No, it’s literally not. It is “tool” or “gadget”. Not just any object or dingsbums.
Zeug used to mean something different back in the day.
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themeatbridge@lemmy.world 3 days agoIn English, it would be a “thingie.” Like Germans are constantly trying to remember the word “lighter” and they’re like, “you know, the whatsit, the… fire… thingie.”
wieson@feddit.org 3 days ago
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Sorry, I wasn’t clear about that being a tongue in cheek remark.
meliaesc@lemmy.world 3 days ago
It’s that German humor.
Jonnynny@lemm.ee 1 day ago
It’s a good joke but I don’t think it’s too far off. The comment about it being “tools” kinda falls short of explaining things like Spielzeug=toy (play thing) and Schlagzeug=drum (beating/striking thing). I think “thing” is better. Might be somewhere in between though. Ich weiß nicht…