| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Off topic: "Geil" - mostly for Germen speakers... Thread poster: Rad Graban (X)
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Rad Graban (X) 
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:18
English to Slovak
+ ...
Hi guys,
I used to love this song by "Bruce & Bongo" in 80's and it reached no. 1 in many European countries. Without trying to find out on-line what it means, I am asking here to get some more "insight" and probably some subtle meaning behind "geil" (if there is one). Why is Boris Becker etc. "geil"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03FnBFscMVM
It is very ... See more Hi guys,
I used to love this song by "Bruce & Bongo" in 80's and it reached no. 1 in many European countries. Without trying to find out on-line what it means, I am asking here to get some more "insight" and probably some subtle meaning behind "geil" (if there is one). Why is Boris Becker etc. "geil"?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03FnBFscMVM
It is very silly, but I'm dying to know. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 22:18
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
It has the meaning of "horny", but at least in the 60's it was used by everyone in the meaning of cool, pop etc. Echt geil!
Regards
Heinrich
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 21:18
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
I found this title very naughty...
Yes, I agree with what Heinrich has said.I think "sexually aroused" is its first meaning, and it turned into " cool or awesome" later on..
As far as I know it can also refer to " hot or good-looking".. Boris Becker may be " geil" as in cool or awesome.
[Edited at 2009-06-27 19:34 GMT]
| | | | Rad Graban (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:18
English to Slovak
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you so much.
I was pretty sure there was some "hidden" meaning behind "geil" since it was so famous. Still have no idea what does it mean as an "innocent" word. :~)))
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I have always loved that song (even if I was only 2 or 3 yo at that time)!
Thanks for letting me know about the "hidden" meaning!
Tschuss!
Matteo
| | | | Kai Döring
Philippines
Local time: 04:18
Member (2007)
English to German
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | "Innocent" word | Jun 28, 2009 |
Rad Graban wrote:
Thank you so much.
I was pretty sure there was some "hidden" meaning behind "geil" since it was so famous. Still have no idea what does it mean as an "innocent" word. :~)))
the most "innocent" meaning of geil is 'very nice'
Das ist geil! --> That is very nice.))
| | | | Mats Wiman
Sweden
Local time: 21:18
Member (2000)
German to Swedish
+ ...
In memoriam | Strictly linguistic into and out of Swedish | Jun 28, 2009 |
Norstedts tysk-svenska ordbok
geil adj
1 kåt/kättjefull (randy, horny, sexually aroused, lustful, lecherous);
auf jmdn. (etw. ack.) ~ sein = be crazy about someone/something
2 häftig, fantastisk =super, cool, awesome;
[echt] ~! häftigt = fantastic, super, cool, awesome
Mats
[Edited at 2009-06-28 15:49 GMT]
| | | | Anke Guido
Local time: 21:18
English to German
+ ...
Heinrich Pesch wrote:
It has the meaning of "horny", but at least in the 60's it was used by everyone in the meaning of cool, pop etc. Echt geil!
Regards
Heinrich
It still is used in that way by many, also educated, speakers in an informal context. I don't think younger speakers use it much. They tend to use "krass" or "voll krass" at the moment. I wonder what will be the next "cool" term to arise... And whether "krass" will be used as long as "geil"...
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| In the 60 and ever since | Jun 28, 2009 |
Heinrich Pesch wrote:
at least in the 60's it was used by everyone in the meaning of cool, pop etc.
It's being used so widely in this "cool" sense (and always was as far as I remember) that it was an actual effort for me to ban it from my everyday language when my kids began talking (when a baby finds something to his/her liking and calls it "geil", the word suddenly sounds peculiar). So we find that it has been used that way at least for the last 40 years. Bit shocking (I didn't know that!) because each generation seems to avoid it as soon as the next arrives. Well the efforts are obviously wasted.
Edited to add: When people refer to the sexually aroused state, they tend to employ different terms. In everyday language at least where the variety of alternatives is vast, including lots of localisms.
[Bearbeitet am 2009-06-28 20:35 GMT]
| | | | | Geiz ist geil! | Jun 28, 2009 |
I like this word a lot. I learned it when I saw it used in the slogan "Geiz ist geil" from a major chain of shops selling electronic products here in Germany.
I think you can translated as "stinginess is cool" (because you could allegedly get very low prices in their shops).
Daniel
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In Dutch it still has only the 'original' meaning, so for us it sounds very strange when Germans use it to say something is cool
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 21:18
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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Wilmer Brouwer wrote:
In Dutch it still has only the 'original' meaning, so for us it sounds very strange when Germans use it to say something is cool
The word "geil" in Afrikaans means "fast-growing" and usually refers to plants only. The sexual connotation is very rare in Afrikaans, and never literal.
I remember reading a Dutch commentary on an Afrikaans poem that contained the word, and it was immediately clear that although the reviewer liked the poem, he had grossly misinterpreted it.
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 21:18
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Samuel Murray wrote:
The word "geil" in Afrikaans means "fast-growing"
* coughs*
Symbolically speaking, it resembles the Dutch meaning.
| | | | Gerard de Noord
France
Local time: 21:18
Member (2003)
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Marcel Bas
Local time: 21:18
English to Dutch
+ ...
| Geil - jags - glyerig | Aug 28, 2009 |
Hi there,
Yes, the meaning of the Dutch word 'geil' has shifted from 'fertile, fast growing' to 'horny'. As it has in German, where it also means "great!".
This leaves us with the Afrikaans word that denotes "horny". Well, that is "jags". It must have derived from a Dutch word "jachts", which can be analysed as a genitive form of the noun 'jacht', which means 'hunt'.
So you could translate 'jags' more litterally as 'eager to hunt'.  ... See more Hi there,
Yes, the meaning of the Dutch word 'geil' has shifted from 'fertile, fast growing' to 'horny'. As it has in German, where it also means "great!".
This leaves us with the Afrikaans word that denotes "horny". Well, that is "jags". It must have derived from a Dutch word "jachts", which can be analysed as a genitive form of the noun 'jacht', which means 'hunt'.
So you could translate 'jags' more litterally as 'eager to hunt'.
"Geil" is related to words such as "glijden" (to glide).
Best regards,
R. ▲ Collapse
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