It is a common misconception that German is spoken in Waen (Vienna).
On arrival one notices at once that Waenerisch (Viennese) is a
special kind of German. Even many Germans (except perhaps Bavarians)
struggle with the ‘baroque’ patois of the natives. Moreover, with
Vienna having long been a melting-pot of peoples, many foreign, exotic
terms have crept into the language. In order to help you a little, here’s
a short list. By the way: Austrians greet one another ‘Grüss Gott’.
Food and Drink
Beisl: a (mainly simple) eatery. Origin: the Hebrew beith=house.
Erdäpp’l: potatoes
Fisolen: French beans
Fleischerei: butcher shop
Hendl: chicken
Jackerl: witty form of Cognackerl, a small brandy
Kaffeeobers: whipped cream as a topping on a cup of coffee
Karfiol: cauliflower
Knödel: dough- or meat balls
Kracherl: lemonade
Krügerl: half a litre of beer
Kuttel: sausage, tripe
Laberl: a dish based on undefinable cuts of meat
Mehlspeise: cakes, desserts
Pfiff: a beer
Schanigarten: a (restaurant) terrace
Schlagobers: whipped cream
Seidl: 1/3 of a litre of beer
Tafelspitz: boiled beef in soup
Tageskarte: dish of the day
Zwetschge: plum/prune
Expressions Nice to Know
Abadei: a braggart
Bimm: tram
Dodl: oaf, duffer, idiot
Dudl’n: the Austrian variety of yodeling
Haberer: friend
Hackeln: to work
Häusl: toilet
I-Tüpfelchen: splitting hairs
Itüpfelreiter: wiseguy
Marie: money
Miaslsüchtig: ill-tempered
Piefke: all Germans (except Bavarians). They are also sometimes
called ‘Mexikaner’, a word play on the Viennese patois ‘mag sie
kaner’ (no one likes them).
Schiach: unfriendly, unpleasant
Schmäh: a transparent excuse, a little trick
Spompernadln: loony ideas
Trafik: newsagents (they also sell phone cards)
Tschick: cigarette
Umurken: a bore
Wiff: lively
Zisch o! : shove off! Make yourself scarce!
