Musterknabe

Growing up, you're bound to run into one at some point - or maybe you were even one yourself! He's always courteous, never gets in trouble and has nothing but a row of top grades on his report card: a Musterknabe, literally "model lad." The term is a favorite for teacher's pets and even dotted a popular German handbook for boys after World War II. But these days, it's taken on a broader meaning. An organization or even a country may be called a Musterknabe, but beware of those that refer to themselves that way. After all, a Musterknabe never brags.