Austrian German has its own rich store of words and expressions, of slang and idiom and accent. Regional variations are diverse. It is common to find expressions – and even accents – that are not used or understood in a neighbouring province.
The terms below are to be heard in Steiermark, more often in rural areas. Part of their charm and power comes from the accent and the tone in which they are uttered. As much as native Styrians may sometimes wryly deprecate their “bellen,” (that characteristic baying intonation in the Styrian accent), they readily use it, and enjoy it.
It is worth noting that this same “bellen” can be heard inflecting the speech of that former Grazer and son of the former police chief of that city, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A note on capitalization: nouns in German are capitalized, even when they are not proper nouns. To avoid confusion among readers not familiar with German, and to avoid place names being mistaken for simple nouns, only proper nouns are capitalized in the text in the story.
Abendessen: Supper
Aber gut: “Well, fine” or “OK.” Literally “but good.”
Ach so: “Well, yes” or “Ach so wie so”– “That’s how life/it goes.”
Alm: Mountains
Apfelfest: Apple festival where visitors enjoy locally made apple cider
Arbeiter: Manual worker
Arsch: Arse
Arschloch: Arsehole
Ausländer: A person from outside the country: negative connotation. If a foreigner’s nationality is known, Austrians will use it, e.g. Englander.
Bäckerei: Bakery
Banhof: Train station. Hauptbanhof: main station
Bauch: Stomach
Benzin: Gasoline, petrol
Besoffen: Drunk
Bisschen: A little, some
Bist närrisch: Short form of: “Bis du narisch?! “ – Are you crazy?”
Blauer: Right-wing, often secret admirers of fascism; literally “a blue one”
Blumen: Flowers
Blöd(e): Silly, even stupid
Bleib ruhig: Stay quiet
Brodl: Stomach belly (dialect)
Brauners: Brownshirts, i.e. Nazis (often linked to “blauers”)
Bruderschaft: Brotherhood
Brummschädel: Thick head from hangover
Bullen: Slang for Gendarmerie or police generally; literally “bull”
Bundespolizei: The state police force in Austria; called “Die Polizei” by the public, usually “BP” by members of Gendarmerie
Burli (also Burschi): Boy; fella; mate. A term of fondness between men; sometimes ironic, can be insulting
Depp: Idiot
Detschen: A not-too-hard slap across the face or head; “a cuff on the ear” (see Watchen)
Dodel: Fool, but not malicious
Donauschwaben: Ethnic Germans in Swabian region by upper River Danube
Dorf: Village, small town
Dumkopf: “Dumb-head”
Dickschädel: “Thick-head”
Echte(s): Real, genuine
Fërlangerten: A favoured coffee in Austria
Fetzn: Rag, piece of cloth
FetznschädlFool; literally rag-head
Feuerwehr: Fire brigade
Fiakers: Fixer, schemer
Föhn: A strong, short-lived warm wind in winter; said to drive people mad
Frisch: Literally fresh, but means new, original
Galerie: A series of mugshots, meaning criminals (slang)
Gauner: Petty criminal, “a loser”
Gasse: A lane, or small street (see Weg)
GasthausHotel or “guest house”
Geburstag: Birthday
Geh’ma jetzt: Here we go
Geh scheissen: Go and shit
Geh weg: “Get outta here”
Gell: Unique Austrian idiom. Corresponds with: “right?”; “OK?”; “huh?”; “eh?”
Gendarmerie: See summary of Austrian Gendarmerie at the end of this glossary
Genau: “Just so”
Genug: Enough
Gerade aus: Straight ahead
Glacetrizz: A schemer, on the shady side
Glockl: Smaller glass of beer (see Schweigel)
Glotze: “Die Glotze” – “The (idiot) box,” i.e. TV
Gösser: Austrian beer brand
Gott: God
Gott sei dank: “Thank God”
Grossen braunen: A favoured coffee in Austria
Grüss Gott: Hello, literally “Greet God”; often shortened to “Grüss”
Gschäftl: A shady plan, a “con”
Gschaftlhuber: A schemer
Gscherter: A rural Styrian; literally “shirt”
Gut/gute/gutes: Good
Hackn: Plan, scheme
Halt die Pappn: Shut up (dialect)
Handi: A personal mobile/cell phone
Hässlich: Ugly, unpleasant
Hauptbanhof: Principal train station
Hauptplaz: Main square of a town
Hausfrau: Housewife
Heast Gschissena!: “Well hello shit!” i.e. an unpleasant surprise
Heimat: One’s homeland. This does not necessarily correspond to the modern state, but to one’s native area, or province.
Herrlich: Lovely
Herz: Heart
Heurigen: An evening of wine, food, talk, visiting several gasthauses
Hochschule: Secondary school/High school
Hof: A house; can be a large building
Holtzpyjama: Being killed (slang). Literally: “wooden pyjamas” i.e. coffin
Hosen: Trousers
Huber-Bauer: Idiom for “the farmer type,” “rednecks”
Hursohn: Son of a bitch
Jäger: A hunter
Jausen: A light meal, often buffet style, consisting of meat, buns, cheese and a variety of add-ons
Jetzt: Now, immediately
Junge: Lad
KachelofenTraditional masonry stove or fireplace, usually tiled, with small aperture; designed to radiate heat from its masonry mass
Kasperl: Silly fellow (affectionate)
KD: Kriminaldienst (see Kripo). These plainclothes Gendarmes work out of the provincial Gendarmerie HQ
Kasperl and Pezi: Much loved and longstanding mainstays on Austrian children's TV
Kieberer: Slang for police officer
Kleine: Short for Kleine Zeitung, popular tabloid from Graz (klein/e: small)
Klo: Toilet; short for wasser-kloset
Klopfer: Button Du hast einen Klopfer – “You're losing it” (slang)
Klug: Intelligent
Konditorei: Restaurant
Kopf: Head
Krank: Ill
Krebs: Cancer
Kripo: A term used between Gendarmes for both Kriminal Polizei (police staff) and Kriminalabteilung (criminal department)
Krot: Frog
Krügl: A glass of beer
Kruzitürken: A swear word suggesting what an imaginary combination of the Christian cross with the Muslim Turks would be. The Ottoman Empire long had designs on Styria, and Austria generally.
Lagers: Camps, enclosures
Laibach: The Austrian name for Lyubliana, capital of Slovenia. Slovenia was part of Austria, or the Austrian Empire, until the end of WW2.
Lass: Leave (it), let it be
LeberkäseMeatloaf of liver, pork and bacon
Leberknödel suppe: Soup or broth containing liver and dumplings
Liebchen: Sweetheart
Loden: Woolen jackets and coats, traditional; usually green
Luder: A trickster, mischievous
Ludeln: To pee
Machs du: Do you want…
Mädchen: Maiden; young lady
Magenbitter: A liquid tonic for a bilious stomach
Mahlzeit: Enjoy (food)
Maibaumaufstellen: A Spring festival where men of the village raise a maypole that is used as the focus for an outdoor party and meal
Mann: Husband, also “one” i.e. a person
Mannerschnitte: Chocolate-filled wafer biscuits
Marburg: The German name for Mariabor, Slovenia
Marterl: A roadside shrine of varying size and materials. Marterls were usually erected at sites of accidents. Taferls, their counterparts, are usually carved wooden statues depicting Mary, and are often found at crossroads in rural areas. They are characteristically mounted on wooden poles, under a “roof.”
Matura: High school diploma on graduation
Mutti: Mother
National service: Mandatory period of national service, currently eight months. Exemptions are allowed for objectors; they work as social workers or ambulance drivers for their service.
Närrisch: Foolish, crazy
Natürlich: Naturally, of course
Nicht war: Is that not so?
Niemand: Nobody
“Null Komma Josef”: See “Zero Point Joe”
Oestis: Easterners i.e. from Eastern Europe
Oetzi: An ancient man found preserved in the Alps in 1991
Offenegg: A hill
Olta!: “Yikes!”
Oma: Grandmother (“granny”)
Opa: Grandfather (“granddad”)
Pallawatch: (Slang) a screw-up
Pas auf: Go away. Said with emphasis; it is hostile – get lost.
Prima: Good, well done
Puntigamer: A brand of beer popular in Styria, named after a suburb of Graz
Platz: A (town, village, city) square – Hauplatz: main square
Prolete: Boorish
Posten: (post)Gendarmerie station
Radl: Bicycling
Randsteinpflanze: Slang for a prostitute; literally a sidewalk flower
Rathaus: Town hall
Raus: “Let's go”
Reiskocher: Japanese car (slang). Literally: Rice cooker
Riegel: Troll (slang). Literally: a lock
Rossegger, Peter: Rossegger, a Styrian, was nativist poet and writer who collected local lore and observations of rural Steiermark in the 19th century
Rote: “Red.” Used to describe left wingers; also ironic use (see Sozi)
Rotkopf: “Redhead”
Ruhig: Quiet. “Bleib ruhig” – “Be quiet”
Schandi: Slang for Gendarmerie
Schass: Fart (slang)
Scheisse: Shit
Schleiche: Black market
Schmutzig: Sooty, also implies embers
Schnapps: Spirits (alcohol)
Schnappsencard game
Schatzi: Sweetheart. Literally “little cat”
Schnabel: Nose (dialect)
Schau: “Look”
SchönLovely
Schrecklich: Terrible
Schule: School
Schwartz: Literally black; used ironically to refer to supporters of the right-wing Freedom Party; suggests “conservatives” are in fact fascists
Schwartzarbeiters: Workers in the underground economy, without legal status
Schweigel: Larger glass of beer (see glockel)
Schweinerei: Pig-like; used to express disapproval of situation, place
Semmel: A bun (baked bread)
Servus: Greeting – “hello”
Schwuchtel: Homosexual (slang)
Shreklich: Terrible
So geht’s: So it goes – “That's the way of the world”
Sonderkomission: Police investigation, a “SOKO” is called for a case that goes badly
“Sozi”: A supporter of Austria’s Social Democratic Party (see “Rote”)
Spatzieren: Going out, traveling about
Speck: Home-cured bacon, ham
Stadleute: City people
Stadt: City
Stanzen: Fired, but slang for murdered
Strafregister: Fingerprint/Police file
Strassgänger Strassgänger strasse: Styrian Gendarmerie HQ, in Graz West
Steiermark: Styria
Stübe: A pub
Teufel: The devil
Tischlerei: Carpenter or joiner’s shop; also furniture shop
Tragisch: Tragic
Trottel: A fool, but a conniving and malicious one
Tschuschen: A highly derogatory term for peoples of the former Yugoslavia
Unglucklich: Unlucky
Ungerade: Unusual
Vati: Short form of Vater – father
Verlauer: Outspoken, indiscreet
Verrückt: Crazy
Verstehst: Short form of Verstanden sie – Do you understand? i.e. “Get it?”
Verstunkene: Stinky, lousy
Vielleicht: Perhaps
Volksdeutsch(en): Ethnic Germans who had settled in other parts of Europe, often for generations. Most became refugees after WW2.
WaldForest
Watschen: Slap delivered with back of the hand (“backhander”) (see Detschen)
Weg: Literally “a way.” Weg is usually a path, paved or unpaved
Wehrdienst: National military service (compulsory)
Wilkommen: Welcome
Weib(i): Derogatory term for wife – shrewish
Wipsi: Groggy, tipsy, giddy
Wirt: Host/waiter
Wissenchaft: Organized knowledge e.g. science
Wunderbar: Wonderful
Wunderschön: Truly lovely
Wurst: Sausage
Zahlen: Bill
Zentrum: The centre of town
Zero Point Joe: Viennese slang equivalent to US/Canadian “diddly squat” or UK “bugger all,” i.e. nothing. It is even less than nothing, because it implies an ironic or cynical realization. This term originated in Vienna during the years of Allied occupation after WW2. Zero Point Joe, a beer made in Vienna, contains no alcohol.
Zigeuner: Derogatory slang for Roma/Gypsies
Zoll: Customs and border post