There are a few alternative ways to describe the people of Germany, although the proper name would be “Germans”. It started in the Renaissance, a person being described as a German is somebody whose mother tongue is German. Today there are a couple of humorous and slang expressions used mainly by people from other nations. Here I would like to compile a list of 6 names the Germans are called by people of different countries.
Strudel and pretzel are used to describe an attractive German descendant. Those nicknames originate from Brazil where terms like “pão” and “pão-de-ló”, sugarloaf varieties, are used for pretty people in the same way.
This is a rather offensive description and was popular in both World War I and World War II. British soldiers employed a variety of names for the Germans, with Fritz being a widespread name.
Since World War II, Kraut has come to be used as a derogative term for a German. This is undoubtedly based on sauerkraut, which was very popular in German cuisine at that time.
This name originates from the word “alboche”, which in turn is a composition of “allemande”, which is French for “German”, and “caboche”, a slang word for “head”. It was mainly used during World War I and World War II, and directed especially at German soldiers in an offending fashion.
This name is jocosely used and can be compared to the name “spaghetti” which is used for the Italians.
This is a Swiss German word and literally means “rubber-neck”. The term has been verified to be in use since the 1970s at least. There are a few theories about the words’ meaning. One of which include the stereotype of Germans talking a lot and nodding their heads endlessly when listening to superiors.
I know that we Germans have names for other nations, too. This list here, however, is not complete so if you can think of more names for us, why don’t you share them in the comments