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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

jugendliche Großschmuserei

English translation:

youthful blather

Added to glossary by Timoshka
Sep 19, 2023 00:36
1 yr ago
43 viewers *
German term

jugendliche Großschmuserei

German to English Social Sciences General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
From a 1940 letter, written by a Jewish woman in Vienna to her sister in New York:

"Über die Art und Weise, wie Beppo seine diversen Stellungen liquidierte, hat er seinen Eltern merkwürdige Dinge geschrieben: von Gästen, die er die Treppen hinabbeförderte, von zu kleinem Trinkgeld, etc. Ist das wahr oder nur jugendliche Großschmuserei?"

I haven't found the word "Großschmuserei" in any reference book or anywhere online. My only clue comes from Wolfgang Teuschl's Wiener Dialekt Lexikon, in which Schmus is defined as "leeres Gerede, Unfug," and schmusen is defined as "dummes Zeug daherreden."

Thus, it could be "youthful nonsense" or something similar, but I'm not overly confident, since Google translates it as "grandstanding." Any ideas?
Proposed translations (English)
3 youthful blather
4 just a young man showing off
3 youthful, sweet-talking exaggeration
3 Youthful over-exhuberance
3 adolescent folly
3 juvenile hyperbole
3 juvenile grandstanding

Discussion

AllegroTrans Sep 19, 2023:
Is not "smooching" the anglicised version of Schmuserei?
Andrew Bramhall Sep 19, 2023:
Schmuserei... is basically ' petting';
Björn Vrooman Sep 19, 2023:
@Adrian I'm aware of the second sense of the word (and even that meaning is not specific to Austria--or Vienna); in fact, it's the predominant one when you look at only the Wörterbuchnetz entries about "Schmuserei," as opposed to those on "Schmus."

However, it makes little sense in context; telling your parents about having pushed a few guests down the stairs is certainly not sweettalking anything.

Your answer, minus the "sweet" part, would do it for me, tho.

Best

PS
Something like "tall tales" might be enough here.
Björn Vrooman Sep 19, 2023:
See p. 1327, "Westjiddisches Wörterbuch" by Alfred Klepsch on Google Books. It has an entry on "Schmuoserei" = "Gespräch, Geschwätz, Gerede"; in "Jüdischdeutsch" as "Gerede; unwahrscheinliche Geschichte."

I'd say close to the Hebrew meaning, the word conveys that you're telling someone an (unlikely) story.

The "Groß-" bit has the same function here as in "großes Gerede" or "große Klappe"; it essentially means boasting, bragging, so "youthful boasting" or the like isn't far off:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/apr/07/police-commission...

Or, just "Großschwätzerei"; so we're back to what you found--"leeres Gerede, Unfug"-- just a lot of it!

Best wishes
Björn Vrooman Sep 19, 2023:
Hello Timoshka You've basically answered your own question and did the most sensible thing under the given circumstances, that is, breaking up the compound noun.

Did you look at the Wörterbuchnetz link I gave you? Searching for "Schmuserei" won't yield much that's relevant, except for:
"SCHMUSEREI, f. gespräch, rede. ebenda."
https://woerterbuchnetz.de/#1

"Schmuserei f. : 'unnötiges Gerede, Lobhudelei'. Die Schmuserei kammer net oⁿnheere [KU-Schmittw/O]. ElsWb Els. II 489; 1DWb DWb. IX 1135."
https://woerterbuchnetz.de/?sigle=PfWB&lemid=S04051#0

Looking for "Schmus," on the other hand, will produce a lot of relevant results, even in this Swiss dictionary (most words and phrases you're asking for are not specific to Viennese dialect):
"1. Gerede, Geschwätz mit dem Nbsinn t. der Übertreibung, des Schwindels, t. des Durcheinanders"
https://digital.idiotikon.ch/idtkn/id9.htm#!page/91023/mode/...

As seen there, and in the following dictionary of South Hessian dialects, the word comes from Hebrew:
https://www.lagis-hessen.de/de/subjects/rsrec/sn/shwb/entry/...

Which means that this time around, it's also a Jiddish word.

[...]

Proposed translations

1 day 17 hrs
Selected

youthful blather

'Youthful exuberance/folly' are standard collocations, but lack the negative meaning of 'Großschmuserei', suggesting overblown, misleading nonsense, bombast, hype(rbole), etc., according to your explanation. 'Hyperbole' and 'exaggeration' are semantically apt, but don't match the colloquial register.
More colourful alternatives might be 'youthful baloney', or similar, if a dated US English favour is desired. (More vulgar compound & rhyming options exist.)
'Youthful posturing' suggests a conscious intent to mislead or impress (not sure that really applies here).
'Youthful fancy' connotes innocent, but slightly conceited flights of imagination, without intent to mislead.
'Blather' evokes excited hot air, insubstantial nonsense, and fits the register, while lacking the colour of the source cultural term. As ever, there are no perfect matches.
Apologies for answering late.

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Note added at 2 days 8 hrs (2023-09-21 09:02:25 GMT) Post-grading
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Yes, your right: something like '*overdone* youthful blather', or *over-egged* might do nicely.

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Note added at 2 days 8 hrs (2023-09-21 09:03:00 GMT) Post-grading
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not sure what happened to *you're*, sorry
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you! I might add to your answer to get in the "Groß-" prefix. Perhaps "the exaggerated blather of youth" or something along those lines."
7 hrs

youthful, sweet-talking exaggeration

Schmus: Geschwätz, but Schmusekatze e.g. schmusen: Zärtlichkeiten austauschen, küssen; die Schmusereienen, ugs -> umgangssprachlich, österr. WB, ÖBV.

It could mean 'youthful BrE: skylarking on a grand scale', but the original and pre-eminently current Viennese/ Austrian meaning - that seems to have been lost on lexicographers and in the discussion entries so far - of a big 'smacker' on the lips or a big cuddle ought IMO to be retained.
Example sentence:

flatter -sweet talk: Honig um den Bart schmieren, jemandem schmeicheln, schmeicheln, *schmusen*, schöntun [

Reference:

http://context.reverso.net/übersetzung/englisch-deutsch/sweet-talk%2C+toady

Peer comment(s):
neutral Andrew Bramhall : 'Schmusen' typically means canoodling, cuddling, smooching, petting;
6 hrs
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8 hrs

Youthful over-exhuberance

It was the ways and means Beppo used to manage his various positions, he wrote strange things to his parents: about guests he carried down the stairs, about tips that were too small, etc. Is this true or was it just youthful over-exhuberance?"
Peer comment(s):
neutral Steffen Walter : exuberance (without the H)
8 hrs
Sorry Stfan, yes you are absolutely correct. I was wondering who'd be the first to spot my deliberate mistake. Well done!
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22 hrs
German term (edited): nur jugendliche Großschmuserei

just a young man showing off

I'm posting this because 'jugendlich' forms part of the asker's search term/phrase and I don't think the literal rendition as 'youthful' sounds natural.
Is what he says true, or is it just a young man showing off?

Alternatively acting big which conveys the 'Groß' element but may be slightly anachronistic.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Anna Wright : or maybe 'a lad having a laugh / taking the mickey' (GB En), or 'a young guy fooling around' (US En)
19 hrs
Thanks for the EN-GB and EN-US offerings, though the context suggests to me that the translation should ideally be language variant neutral. // Congrats! However, 'blather' is something I would associate with an older slow-witted person.
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22 hrs

adolescent folly

seems to describe what he was doing
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1 day 2 hrs

juvenile hyperbole

...comes to mind.

Compare with this:
"Leaving aside the fact this reads like the kind of juvenile hyperbole you'd expect from a six-year old, it illustrates a woefully inadequate understanding..."
https://www.lse.co.uk/profiles/babyinvestor/?page=7


Something went wrong...
1 day 10 hrs

juvenile grandstanding

there are a lot of good suggestions there, but adding another one as grandstanding immediately came to mind and also has a literal link to groß via the grand...

and well, grandstanding is a lot of hot air as well....;-D
Peer comment(s):
neutral Anna Wright : agree 'grandstanding' works well in US En
6 hrs
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