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German · Joy & 'Hell Yes'

Affengeil!

AH-fen-gyle · /ˈa.fn̩.ɡaɪl/

Totally awesome!

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Ape-horny / monkey-horny"

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

How to use it

"Affe" (ape) as an intensifier — an "Affenhitze" is brutal heat, "Affentempo" is breakneck speed. As enthusiasm it peaked in the 90s and now carries a knowing retro wink, a bit like saying "rad." Use it and you're being cheerfully ironic, which Germans will get. Straight-faced, reach for "saugeil."

Heard in the wild

Affengeil, wir haben gewonnen!

Totally awesome, we won!

Where it lands

Germany — retro/ironic since the 1990s

Quick answers

What does "Affengeil!" mean?
In German, "Affengeil!" means "Totally awesome!". Literally it's "Ape-horny / monkey-horny". "Affe" (ape) as an intensifier — an "Affenhitze" is brutal heat, "Affentempo" is breakneck speed. As enthusiasm it peaked in the 90s and now carries a knowing retro wink, a bit like saying "rad." Use it and you're being cheerfully ironic, which Germans will get. Straight-faced, reach for "saugeil."
Is "Affengeil!" 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 "Affengeil!"?
Say it "AH-fen-gyle" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈa.fn̩.ɡaɪl.

Related in German

Geil! GYLE Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes! Saugeil! ZOW-gyle Bloody awesome! / Freaking great! Der Hammer! dair HAH-mer Amazing! / A total knockout! Ich hab voll Bock! ikh HAHP foll BOK I'm totally up for it! / I really fancy it! Fett! FET Sick! / Dope! / Wicked! Prost! PROHST Cheers!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "That's awesome".

how to say "That's awesome" →

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