Katzengold

Germans like their dogs. In fact, dog owners tend to bring them everywhere: on the subway, in department stores and sometimes even into bars. So maybe it's no surprise that cats get cast in a bad light in this week's word, "Katzengold" (literally, cat's gold). In English, this shiny material is referred to as "fools' gold." It may look like real gold, but it's worthless. But, lest Garfield get in a huff, "Katzengold" in no way passes judgement over man's best feline friends. Actually, "Katzen" is derived from the word "Ketzer," which means "heretic" - and that applies to anyone who tries to pass off fools' gold as something valuable.