Here’s a nice German word I came across today: etepetete, which means fussy, finicky, pernickety. According to Wikipedia, this word is used mainly in northern Germany, particularly in Berlin. The equivalents in High German are eingebildet and geziert.

This word comes from the French être, peut-être, meaning ‘to be, perhaps’.

Example of usage
Du bist so etepetete = You are so prim

gaffen, verb = to gape, gawp, stare

Example of usage:
gaff nicht, sondern hilf mir lieber! = don’t just stand there gawping, come and help!

Related words:
Gaffer(in) = gaper, gawper, starer
Gafferei = gaping, gawping, staring
glotzen = to gawp at something

Today’s word caught my eye while looking through my German dictionary. In British English slang, the gaffer is the boss or foreman, and your gaff is your home, though this usage is a bit old fashioned.

In Scottish Gaelic, the lovely word spleuchd means to gape, gaze, goggle, squint, stare, while the Welsh ceg agored (lit. “open mouthed”) is a stare.

benutzen/benützen, verb = to consult, to make use of, to take advantage of

Example of usage: etwas als Vorwand benutzen = to use something as an excuse

Related words:
benutzbar = usable, passable (road)
Benutzer = user, borrower
benutzung= use
Benutzungsgebühr = charge, hire charge

This word caught my eye today while I was editing a German version of a website. It’s perhaps more nützlich (useful) than yesterday’s word.