Happy Friday to you! I love the German language! So many German words are colorfully descriptive when used in English context. Today’s word of the day fits that bill. According to Dictionary.com, Sitzmark derives from the German sitzen meaning “to sit.” Merriam-Webster adds the English “mark” (as in to leave a mark) to round out the original meaning of the word. It entered English lanquage in the 1930s.
I am not a skier, so this word is new to me. I skied when I was much younger. These days the idea of speeding down a mountain gives me pause. I am sure I would struggle to remain upright. Were I to take a fahrt (Trip) down a mountain I doubt I would simply make a sitzmark upon tumbling, but rather a quite lengthy skid mark! I’ll leave you to your own imagination on this English word picture…keep your schadenfreude (pleasure at someone else’s misfortune) to yourself, thank you!
An exploration of the word “skid mark” in Wikipedia reveals that it is an important forensic tool providing evidence that helps investigators with accident re-creation…(once again, consult your own imagination!)
Okay…I’ve completely lost it at this point, as I sit here grinste wie ein Honigkuchenpferd (Iiterally translated: “grinning like a “honey-caked horse”!) Or if that doesn’t make sense to you…honigkuchenpferd can also mean “Cheshire Cat”. I’m not exactly sure how one makes a connection between a horse-shaped cookie and a maniacal cat…but that’s German for you…how I love German words! 🙂
So without further ado, kugelschreiber (literally, ball scriber, or in English, pen) to the paper, (or if you insist, fingers to the keyboard…I just liked the word kugelschreiber that literally means “ball scriber”…BALL scriber! … I am grinste wie ein Honigkuchenpferd at this very moment!) here is this week’s Haiku!
Sitzmarks – The Haiku
Skiers make sitzmarks
When tumbling on the slopes
Me? I’d make skid marks!
kat ~ 22 January 2016
(Or a snow angel, in my attempt to convince you that I planned to stop, drop and roll, arms and legs flapping just so. Let’s get real. You will most likely find me on the ski slopes safely tucked inside the lodge experiencing blissful Gemütlichkeit (the feeling of comfortable/cozy)!
