German · Sports & the Terraces
Bist du blind, oder was?
BIST doo BLINT OH-der VASS · /bɪst duː blɪnt ˈoː.dɐ vas/
Are you blind or what?! — the all-purpose bad-call howl
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"Are you blind, or what?"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Screamed at referees, linesmen, and — off the pitch — at drivers who don't see you. Rhetorical, not truly ableist in intent; it's the reflexive roar of the wronged spectator. The terse terrace version is just "Bist du blind?!" flung at the man with the flag.
Heard in the wild
Das war doch Hand! Bist du blind, oder was?
That was clearly handball! Are you blind or what?
Where it lands
Germany, Austria — stadium/road
Quick answers
- What does "Bist du blind, oder was?" mean?
- In German, "Bist du blind, oder was?" means "Are you blind or what?! — the all-purpose bad-call howl". Literally it's "Are you blind, or what?". Screamed at referees, linesmen, and — off the pitch — at drivers who don't see you. Rhetorical, not truly ableist in intent; it's the reflexive roar of the wronged spectator. The terse terrace version is just "Bist du blind?!" flung at the man with the flag.
- Is "Bist du blind, oder was?" 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 "Bist du blind, oder was?"?
- Say it "BIST doo BLINT OH-der VASS" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: bɪst duː blɪnt ˈoː.dɐ vas.
Related in German
Verdammt nochmal! fair-DAMT NOCH-mahl God damn it! / For crying out loud! Hau ab! HOW AP Get lost! / Clear off! / Beat it! Verdammte Scheiße! fair-DAM-tuh SHY-suh God-damn shit! / Bloody hell! Herrgott nochmal! HAIR-got NOCH-mahl For God's sake! / Good Lord! Verpiss dich! fair-PISS dikh Piss off! / Clear off (with force)! Das kotzt mich an! das KOTST mikh AHN That pisses me off! / I'm sick to death of it!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Unbelievable".
- French Oh la vache ! Holy cow! / Wow! / Whoa!
- Greek έλα ρε Come on! / No way! / You're kidding — disbelief, protest, or delight depending on tone.
- Italian Minchia! Holy shit! / Wow! / Damn!
- Japanese やばい Insane / crazy / no way — good OR bad, from context
- Korean 헐 Whoa / no way / I can't even — the all-purpose stunned noise.
- Polish masakra A disaster / unbelievable / total carnage — the all-purpose 'this is insane.'
- Portuguese Caramba! Wow! / Geez! / Holy cow!
- Russian Офигеть! Wow! / Holy cow! / No way!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.