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Old October 11th, 2010 #13
Kind Lampshade Maker
The paranormal silent type
 
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Where you least expect
Posts: 8,265
Default Fender Benders

Funny how contemporary Germans tend to get bent out of shape, through property damage. Even if it's a scratch on a toy plastic bumper on a new Toyota. However, when their kids get roughed up by Muds on the way to school, it seems to be only the kids' problem.
Getting back to inventing words, I'm guilty of such, myself. Sometimes you get to run in to one of these Germans who thinks he's immortal. In Kwa-speak, such are called "self-important". If you try directly translating this word, it turns out "selbstwichtig". Reading it, it makes sense. But, when conversing, the person you're talking to can't see that it's one word. They are more than likely to intercept what you're saying as "selbst wichtig" (he is important, himself) which goes way past their heads. I then tried to use a phrase called "selbstlegendär" (self-legendary). Unfortunately, I got the same puzzled look
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