List of pseudo-German words in English

This is a list of pseudo-German words adapted from the German language in such a way that their meanings in English are not readily understood by native speakers of German (usually because of the new circumstances in which these words are used in English).


 * blitz or "the Blitz" (chiefly British use) – The sustained attack by the German Luftwaffe during 1940–1941, which began after the Battle of Britain. It was adapted from "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war). The word "Blitz" (a bolt of lightning) was not used in German in its aerial-war aspect; it acquired an entirely new usage in English during World War II. In British English, 'blitz' is also used as a verb in a culinary context, to mean liquidise in a blender, a food processor or with a handheld blender stick. For the use of 'blitz' in American football, see Blitz (gridiron football); in rugby union, see Blitz defence; for other uses, see blitz.
 * hock (British only) – A German white wine. The word is derived from Hochheim am Main, a town in Germany.
 * nix – nothing; its use as a verb (reject, cancel) is not used in German; synonymous with eighty-six. From the German word 'nichts' (nothing).
 * Mox nix! – From the German phrase, Es macht nichts! Often used by U.S. service personnel to mean "It doesn't matter" or "It's not important".
 * strafe – In its sense of "to machine-gun troop assemblies and columns from the air", 'strafe' is an adaptation of the German verb strafen (to punish).