The German language is known for such untranslatable gems as wanderlust (a desire for travelling), schadenfreude (pleasure from another’s misfortune) and the less commonly known, backpfeifengesicht (a face that begs to be slapped).
So of course a world-changing pandemic would inspire a few more Deutsch-specific words.
Well, 1200 new words, to be exact.
They include…
Corona mutations gebiet: Somewhere that’s a breeding ground for virus mutations, like a superspreader event.
Mundschutzmode: Mouth protection fashion is the direct translation – so a fancy face mask, basically.
On the topic of face coverings, there’s also behelfs mund nasenschutz – an improvised face mask, for when one is caught out – and the bemusing gesichtskondom, which means ‘face condom’.
There’s kontaktbeschränkungen and ausgehbeschränkung, which mean contact restrictions and going out restrictions respectively.
We particularly like coronaFußgruß, which is used to describe the awkward tapping of feet upon meeting, in place of a handshake.
Australia could also get behind maskentrottel (mask idiot) and abstandsbier – a distance beer.
