Very clever piece by Ben Schott in Sunday’s New York Times about “the German language’s ability to express the inexpressible” by jamming words together like aluminum-foil balls.
Close up:
But Schott missed one.
Namely, Schlimmbesserung.
New Scientist says ‘Schlimmbesserung’ is a German word for an
improvement that makes things worse.
That would be an example of the hardworking staff’s Fingerspitzentanz (Tiny triumphs of nimble-fingered dexterity).
Your Fingernageltafelquietschen (The visceral hatred of certain noises) goes here.
German is just so wonderfully flexible–unpronounceable at times, but very flexible.
And fungible – yes, Mudgible?
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Deppeaufcomputern.
Gesundheit.
If you haven’t ever read Mark Twain’s description of his attempt to master the German language, just Google “mark twain” and “the awful german language”.