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German · The Basics

Halt die Klappe!

HALT dee KLAP-uh · /halt diː ˈkla.pə/

Shut your trap! / Shut up!

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Hold the flap"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

"Klappe" is the flap/lid — here, your mouth. Standard-issue "shut up," rude but not fighting words among friends. Harsher cousins: "Halt's Maul!" ("Maul" = an animal's snout, so genuinely insulting, severity 3) and "Halt die Schnauze!" (also snout). The gentle version is just "Sei mal ruhig" (be quiet).

Heard in the wild

Halt die Klappe und lass mich ausreden!

Shut your trap and let me finish!

Where it lands

Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal

Quick answers

What does "Halt die Klappe!" mean?
In German, "Halt die Klappe!" means "Shut your trap! / Shut up!". Literally it's "Hold the flap". "Klappe" is the flap/lid — here, your mouth. Standard-issue "shut up," rude but not fighting words among friends. Harsher cousins: "Halt's Maul!" ("Maul" = an animal's snout, so genuinely insulting, severity 3) and "Halt die Schnauze!" (also snout). The gentle version is just "Sei mal ruhig" (be quiet).
Is "Halt die Klappe!" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "Halt die Klappe!"?
Say it "HALT dee KLAP-uh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: halt diː ˈkla.pə.

Related in German

Scheiße! SHY-suh Shit! / Damn! — the all-purpose German expletive Verdammt! fair-DAMT Damn! / Damn it! Verdammt nochmal! fair-DAMT NOCH-mahl God damn it! / For crying out loud! Quatsch! KVATCH Nonsense! / Rubbish! / No way! Arsch ARSH Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German Hau ab! HOW AP Get lost! / Clear off! / Beat it!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Shut up".

how to say "Shut up" →

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