Word Plays

Word Plays

While I was teaching somebody today we were talking about the German and English words for jobs  and it made me realise again how literal lots of German words are.
Have a look at some of them:

  • dentist – Zahnarzt (tooth doctor)
  • gynaecologist – Frauenarzt (women’s doctor)
  • paediatrician – Kinderarzt (children’s doctor)
  • vet – Tierarzt (animal doctor)
  • ophthalmologist – Augenarzt (eye doctor)
  • watching TV – fernsehen (to see far)
  • vest – Unterhemd (under shirt)
  • saucer – Untertasse  ( under cup)
  • pants – Unterhose (under trousers)
  • affair – Seitensprung (a jump to the side)
  • hospital – Krankenhaus (house for ill people)
  • gloves – Handschuhe (shoes for hands)
  • iron – Bügeleisen (ironing iron)
  • fridge – Kühlschrank (cooling cupbord)

There are loads more, but I can’t leave out my all-time favourite:

  • diarrhoea – Durchfall …. well, it does fall through 😉

Can you think of any more?

 

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