Tuesday, March 17, 2020

German Names for Pets - Haustiernamen

German Names for Pets - Haustiernamen If you want a cool German name for your dog, cat or other pet, this list can help you find the right one. While people in German-speaking countries sometimes name their pets with English names, this list includes only German or Germanic pet names. Inspirations for German Pet Names Literary Germanic names include  Kafka, Goethe, Freud (or Siggi/Sigmund) and Nietzsche. Famous Germanic music figures include  Amadeus,  Mozart or Beethoven.  The names of German pop singers like Falco (who was Austrian), Udo Lindenberg, or Nena are also popular for pets. The names of figures out of German literature include  Siegfried (m.) or Kriemhild (f.) from the Nibelungenlied, or  Goethes Faust versus Mephistopholes. On the lighter side, you could go with Idefix, the dog in the popular European Asterix cartoon series, the rotund Obelix character or the hero Asterix himself. Germanic names or words with a certain meaning include  Adalhard (noble and strong), Baldur (bold), Blitz (lightning, fast), Gerfried (spear/peace), Gerhard (strong spear), Hugo (smart), Heidi (based on feminine names containing heid or heide; Adelheid noble one), Traude/Traute (dear, trusted) or Reinhard (decisive/strong). Although few Germans today would be caught dead with such names, theyre still great pet names. Other categories for pet names include movie characters (Strolch, Tramp in The Lady and the Tramp), colors (Barbarossa [red], Lakritz[e] [licorice, black], Silber, Schneeflocke [snowflake]), drinks (Whisky, Wodka) and other characteristics of your pet. German Cat Names Just as with dogs, there are some typical, clichà ©d names for cats. The German equivalent of kitty is Mieze or Miezekatze (pussycat). Muschi is a very common cat name, but since it carries all the same meanings as pussy in English, you need to be careful about throwing it into a German conversation. But theres nothing wrong with the word as a name for your cat. One top-10 list of cat names in German ranked the following feline appellations: Felix, Minka, Moritz, Charly, Tiger (tee-gher), Max, Susi, Lisa, Blacky, and Muschi, in that order. Some lists also include names for couples or pairs (Prchen), such as Max und Moritz (from the Wilhelm Busch stories), Bonnie und Clyde or Antonius und Kleopatra.   Alphabetical List of German Pet Names Names ending in -chen, -lein, or -li are diminutives (little, y-ending in English). Although most are just names (e.g., Beethoven, Elfriede, etc.), in some cases the English meaning for a German name is indicated: Adler (eagle).   Names for females are marked (f.). Other names are masculine or work with both genders. Names marked * are usually for cats. A AbboAchimAdalheid/Adelheid (f.)AdiAdler (eagle)AframAgatha/Agathe (f.)Aico/AikoAladinAloisAmadeus (Mozart)AmbrosAnka (f.)Annelies (f.)Antje (f.)ArndtArnoAsterixAttilaAxel B BachBeethoven, BrahmsBaldoBaldurBalkoBr/Brchen (bear)Brbel (f., pron. BEAR-bel)Brli (little bear)Beate (f., pron. bay-AH-tuh)Bello (barker)Bengel (rascal, lad)BennoBerndBernhardBertolt (Brecht)Biene (bee, pron. BEE-nuh)Bismarck, Otto vonBlaubart (bluebeard)Blitz (lightning)Blà ¼mchen (f., little flower)Bà ¶hnchen (beanie)Boris (Becker)BrandyBrechtBritta (f.)Brummer (roarer)Brunhild(e) (from Wagnerian opera and the Germanic Nibelungenlied legend) C Carl/KarlCarlchenCsar (Caesar, Kaiser)Charlotta/Charlotte (f.)Cissy (Sissi) (f.) D Dagmar (f.)DierkDina (f.)DinoDirk(A-)Dur (A major, music)Dux/Duxi E Edel (noble)EgonEigerEikeEisbrEitelElfriede/Elfi/Elfie (f.)ElmarEmilEngel (angel)Engelchen/Engelein (little angel) F FabianFabio/FabiusFalco/FalkoFalk (hawk)Falka (f.)Fanta (f.)Fatima (f.)Fantom (ghost, phantom)Faust/FaustoFee (f., fairy, pron. FAY)Felicitas/Felizitas (f.)Felidae* (loyal, true)Felix (Mendelssohn)Fels (rock)Ferdi, FerdinandFidelio (Beethoven opera)Fix (und Foxi, cartoon characters)Flach (flat)Flegel (brat)Flocke/Flocki (fluffy)Floh (flea)Flà ¶hchen (little flea)FlorianFokusFoxi (f.)FrancisFranzFreda (f.)Freja (f.)Freud (Sigmund)Frida (f.)Fritz (Freddy)Fuzzi (sl., weirdo) G Gabi (f.)Gauner (rascal, rogue)Genie (genius, pron. ZHUH-nee)Gertrud(e)der Gestiefelte Kater*Puss in BootsGoethe, Johann WolfgangGolo (Mann)Gà ¶tzGreif (griffin)Gà ¼nther (Grass, German author) H HagenHaiko/HeikoHalka (f.)Halla (f.)Handke, PeterHannesHannoHansHnsel (und Gretel)Haro/HarroHassoHeinrich (Henry)Hein(o)HeintjeHektorHelge (Schneider, m.)HeraHexe/Hexi (f., witch)HeydaHilgerHolgerHoraz I Idefix (from Asterix comic)IgnazIgorIlka (f.)Ilsa (f.)IngoIxi J Jan (m.)Janka (f.)JankoJohann(es), Hansi (Johnny)Joshka (Fischer, German politician)Julika (f.) K Kaffee (coffee)Kafka, FranzKai (pron. KYE)Kaiser (emperor)Kaiser WilhelmKarl/CarlKarla (f.)Karl der Große (Charlemagne)Kà ¶nig (king)Kà ¶nigin (f., queen)Krà ¶te (toad, minx)Krà ¼mel (little one, crumb)Krà ¼melchenKuschiKuschel (cuddles) L Landjunker (squire)Lausbub (rascal)LasterLaika (f., first dog in space - Russian name)LenaLeni (Riefenstahl, f., film director)Liebling (darling, sweetheart)Lola (rennt, f.)Lotti/Lotty (f.)LukasLulu (f.)Là ¼mmelLump(i) (rogue, blackguard)Lutz M Maja/Maya (f.)ManfredMargit (f.)Marlene (Dietrich, f.)Max (und Moritz)MeikoMiau* (meow)Miesmies*Mieze*Mina/Minna (f.)MischaMonika (f.)Moppel (tubby)MoritzMotte (moth)Murr*Muschi*Muzius* N Nana (granny, f.)Nena (f.)Nietzsche, FriedrichNina (f.)Nixe (mermaid, sprite)Norbert O Obelix (from Asterix comic)Odin (Wodan)OdoOrkan (hurricane)OskarOssi (und Wessi)OtfriedOttmarOtto (von Bismarck)Ottokar P PalaPanzer (tank)Papst (pope)PaulchenPestalozzi, Johann Heinrich (Swiss educator)Piefke  Ã‚  Piefke is Austrian or Bavarian slang for a Prussian or northern German, similar to the term gringo used by Mexicans.Platon (Plato)Poldi (male nickname)Prinz (prince)Purzel(baum) (somersault, tumble) Q QuaxQueck R ReikoRolfRomy (Schneider, f.)Rudi/Rà ¼diRà ¼diger S Schatzi (sweetie, treasure)SchnuffiSchuftiSchupo (cop)SebastianSemmelSiegfried (from Wagnerian opera and the Germanic Nibelungenlied legend)SiggiSigmund (Freud)Sigrid (f.)Sigrun (f.) (Wagner opera)Sissi (f.)Steffi (Graf, f.)Sternchen (little star)Susi (und Strolch)  Ã‚  German names for Disneys Lady and the Tramp T Tanja (f.)Traude/Traute (f.)TraugottTristan (und Isolde)Trudi (f.) U Udo (Lindenberg)UfaUli/UlliUlrichUlrike (f.)Ursula (Andress, f.)Uschi (f.)Uwe V ViktorViktoria (f.)Volker W WaldiWaldtraude/Waldtraut (f.)WhiskyWilhelm/WilliWolf (pron. VOLF)Wolfgang (Amadeus Mozart)Wotan (Odin)Wurzel Z Zack (pow, zap)Zimper-PimpelZoschZuckerl (sweetie)Zuckerpuppe (sweetie pie)

Sunday, March 1, 2020

The Commonly Confused Words Rapped, Rapt, and Wrapped

The Commonly Confused Words Rapped, Rapt, and Wrapped The words rapped,  rapt,  and wrapped are homophones: they sound alike but have different meanings. Definitions Rapped is the past tense of the verb rap. Rap means to knock, hit suddenly, or criticize sharply. The verb rap also means to talk freely and openly or to perform the highly rhythmic type of popular music known as rap  (noun)  or hip hop. The adjective rapt means receiving (someones) full attention, being wholly absorbed (in something), or being carried away (with emotion). Wrapped is the past tense of the verb wrap, which means to cover, enclose, or bundle. The phrasal verb wrapped up means to be involved or obsessed with someone or something. Examples After a few shots, Muholi removed the fruit basket from her head and sat down at the kitchen table to load the images into Photoshop. She rapped her knuckles on the table while she waited, fretting out loud that the concept wouldnt work.(Jenna Wortham, Zanele Muholis Transformation. The New York Times Magazine, October 8, 2015)Drake’s ascendance happened so instantly it felt effortless, achieved without struggle, almost to the point of seeming unearned. In Thank Me Now, he rapped about how he can relate to kids going straight to the leaguea reference to high-school players so talented they skip college basketball and go straight to the NBA.(Simon Reynolds, How Drake Became the All-Pervading Master of Hyper-Reality Rap. The Guardian [UK], April 28, 2016)The miners were rescued in front of the worlds media and a billion rapt viewers.Jacqueline turned to the waiter and rattled off a sentence in German which brought to Charless eyes a look of  rapt admiration; and the waiter, ev idently understanding quite easily what she had said, turned and hurried away.(Edgar Wallace, The Mouthpiece, 1935)   There had always been a shoebox on top of the stove full of baby squirrels rescued from a fallen pine, tenderly wrapped in flannel and bottle-fed into independence.(Pam Durban, Soon. The Southern Review, 1997)She was a fanatic about cleanliness and put out her little bit of garbage wrapped very neatly in yesterdays Christian Science Monitor and tied in a bow with a fresh piece of string.(James Alan McPherson, Gold Coast. The Atlantic Monthly, 1969) Usage Notes You might have rapped Tommy on the knuckles during his maths class in order to direct his attention to quadratic equations. Clearly the word rapped is the past tense of the verb to rap. If you are rapt, you are in a state of unearthly wonderment. It is a state induced by listening to great music, having a religious revelation, or being absorbed by your charismatic lecturer discoursing on the philosophy of Plato. There are also stories of being rapt and in that state being transported from one place to another without any tangible means. Something that is wrapped is something that is securely covered and possibly tied up in a convenient shape for transport or handing over to someone else.(David Rothwell, Dictionary of Homonyms. Wordsworth, 2007) Practice (a) The students listened to the guest speaker with _____ attention.(b) The man who sat in the wagon that moved slowly up the road wore an old quilt _____ around his shoulders and a corduroy cap pulled down over his eyes.(Robert Penn Warren, Christmas Gift. The Virginia Quarterly Review, 1938)  (c) Agatha got out of her car and marched up to the Ford and _____  on the window. The sallow-faced youth opened the window and demanded, Wot?(M.C. Beaton, As the Pig Turns. Thorndike, 2011) Answers to Practice Exercises: Rapped, Rapt, and Wrapped (a) The students listened to the guest speaker with  rapt  attention.(b) The man who sat in the wagon that moved slowly up the road wore an old quilt  wrapped  around his shoulders and a corduroy cap pulled down over his eyes.(Robert Penn Warren, Christmas Gift.  The Virginia Quarterly Review, 1938)  (c) Agatha got out of her car and marched up to the Ford and  rapped  on the window.  The sallow-faced youth opened the window and demanded, Wot?(M.C. Beaton,  As the Pig Turns. Thorndike, 2011)