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27.04.2007, 10:10
| | Word of the day
I learnt a new word today that I think is worthy of sharing: Spiesser
It wasn't applied to me incidentally, but I think I that may have cause to use it...
Dave
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27.04.2007, 12:04
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| | Re: Word of the day
I think the Swiss-German is Bünzli...
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27.04.2007, 12:13
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| | Re: Word of the day | Quote: | |  | | | I think the Swiss-German is Bünzli... | | | | | yep, this came up at lunch the other day & is aparently quite insulting ... needless to say, was immediately locked away in my portable data bank for future use ... | 
27.04.2007, 12:14
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| | Re: Word of the day Spiessbürger works as well.
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27.04.2007, 12:19
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| | Re: Word of the day
Or "Füdlibürger" for that matter.. I especially like this one because of its lovely connotations | 
27.04.2007, 12:50
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| | Re: Word of the day
Spiesser is less insulting than Spiessbürger and Bünzli, and Füdlibürger is more - You want to get the order right for a cultivated, escalating exchange of compliments | 
27.04.2007, 12:52
| | Re: Word of the day
Black Adder refers.
dave | Quote: | |  | | | Spiesser is less insulting than Spiessbürger and Bünzli, and Füdlibürger is more - You want to get the order right for a cultivated, escalating exchange of compliments  | | | | | | 
27.04.2007, 12:53
| | Re: Word of the day
What is the opposite ? It would be "bohemian" in English.
dave | Quote: | |  | | | | | | | | | 
27.04.2007, 14:32
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| | Re: Word of the day | Quote: | |  | | | What is the opposite ? It would be "bohemian" in English.
dave | | | | | I have a few ideas, but I am not a native speaker.
The first thing that came into mind was "der Hippie" and the Swiss missus (she's already posted in here earlier) came up with that word as well. I guess you could use "der Beatnik" or "der Antikonformist." Anybody else?
I think that Bohemian has a slightly different context in German because of Bohemia (Böhmen). Ok, it looks like both Bohemien and Boheme work.
Last edited by spmull06; 27.04.2007 at 14:38.
Reason: Looked up more...
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27.04.2007, 14:38
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| | Re: Word of the day
My best guess is "Bohemien" as it is spelled in French but it's rarely used. Other possibilities that are somewhat more common:
Nonkonfirmist
Freigeist, Freidenker (free thinker)
Not exact matches for bohemian but also implying open-mindedness:
Weltbürger (cosmopolitan)
Avantgardist
You know that Spiess means spear in German, right? So a Spiessbürger is a citizen with a spear in his hand.
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27.04.2007, 14:42
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| | Re: Word of the day
Oops. Bohemien as it is pronounced in French. I'm sorry, I'm used to forums with edit option! 
Why are half of our expressions for open-mindedness of French origin, anyway? | 
27.04.2007, 15:37
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| | Re: Word of the day | Quote: | |  | | | What is the opposite ? It would be "bohemian" in English.
dave | | | | | Lebenskünstler?
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