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Totschlag-Argument

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

https://p.dw.com/p/RlHN
Image: dpa - Bildfunk

"Do you want vanilla, chocolate or strawberry?" -- "I don't like ice cream." While it's pretty hard to believe that someone doesn't like the taste of ice cream, it's also the end of the conversation for rhetorical reasons -- there's nothing left to say. In German, that's called a "Totschlag-Argument" (literally, "manslaughter argument") because it kills the discussion. Not to mention that -- depending on the temperature outside -- opting for no ice cream could also have precarious health consequences.

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