Garrison Keillor used the word "dinkeldorf" in his column today. From the context, I assume it to mean "fools," but I wasn't able to find much about it. It wasn't in Onelook or the online OED. Does anyone know the word? It sounds German to me.
Merriam-Webster's Open Dictionary lists this as a new word under the category, "People."
quote:
dinkeldorf (noun) : 1. One who acts foolishly, and tends to lack any form of grammatical skills; idiot, moron. Upon hearing the phrase "Give the papers to myself", multiple members of an advanced English class turned to the offender and informed him that he was, in the truest sense, a dinkeldorf. Submitted by: Jessie Bond from Illinois on Oct. 18, 2005 17:56
I tried translating it on Babelfish, but "dinkel" comes up as meaning "dinkel;" "dorf," as "village." When I saw it, I thought, "dummkopf."
Posts: 1390 | Location: Near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Yes, Dorf is German for 'village'; cf. English placenames that end in -thorpe. Dinkel is a rarish word for spelt, a kind of wheat. In any case, Dinkel would be a little Dink, if such a word existed. Kinda like Smallville in concept.
All the German I know comes from the Germans I've worked with, and most of it will get my face slapped in polite circles. Same with Swedish and Italian. We men are the same wherever we come from!
Same with Swedish and Italian. We men are the same wherever we come from!
