German word of the day: Der Warmduscher
Warmduscher is quite a facetious, insulting term used to decry someone as weak or cowardly.
A similar English expression would be ‘wimp’ or ‘mollycoddle’.
The term literally means ‘hot showerer’, which implies the idea of someone unwilling to step out of their comfort zone, or do things which make them feel uncomfortable. It stems from a German myth that taking a cold shower is considered masculine.
The word was also the centre of a football controversy. During the 1998 Football World Cup, comedian Harald Schmidt called Jürgen Klinsmann a Warmduscher. The German Football Association subsequently sued Schmidt and won, but this did not prevent the word from becoming popular in Germany.
SEE ALSO: Nerdy flowers to alcoholic birds: The 12 most colourful German insults
Examples:
Der feige Junge ist ein echter Warmduscher.
The cowardly boy is a real wimp.
Bergsteigen im Himalaya ist nicht für Warmduscher.
Climbing in the Himalayas is not for wimps.
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A similar English expression would be ‘wimp’ or ‘mollycoddle’.
The term literally means ‘hot showerer’, which implies the idea of someone unwilling to step out of their comfort zone, or do things which make them feel uncomfortable. It stems from a German myth that taking a cold shower is considered masculine.
The word was also the centre of a football controversy. During the 1998 Football World Cup, comedian Harald Schmidt called Jürgen Klinsmann a Warmduscher. The German Football Association subsequently sued Schmidt and won, but this did not prevent the word from becoming popular in Germany.
SEE ALSO: Nerdy flowers to alcoholic birds: The 12 most colourful German insults
Examples:
Der feige Junge ist ein echter Warmduscher.
The cowardly boy is a real wimp.
Bergsteigen im Himalaya ist nicht für Warmduscher.
Climbing in the Himalayas is not for wimps.
--
Do you have a favourite word you'd like to see us cover? If so, please email our editor Rachel Stern with your suggestion.
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