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Nervensaege

Learn a funny, quirky German word each week with DW's Word of the Week feature. This week: Nervensaege.

https://p.dw.com/p/RlKb
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

While in English that bratty little neighbor kid just gets on your nerves, in German he saws right through them. Anything that's really annoying can be called a "Nervensaege" (literally, "nerve saw"). Come to think of it, chain saws can be pretty annoying themselves, especially if the bratty neighbor kid's father is using one to trim the hedge at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

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