Have you ever wondered how those never-ending german words get so long? German language learners might identify with this video. Speakers and learners of other languages may just scratch their heads in awe. But one thing is for sure, the german language take the cake* when it comes to compounding, compiling, and uttering wildly-long words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG62zay3kck
The video is in German, but that shouldn’t deter you. The artwork makes it pretty clear what’s happening, meaningwise. Here are a few clues to help you follow the steps1:
1. There’s a girl named Barbara.
2. She is known for her rhubarb cake.
3. So they call her “Rhubarb Barbara.”
4. To sell her cake, she opens a bar.
5. It is frequented by three barbarians.
6. They have beards.
7. When they want to get their beards groomed they go to the barber.
8. He goes to their bar to eat some cake, and then wants to drink a special beer.
9. You can only get his special beer at a special bar that sells it.
10. Where the bartender’s name is Barbie.
11. She’s the Barbie of the bar where the beer of the beard barber for the barbarians of Rhubarb’s Barbara’s bar is sold. But all in one word.
12. At the end, the barbarians, the barber, Barbie, and Barbara all go to the bar for a beer. You might need one too after this. Prost!
Want to learn more ridiculously long German words? Start today on Livemocha.com.
1Thanks to mental_floss for the point-by-point English clues!
*Take the cake: (British, American, and Australian) If you say that something someone has said or done ‘takes the cake’, you mean that it was very bad, and even worse than things they have said or done before She’s been opening my letters – that really takes the cake! Source.
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