German · At the Bar
Auf ex!
OWF EX · /aʊf ɛks/
Down it in one! / Bottoms up!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"On ex (from Latin ex = out/entirely)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The chant-command to empty your glass in a single go — "ex trinken" is to down it. Bar culture, mildly laddish, no real offence in it. You'll hear it escalate into "ex, ex, ex!" as encouragement. Know your limits; German beer glasses hold half a litre.
Heard in the wild
Das Bier geht auf ex, los!
Down the beer in one, go on!
Where it lands
Germany, Austria — student/bar slang
Quick answers
- What does "Auf ex!" mean?
- In German, "Auf ex!" means "Down it in one! / Bottoms up!". Literally it's "On ex (from Latin ex = out/entirely)". The chant-command to empty your glass in a single go — "ex trinken" is to down it. Bar culture, mildly laddish, no real offence in it. You'll hear it escalate into "ex, ex, ex!" as encouragement. Know your limits; German beer glasses hold half a litre.
- Is "Auf ex!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Auf ex!"?
- Say it "OWF EX" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: aʊf ɛks.
Related in German
Prost! PROHST Cheers! besoffen buh-ZOFF-en Sloshed / plastered / hammered voll wie eine Haubitze FOLL vee INE-uh how-BIT-suh Drunk as a lord / completely wasted blau sein BLOW zine To be drunk / sloshed einen Kater haben INE-en KAH-ter HAH-ben To have a hangover Geil! GYLE Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "A rude toast".
- French Cul sec ! Bottoms up! / Down it in one!
- Greek γεια μας Cheers! — the standard toast.
- Italian Cin cin! Cheers!
- Japanese 一気 Chug! Chug! / down it in one!
- Korean 짠! Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.
- Polish na zdrowie! Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze).
- Portuguese Cachaça Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit
- Russian На посошок! One for the road!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.