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Scheisse! And other very Bad Foreign Words

by Neil Woodburn (RSS feed) on Sep 5th 2007 at 8:03AM

There's something very satisfying about swearing in a foreign language.

First off, it's not like you're really swearing. It's just some strange word that has never had any relevance or connotation to you before.

But now, just because someone told you that this odd arrangement of letters you've never seen actually means something very bad, the word itself becomes your dirty little secret, something you can heft around at will when you return home that won't cause any damage to others, but will more than satisfy that primal urge to yell something horribly nasty on occasion.
During the course of my travels, I've come across a number of such words, thoughtfully provided by snickering locals who are simply beside themselves that some random American tourist can now say sh*t in Czech. This, folks, is globalization at its best.

Of all the swearwords I've learned, however, only one has truly remained with me, ready to be pulled out at moment's notice whenever the situation warrants: Scheisse!

I can thank the Germans for this little wonder, so very short, succinct, and cutting. I love the way it rolls nastily off the tongue in a sort of aggravated exhale. Scheisse!

See, doesn't it just sound great? And most of you don't even know what it means!

I'm sure some of our fine readers have accumulated a few choice words of their own while traveling. If you care to share, spend a moment and type them out in the comment section below. But please don't include their English translation! Foreign swearwords lose their power when their true meanings are revealed.

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