Hauptschule less academic type of high school, often leading to vocational training
Heckflosse tail fin
Herr Mr.
Herr Wachtmeister Constable
Hexe witch
Hilfe! Help!
Himmel! Heavens!
Hor auf! Stop it!
Ich gehe mit meiner Laterne I’m going along with my lantern
Ich hasse euch beide I hate you both
Ich kenn’ dich nicht, ich geh’ nicht mit I don’t know you, so I won’t go with you
Ich meine I mean
Ihr beide seid auch Scheisse You’re both shit too
Ihr seid total blod You (pl.) are totally stupid
In Gottes Namen In God’s name
Jagermeister a German liqueur made with herbs and spices
Kaufhof a well-known German department store
Kind child
Klasse great, fantastic
Koln Cologne
Kolner Stadtanzeiger a regional newspaper
Komisch funny
Leberwurst liver sausage
Liebe Dear
Lieber Gott Dear God
Maibaum a May tree
Mauselein “Little mouse;” a term of endearment
meine my, mine
Mein Gott My God
Meine Gute! My goodness!
Mein Licht ist aus, ich geh’ nach Haus My light is out, I’m going home
Mensch! Wow! Oh boy!
Mist crap
naturlich Of course
Na, und? So what?
Nee No, nope (informal)
Nun Now, well
Oberlothringen Upper Lorraine
Oder? Right? OK?
O Gott Oh God
Oma grandma
Onkel uncle
Opa grandpa
Pause break time
Pech gehabt! Hard luck!
Pfarrer Father (i.e., a priest)
Qualgeister pests
Quatsch nonsense
Ranzen school satchel
Rathaus town hall
Rosenmontag Karneval Monday
Sankt saint
Sankt Martin ritt durch Schnee und Wind St. Martin rode through snow and wind
Schatzchen “My treasure;” a term of endearment
Scheisse shit
Scheisskopfe idiots (rude)
schon good, lovely
Schrulle hag or crone
seltsam strange
sicher certainly
Stollen fruit loaf made at Christmastime
Strasse street
Tal valley
Tante aunt
Teufelsloch Devil’s Hole
Tor gate or archway; in Bad Munstereifel each tor is a tower with an archway underneath it
Tschuss! Bye! (informal)
Tut mir Leid I’m sorry
Um Gottes Willen! For Heaven’s sake!
und and
unverschamt shameless, brazen
Verdammt! Damn!
Verdammter bloody (rude)
verflixten blasted, damned
verstanden understood
Vorsicht! Look out!
weggezaubert made to disappear by magic
Werkbrucke Works Bridge-a Bad Munstereifel landmark
Wie, bitte? I beg your pardon?
Wo ist meine Tochter? Where is my daughter?
Wurst sausage
Zopfe pigtails or braids
Baron Munchhausen (Chapter One) was an eighteenth-century German baron renowned for his extravagant tall tales.
Frau Holle (Chapter Twenty-one) is a character from a German fairy tale. She is an old woman who lives down a well; she rewards her hardworking servant girl with a shower of gold and her lazy servant with a shower of pitch.
Decke Tonnes (Chapter Twenty-nine) is a shrine to St. Anthony, located high on a hill in the woods near Bad Munstereifel.
Karneval (Chapter Six) is the carnival season, which starts on November 11 but reaches its climax on Rosenmontag, the Monday before Ash Wednesday. Karneval is celebrated by Sitzungen, which are shows incorporating dancing, singing, and comedy turns, and also by Karneval processions, which take place on or around Rosenmontag.
Kristallnacht (Chapter Thirty-three), November 9-10, 1938, was the infamous night during
