wort der woche: vogel

Ich habe einen Vogel does mean you have a bird, but be careful with this phrase because it can also mean that you are a bit batty. You know, cuckoo, crazy, round the bend.

A Vogelgehirn is another label you might not use to describe yourself. Gehirn means brain so I'm guessing you've already worked out that a Vogelgehirn would be a bird-brain, right?

However you might be happy to be known as a Spaßvogel. The life and soul of the party a Spaßvogel knows how to have fun and is known as a bit of a joker. Spaß is the German word for fun, and you might wish somebody Viel Spaß! (literally much fun!)



The early bird catches the worm



A well known German saying tells us that Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm. The same saying exists in English too and this picture might help you to puzzle out what it means.

Staying on the subject of animals you might know that a Spinne is a spider and a Vogelspinne is the notorious bird-eating spider from Australia. This giant spider would fit snugly into the palm of a man's hand but you might prefer it to keep away. Its venomous fangs can grow up to 1.5 inches long, and although the poison is fairly harmless to humans it would be as unpleasant as being stung by a wasp. Despite its name the Vogelspinne does not usually eat birds. In the wild it  uses its deadly fangs to kill and consume small rodents, lizards and bats as well as insects. In captivity Vogelspinnen live off a diet of cockroaches, crickets and other insects.

Die australianische Vogelspinne