Gents,
I copied this directly from the "Huffington Post," hope it's not too ribald for anyone ...
"Germany has given the English language words like "kaput," "verboten," and "�ber," and now the English language has returned the favor by giving "Deutschland" a great word of its own: "shitstorm."
Yes, you read correctly, even with the asterisks.
A group of German linguists has chosen "shitstorm" as the "Anglicism of the Year" and defined the word as "a public outcry, primarily on the Internet, in which arguments mix with threats and insults to reach a critical mass, forcing a reaction."
The jury behind the decision -- which is sure to cause a reaction worthy of the word -- released a statement saying that "shitstorm fills a gap in the German vocabulary that has become apparent through changes in the culture of public debate."
Jury member Michael Mann said that existing German words just didn't have the same oomph, according to TheLocal.de.
"This new kind of protest is clearly different in kind and degree from what could be expected in the past in response to a statement or action," said Mann, who runs a language website called Lexikographieblog.
Before the English language came to the rescue, the poor Germans had to settle for toothless words like "kritik" (criticism) to express their emotions, reported Newser.com.
Giving a prestigious linguistic honor to a word like "shitstorm" may seem, well, crappy, but apparently Germans are obsessed with poop, according to blogger Carmel Lobello of DeathAndTaxesmag.com.
He points to many German references to defecation, such as a popular folk character called "Der Dukatenscheisser," aka "The Money Shitter," who is commonly depicted pooping coins from his rear end, as well as folk sayings like, "As the fish lives in water, so does the shit stick to the asshole."
In addition, "pumpernickel," is not just a name for Germany's dark rye bread. Some linguists associate it with the less-than-tasty term "devil's fart."
W~
