Language savvy people: Do other languages have a word for 'klutz'? What is it?
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In English I guess it is clumsy, but is that the same part of speech? Or, I guess the word klutz is English now? I think of it as a Yiddish word. A person can be a klutz, but their behavior is klutzy I guess, like clumsy?
I think the German is Klotz.
I don’t think there is a Spanish equivalent? I speak Spanish pretty well, but I could be wrong. Torpe would be like clumsy, but you wouldn’t call someone a torpe.
Yiddish has some really great words, and it sounds funny too.
The German word is Tollpatsch.
@ragingloli I thought it was linkisch? Or is that more like left-footed?
What does tollspatsch translate into literally?
Is there significant difference between a klutz and a schlemiel? The latter I think is less prevalent in everyday parlance, but they both signify an awkward mode of doing things I suppose. Any thoughts, anybody?
@raum Yes, “linkisch” is an adjective like “clumsy”. “Tollpatsch” literally means “klutz”. Apparently it comes from the Hungarian “talpas”, meaning a broad-footed person. It was used to refer to soldiers who, instead of actual shoes, wore constructions of just soles and string.
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