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm fond of a few hospital-related German words. Nurse is 'Krankenschwester' - literally 'sick sister,' which I get a kick out of, although probably more realistically and poetically translated as 'sister (Schwester) to the sick (die Kranken).' Similarly, an ambulance is a 'Krankenwagen' (sick wagon/car for the sick), and a hospital is a 'Krankenhaus' (sick house/house for the sick).
On another note, the name for raccoon in German is Waschbär, which means 'washing bear.'
posted by mandanza at 1:15 AM on August 3, 2010
On another note, the name for raccoon in German is Waschbär, which means 'washing bear.'
posted by mandanza at 1:15 AM on August 3, 2010
The German word for rhinoceros is nashorn: nose horn.
The English word, rhinoceros, also means "nose horn".
The word for eyeball is "Augapfel" (eye apple) and the word for lightbulb is "Glühbirne" (glow pear).
posted by kosmonaut at 4:43 AM on August 3, 2010
The English word, rhinoceros, also means "nose horn".
The word for eyeball is "Augapfel" (eye apple) and the word for lightbulb is "Glühbirne" (glow pear).
posted by kosmonaut at 4:43 AM on August 3, 2010
The English word, rhinoceros, also means "nose horn".
One memory I have from English class is an American woman laughing about the silly words in the Swedish language - like flodhäst - literally river horse for hippopotamus. I'm guessing she didn't know she had also been calling them river horses all her life, but in Greek.
the name for raccoon in German is Waschbär, which means 'washing bear.'
It's the same in Swedish. In French, however, they are "washing rats."
posted by martinrebas at 5:19 AM on August 3, 2010
One memory I have from English class is an American woman laughing about the silly words in the Swedish language - like flodhäst - literally river horse for hippopotamus. I'm guessing she didn't know she had also been calling them river horses all her life, but in Greek.
the name for raccoon in German is Waschbär, which means 'washing bear.'
It's the same in Swedish. In French, however, they are "washing rats."
posted by martinrebas at 5:19 AM on August 3, 2010
I was always a big fan of the German word for vacuum cleaner, staubsauger.
It literally means 'dust-sucker.'
It's so literal.
posted by chicago2penn at 6:18 AM on August 3, 2010
It literally means 'dust-sucker.'
It's so literal.
posted by chicago2penn at 6:18 AM on August 3, 2010
Best answer: Another German one is the word for rollercoaster: Achterbahn. It literally means "(figure-)8 train", the 8 being a metaphorical description of the twists and turns of the rollercoaster.
posted by kosmonaut at 7:10 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by kosmonaut at 7:10 AM on August 3, 2010
Best answer: along the lines of die Handschuhe, I've always been amused by the word die Glühbirne (lightbulb) which can be translated as "glowing pear."
posted by wundermint at 7:12 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by wundermint at 7:12 AM on August 3, 2010
oops, just saw kosmonaut beat me to Glühbirne :)
posted by wundermint at 7:14 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by wundermint at 7:14 AM on August 3, 2010
The Berliner dialect word for beer is "Molle." A beer belly, then, is a "Mollefriedhof"--a beer graveyard.
Actually, the word "Friedhof" itself is a pretty good example. "Friede" means peace, so you are calling a cemetery a "peace yard" or a "peace lot".
Oh, and I recalled a really awesome one: the word for a meat grinder in German -- Fleischwolf or "flesh wolf". Disturbingly playful!
posted by kosmonaut at 7:15 AM on August 3, 2010
Actually, the word "Friedhof" itself is a pretty good example. "Friede" means peace, so you are calling a cemetery a "peace yard" or a "peace lot".
Oh, and I recalled a really awesome one: the word for a meat grinder in German -- Fleischwolf or "flesh wolf". Disturbingly playful!
posted by kosmonaut at 7:15 AM on August 3, 2010
German "Handschuhe" probably comes closest to what I'm gunning for-- it's a funny, slightly offbeat metaphor buried in a single compound word.
In that vein, then, mittens are Fausthandschuhe, or 'fist hand gloves.'
A moment or instant is an Augenblick, which is literally an "eye look."
Wortschatz (vocabulary), means "word treasure."
posted by jedicus at 7:33 AM on August 3, 2010
In that vein, then, mittens are Fausthandschuhe, or 'fist hand gloves.'
A moment or instant is an Augenblick, which is literally an "eye look."
Wortschatz (vocabulary), means "word treasure."
posted by jedicus at 7:33 AM on August 3, 2010
Best answer: To praise a chessplayer for their ability to patiently think through all the ramifications of a complicated position, you would say they have sitzfleisch - "sitting-down flesh".
posted by Joe Beese at 8:02 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by Joe Beese at 8:02 AM on August 3, 2010
I've always liked baumwolle – "tree wool" – for cotton.
posted by angiep at 10:33 AM on August 3, 2010
posted by angiep at 10:33 AM on August 3, 2010
One memory I have from English class is an American woman laughing about the silly words in the Swedish language - like flodhäst - literally river horse for hippopotamus.
Oh! Similar in German, except that they specify the river - their word for hippopotamus is Nilpferd, "Nile horse."
posted by mandanza at 1:01 PM on August 3, 2010
Oh! Similar in German, except that they specify the river - their word for hippopotamus is Nilpferd, "Nile horse."
posted by mandanza at 1:01 PM on August 3, 2010
Hope I'm not too late to the party.
I love Germanic languages for their fun compounds! A lot of my favorites have been said already, but here are a few you might like:
Wunderkerze = "Wunder" (wonder) + "Kerze" (candle) = a sparkler
Tiergarten = "Tier" (animal) + "Garten" (garden) = a zoo
Erdapfel = "Erd" (earth) + "Apfel" (apple) = a potato
Hellseher = "Hell" (light, clear) + "Seher" (viewer, seer) = a clairvoyant, very similar to the English word
Sauwetter = "Sau" (sow, pig) + "Wetter" (weather) = bad weather
Schnauzbart = "Schnauz" (snout) + "Bart" (beard) = a mustache
Arguably cooler than Schnauzbart is Schnurrbart, another word for mustache which would seem to mean "purr-beard."
Example: Stacey wanted to go to the animal garden and play with a wonder candle, but the light-seer with a snout-beard told her pig weather was on the way, so she stayed home and ate earth apples for dinner.
"Sparschwein," comes from "sparsam" (thrifty, economical) and "Schwein" (pig). Together, they make a thrifty pig, or a piggy bank. There's also "Draufgänger," a daredevil fearnaught(!) who goes ("gänger") waaay out there after it ("drauf").
I tend to find German compounds to be very steadfast. For example, the word "Zeug" means "thing." So a lot of basic words tend to be formed with "Zeug." We do this some in English. "Spielzeug" means "toy," or "plaything." But what about "Schlagzeug," a hit-thing? It's a drum, natürlich. Just as "Flugzeug" is a fly-thing, an airplane. Sehr praktisch.
"Hof" is another good basic word for compounds. See "Friedhof," the epitome of a "peaceful place"!
If you want to discover some compounds on your own, you can search on an online German dictionary for common words surrounded by an asterisk. For example, "*zeug" would bring up the "thing" words.
As for English, I tend to overlook the fun ones simply because I'm so comfortable with the language. Sea creatures have fun names. "Starfish," "sea lion," "seahorse" are descriptive yet playful. If you get a chance to see a real "eggplant," you'll understand where the name comes from.
One last German word! What's an Irrgarten, a crazy ("irr") garden ("Garten")? A labyrinth, of course. A garden doesn't get any crazier than that.
posted by ElectricBlue at 3:55 PM on August 3, 2010 [3 favorites]
I love Germanic languages for their fun compounds! A lot of my favorites have been said already, but here are a few you might like:
Wunderkerze = "Wunder" (wonder) + "Kerze" (candle) = a sparkler
Tiergarten = "Tier" (animal) + "Garten" (garden) = a zoo
Erdapfel = "Erd" (earth) + "Apfel" (apple) = a potato
Hellseher = "Hell" (light, clear) + "Seher" (viewer, seer) = a clairvoyant, very similar to the English word
Sauwetter = "Sau" (sow, pig) + "Wetter" (weather) = bad weather
Schnauzbart = "Schnauz" (snout) + "Bart" (beard) = a mustache
Arguably cooler than Schnauzbart is Schnurrbart, another word for mustache which would seem to mean "purr-beard."
Example: Stacey wanted to go to the animal garden and play with a wonder candle, but the light-seer with a snout-beard told her pig weather was on the way, so she stayed home and ate earth apples for dinner.
"Sparschwein," comes from "sparsam" (thrifty, economical) and "Schwein" (pig). Together, they make a thrifty pig, or a piggy bank. There's also "Draufgänger," a daredevil fearnaught(!) who goes ("gänger") waaay out there after it ("drauf").
I tend to find German compounds to be very steadfast. For example, the word "Zeug" means "thing." So a lot of basic words tend to be formed with "Zeug." We do this some in English. "Spielzeug" means "toy," or "plaything." But what about "Schlagzeug," a hit-thing? It's a drum, natürlich. Just as "Flugzeug" is a fly-thing, an airplane. Sehr praktisch.
"Hof" is another good basic word for compounds. See "Friedhof," the epitome of a "peaceful place"!
If you want to discover some compounds on your own, you can search on an online German dictionary for common words surrounded by an asterisk. For example, "*zeug" would bring up the "thing" words.
As for English, I tend to overlook the fun ones simply because I'm so comfortable with the language. Sea creatures have fun names. "Starfish," "sea lion," "seahorse" are descriptive yet playful. If you get a chance to see a real "eggplant," you'll understand where the name comes from.
One last German word! What's an Irrgarten, a crazy ("irr") garden ("Garten")? A labyrinth, of course. A garden doesn't get any crazier than that.
posted by ElectricBlue at 3:55 PM on August 3, 2010 [3 favorites]
Erdapfel = "Erd" (earth) + "Apfel" (apple) = a potato
To be more precise, Erdapfel is more a Bavarian, Austrian, and Swiss German word. Much of Germany calls them Kartoffeln, which is not particularly colorful. They are also called Grundbirne, or "ground pears," in some parts of the world.
Of course, calling potatoes 'earth apples' is not unique to German. That's also the literal translation of the French pomme de terre.
posted by jedicus at 5:24 PM on August 3, 2010
To be more precise, Erdapfel is more a Bavarian, Austrian, and Swiss German word. Much of Germany calls them Kartoffeln, which is not particularly colorful. They are also called Grundbirne, or "ground pears," in some parts of the world.
Of course, calling potatoes 'earth apples' is not unique to German. That's also the literal translation of the French pomme de terre.
posted by jedicus at 5:24 PM on August 3, 2010
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Oooh ooh! And you've also got the German for "hovercraft"- "Luftkissenboot", which translates to "air kissing boat". That's a good one, too.
posted by Philby at 8:27 PM on August 2, 2010 [1 favorite]