Scheisse!: The Real German You Were Never Taught in School

But this isn't to say that I wouldn't buy this book if I were you! (I still have to find an equivalent of this in English :o)!)
You might want to consult a native speaker once in a while though...


Terrific Gutter German   April 25, 2004
 39 out of 40 found this review helpful

In her book, "Scheisse" Gertrude Besserwisser, which seems to almost have to be a pseudonym, the reader is introduced to really wonderful low Deutsch of the most common variety. In fact, this is German you don't learn in school, I heard this stuff when I went to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But not in school.

No profanity is too great for the unabashed Besserwisser. Wonderful colloquial German expressions of full throttle profanity and abusiveness are introduced in this book, along with illustrations by David Levine that increase the humor of the presentation.

The one item that the reader should know, is that basic knowledge of a little German is really a pre-requisite to get the most out of this book. Although, it is readable, by those who have never spoken a word of German. And just as funny. This book is highly recommended for people about to take a trip to a German speaking country. At least you will know when they are cursing at you, even if you cannot understand all of it.


Culture, and how!   January 11, 2005
 25 out of 26 found this review helpful

Not only does this book teach you all the 'dirty words', but it gives you insight into the German culture. Seeing that there's a phrase to call beer 'liquid bread' seems silly at first, but you quickly learn there's a lot more to it. It's a similar experience to learning some of the small cultural bits in your own language- Americans might relate to how whiskey can be formulated as "grandpa's cough medicine", or various beer/food/etc combinations can become the "breakfast of champions".

The great thing about this book is that it's careful to seperate myths from truth, and stereotypes from cultural traditions. Not only will you learn how to say the dirty word, but you'll learn the culture around the word, and how much trouble it will get you in. You'll learn what words we THINK are naughty but aren't, and some pitfalls you might run in to trying to speak everyday German (more things that SHOULD be taught in school but never are).

Great just for the fun of it, excellent if you plan on travelling, and absolutely necessary if you plan on drinking. Yes, you should have a basic running knowledge of German before picking up a copy, but so long as you know how to string together some basic sentences, this book will do the rest. I can't reccomend this highly enough.


Zum Lesen mit'm Duden   June 24, 1999
 21 out of 21 found this review helpful

This book provides some useful words and expressions that you certainly won't learn in American high schools or colleges. It is probably the best of its kind available for German (the Wicked series books are filled with ridiculous made-up sayings that no native speaker really uses). That said, it really doesn't compare with the Merde books in French, of which this is the German equivalent. For instance, the sentences given as examples are not witty and they are also loosely translated into English, which might give the right "feel" but is not the best for someone trying to learn the intricacies of their usage. Also, the German doesn't get as vulgar as the French (whether this is because the German language is more civilized or this book less complete I hesitate to answer). One understandable problem is that there are tons of different dialects and regional differences in German so that a general unified version of German slang is sure to lack some substance. Consider also the great wealth of Viennese slang (Wienerisch, eh kloar!) or the different Swiss expressions which are of necessity left out. Over all this is a pretty decent book for those who want to learn some "low German" or just try out some choice words on their German teacher!


Very funny book on German   December 31, 2003
 18 out of 20 found this review helpful

This is probably the funniest book you'll ever see on German, and it's the only one I've seen on the subject. Most of the book wouldn't be repeatable here, but I might be able to mention a couple things. "Die Muschi" refers both to "cat" as well as to you know what, just as in English. Equally funny, I recall from my study of Chinese that in Mandarin, the word "mao," pronounced with the tone that falls at first and then rises, has the same dual meaning too. So German, Chinese, and English are all alike in this respect. :-) You might hear the acronym "BMW", but it doesn't refer to the car. It's shorthand for Brett mit Warzen, or "a board with warts," referring to a woman that is not especially well endowed. However, "der Vorbau" means just the opposite. In fact, it translates as "front porch," which carries a connotation of being fairly heavy as well.

The book has 12 chapters with hundreds of off-color and colorful phrases and words, and a glossary. Each chapter has a paragraph of introduction to the subject of the chapter, such as "Curses, Epithets, and Other Cries of Exasperation," or "The Basics," or "Body Language and Other Parts." Finally, there a little quiz in the back to test your new-found knowledge of scatological German linguistics, so to speak. The book is only 112 pages, but there is a lot of information in those 112 pages, and it's worth the price just for the entertainment factor.