“Riddle me this”
***
Hello everyone,
and welcome back to the German learning Advent Calendar, the start of the second half :). And behind today’s door is… drumroll
One of my favorite German words
But I’m not just going to tell you what my favorite word is.
Instead, I will ask you why you don’t actually already know it and I’ll explain how you would know it if you ever listened to me, and I’ll tell you that with the readers of my ex-blog this was much better. And then when you start typing comments, I’ll just say “Oh, whatever, this is ridiculous” and I’ll just leave and go to the pub around the cor… oh… oh wait… this was how I do it in relationships, I mixed that up. Sorry.
But what’s true is that I’m not going to tell you my favorite word right away
Instead, I’ve made it into a little rebus riddle.
If you don’t know what that is… in English I feel like it’s like a play on words but in visual form. The German version is a little different, because it’s not really about one clever twist, but it’s basically guessing a bunch of words, messing around with the letters, and then combining everything into one longer word… and that longer word is going to be one of my favorite words.
Now, let me tell why this is one of my favorite words. This is kind of a hint, as well, so if you don’t want that, skip to the riddle and read it later
The Story/hint
It kind of became one of my favorite words this year actually, because this year, I really started driving. I’ve made got my driver’s license only 2 years ago, but it took me a while to really get going, and this year I did it all pretty much – highways, city traffic, interstate, winding mountain roads, rain, night, rain and fog at night.
The only thing I haven’t done is snow and ice, but that’ll come too.
Anyway, so my favorite word was actually mentioned by the driving teachers in class and during practice and I remembered it this year as I was driving and I was like “Wow, that’s such a cool word.” Because on the one hand it’s about traffic and rules and safety and so on, and at the same time it had an incredibly cozy feeling to it when I was actually “using” it in the car. And it feels like such a German word, too. Like one of those that other languages might lack.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get to the riddle :). One word is REALLY hard, but you might be able to work around it.
Viel Spaß!!
My Favorite Word
A crossed out number means, you have to remove this letter.
A “=” or “->” means that you have to swap these in for the original letter of the part.
** NOTE: I forgot one letter in the third one. It’s “_ _ _ _ e” after the “sch”
And, were you able to figure it out :)?
Solution
The solution of this little riddle is Wohlfühlgeschwindigkeit and it means the driving speed at which you still feel comfortable. For a beginner, it’s important to find that and then stick with it on highways and intercity roads. Like… the first time on a highway alone, I felt comfortable at 90 km/h, but VERY uncomfortable at 100. And on the way back I did reach 150 (in Bulgaria) but it felt comfortable then, because the highway was empty, dry and just straight. So the Wohlfühlgeschwindigkeit varies a lot depending on road, weather and how you feel overall, and I really love the word. It gives me a cozy feeling somehow and makes me feel good if I am going 85 while everyone else is going 130. I feel well in that moment, and that’s what matters.
Anyway, that’s it for today.
Let me know in the comments how if you have a word like that in your language or how you’d express it.
Have a great day and bis morgen :)
Audio Speed
Dark Mode
Small edit suggestion: “I only got my driver’s license 2 years ago…”
“Only” sounds more natural in this position (imo), and “get” collocates with driver’s license. “Made” implies to me that you printed it yourself rather than passing the test ^^
Oo and… For the unicorn it says to get rid of letter 3 but I think it should say 2.
Btw I got Wohlfühl and keit but couldn’t figure out the middle of the word haha
The screw thing is called “das Gewinde” (literarlly: “the whole of windings”). No idea what the word is in English.
The English word for that part of a screw is “the thread.”
I concluded it had to be “wohlfühlgeschwindinstakeit”… :)
Should have noted the connection to driving!
Cool riddle! I actually learned more from reverse engineering the solution :)
Clue is a little tricky for the threads… There is a blank missing in the picture where the “d” would go. (Wohlfühlgeschwinigkeit?)
Oh, damn it!!!
I added a note on top of the picture, thanks for letting me know. I hate it when this kind of stuff happens because I can’t change it easily.
Very fun and creative puzzle,
What I really love is the artwork on the Advent calendar doors!
I bought a set of elements from etsy and I am puzzling them together in various ways each day.
Wie geht es mit Wohlfühlkraftstoffverbrauch?
Never heard that one, but as a joke, you could use that.
I figured it out but had to look up what the thread of a screw or bolt was.
For an American driving here, your sense of driving speed has to undergo some serious adjustment. Freeway speed is generally faster than we’re used to (you know, if we personally care about speed limits back home), but city driving is soooo sloooooow…
I really can’t ever imagine 85 kph being my Wohlfühlgeschwindigkeit on the freeway though. It’s terrifying enough to be doing 120 or 130 and have some guy in a Porsche blow past you like you’re not even moving.
Oh you mean all these Tempo 30 Zones :)? Yeah, it is quite slow, for sure.
My Wohlfühlgeschwindigkeit is now more about 100, but I haven’t driven Autobahn in Germany yet, so I don’t actually know how 220kph looks when it’s approaching.
I’ve only been on a highway in Bulgaria, where the official limit is 130, but yeah… eastern Europe is gonna eastern Europe. It’s more dangerous there though, to go fast because the highway has dents and potholes sometimes.
30 is for sure insanely slow – that’s parking-lot speed for a Texan XD. Even 50 feels really slow on main city roads.
Road conditions are definitely a whole different story between Germany and the US too. The Autobahn is so smooth…
It HAS to be, if you want to go 180 there. What’s the fastest you’ve ever driven btw!
I’ve maaaybe sniffed 160. I’ve really never driven a car that made that feel like a good idea, though. Longer-distance cruising speed for me is 130 or 135.
“I’ve really never driven a car that made that feel like a good idea, though.”
Wait, what do you mean? Every random small VW is more than happy to take you up to 170 :). Not saying you should do it though. A friend drove us back to berlin from a holiday last year and he went 170 and I started feeling quite uncomfortable. It’s like… one mistake and that’s it.
Yeah, I think that’s mainly the deal. Sure, your engine will make your car go that fast (though I’m not sure my SEAT Alhambra would be “more than happy” to get to that speed), but the stakes are pretty high and I don’t think random passenger cars are usually going to handle well enough going that fast to make me very confident.
But I’m not a car guy and could be completely wrong. Just saying my maximum Wohlfühlgeschwindigkeit isn’t that high. :)
As a pilot flying a jet and on takeoff roll reaching 300-350 kph and steering only with your feet and control only of the nosegear can be a little unsettling. Then throw in a bit of a crosswind can make things even more dicy!!!
Ha, yeah, that’s a different ball game. However, the question I have now is… how does a car at 130 kph feel for you, say, after you just landed a jet.
My favourite word in german these days is HERAUSFORDERUNG- love the feel of it rolling off my tongue like a real challenge…
Ha, yeah, it does sound the part :)
Love the riddle, made me look up some words :)
I came up with Wohlfühlgeschlängigkeit, but that has too many letters. :( But what is the German word for the screw image? Cool puzzle!
I was referring to “das Gewinde”, but I forgot one space for a letter in the image :/.
i got wohlfühlgeschwindinstababieit — didnt notice ‘that guy’ there!
originally put in lau but that went nowhere – and wAAl was off.
this was fun though!
i’m doing this on a BVG bus and think my word means “goin slow until the Haltestelle nears, at which point you speed up a lot and slam upon the brakes”.
Hahaha, I know what you mean. We do have a word for it and it is:
Berliner Kundenservice
You almost had “Stabibi” in your “word” by the way. A mix of “stabil” and “Habibi”.
Oh, I forgot to say, you also don’t make a driver’s licence, unless you’re forging one yourself :)
And, you don’t do it either, you GET your driver’s licence :)
Ha yeah, that’s one of the quirkier (to my Anglophone ears) German expressions (Führerschein machen).
Wow, what a cool word!!!
There’s nothing like that in English ;)
Bis Morgen!
Wohlfuhlgeschwindigkeit ! Wir sagen in Englisch comfortable speed.
Yeah, based on the context given in the blog, it sounds exactly like “comfortable speed,” which is a common enough phrase.