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German · The Compound Machine

Klugscheißer

KLOOK-shy-ser · /ˈkluːk.ʃaɪ.sɐ/

Know-it-all / smartass

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Clever-shitter / smart-shitter"

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

How to use it

A masterpiece of compounding: "klug" (clever) + "scheißen" (to shit) = someone who excretes cleverness all over you, i.e. a tiresome know-it-all. The "-scheißer" suffix is productive too (Falschparker-scheißer and worse improvise easily). Mildly rude, widely affectionate, extremely useful at family dinners.

Heard in the wild

Ja, ja, du weißt alles besser, du Klugscheißer.

Yeah, yeah, you know everything better, you smartass.

Where it lands

Germany, Austria — universal

Quick answers

What does "Klugscheißer" mean?
In German, "Klugscheißer" means "Know-it-all / smartass". Literally it's "Clever-shitter / smart-shitter". A masterpiece of compounding: "klug" (clever) + "scheißen" (to shit) = someone who excretes cleverness all over you, i.e. a tiresome know-it-all. The "-scheißer" suffix is productive too (Falschparker-scheißer and worse improvise easily). Mildly rude, widely affectionate, extremely useful at family dinners.
Is "Klugscheißer" 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 "Klugscheißer"?
Say it "KLOOK-shy-ser" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈkluːk.ʃaɪ.sɐ.

Related in German

Arsch ARSH Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German Halt die Klappe! HALT dee KLAP-uh Shut your trap! / Shut up! Arschloch ARSH-loch Asshole Depp DEP Idiot / dope Blödmann BLURT-mahn Idiot / dumbass Wichser VIK-ser Wanker / jerk-off

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Show-off".

how to say "Show-off" →

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