Thank you for "workschmerz"!

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This morning, I went to dlowan's thread about her frustrations at work, and found it tagged with the word workschmerz. Whoever among you invented this word, I want to give you a big hug. It's awesome! (The word, not the feeling it describes.)

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@Thomas,

I didn't give birth to the word or tag that work thread with it but I did seed http://urbandictionary.com with it.

Quote:

Thanks for your definition of workschmerz!

Editors reviewed your entry and have decided to publish it on urbandictionary.com.

It should appear on this page in the next few days:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=workschmerz

Urban Dictionary

-----

workschmerz

wurk-shmurz

"verb (used with object)
1. to declare a particular work assignment or job to be bad, unfit, invalid, or illegal.
2. to condemn as a waste of time: to workschmerz a job.
3. to bring condemnation against the institution of employment.
4. to swear at or curse, using the word “workschmerz”: Workschmerz! They can take this job and shove it!
"verb (used without object)
6. to use the word “workschmerz”; swear.
"interjection
7. (used as an expletive to express anger, annoyance, disgust, etc.)
"noun
8. the utterance of “workschmerz” in swearing or for emphasis.
9. something of negligible value: this paycheck isn't worth a workschmerz.
"adjective
10. workschmerzed (defs. 2, 3).
"adverb
workschmerzed

Related forms:
workschmerzer, noun; workschmerzing, adjective,

Workschmerz! They can take this job and shove it!;
My supervisor wants me to work late on this workschmerzing account.;
Dude! The man is keeping me down! Why must I workschmerz my entire life away.;
Make love not workschmerz!

2 Replies

@tsarstepan,

Tsar, it's a German word and it describes the pain one feels in his line of work.
The implication is not tied to a time frame and actually none of the urban dictionary suggestions really hit the spot.

Thomas knows exactly the meaning of the word, he probably forgot it when
he decided to become a "Privatier" Very Happy

1 Reply

@CalamityJane,

It's a German word? Is it spelled correctly? Usually Google would give some kind of clue that it's an actual word regardless of its language of origin. No such luck with this spelling of the word:
http://tinyurl.com/ykdb36j

If it's misspelled then I can make a claim on this spelling of the word sans guilt of erroneous usage of the proper spelling of the word.

1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

Tsar, "work" is English and "Schmerz" is German. Perfect combination!

2 Replies

@CalamityJane,

Quote:

German

Etymology
Old High German smerzo, compare Dutch smart
Noun
Schmerz [m]
ache, pain

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Schmerz

1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

I don't know what you're trying to tell me here ,tsar - it's a German word,
yes. I am German so I should know!

1 Reply

@CalamityJane,

I know you know. Rolling Eyes

You have to realize that there maybe other people reading this thread who don't know what it means. I'm just being proactive in helping out those who don't speak or read German so they can follow the context of the thread.

0 Replies

@CalamityJane,

Calamity Jane wrote:

Tsar, "work" is English and "Schmerz" is German. Perfect combination!

I think the inventor intended it as a playful variation on Weltschmerz, which American English has absorbed in the 1860s. (According to Webster at least.)

1 Reply

@Thomas,

I was curious about when work became a German word. Not in my Duden.

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

We don't need the word work. Germans are known throughout the work for their laziness. But although work proper hasn't entered the German dictionary yet, we did import it indirectly through compounds such as workout, work station, even new work. It could still happen yet.

1 Reply

@Thomas,

Pshaw Thomas!! Wink

The designers of Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Maybach, AS WELL AS Porsche!! Cool

Quote:

The German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html

Though we all know Siemens is a company filled with jerks! Mad

<<<mumble grumble>>> Bunch of big meanies!! <<<mumble grumble>>>

0 Replies

@Thomas,

Thomas wrote:

This morning, I went to dlowan's thread about her frustrations at work, and found it tagged with the word workschmerz. Whoever among you invented this word, I want to give you a big hug. It's awesome! (The word, not the feeling it describes.)

I cannot lie.

'Twas I.

Embarrassed

1 Reply

@tsarstepan,

Actually, that's wrong.

'Tis to work what Weltschmerz is to the world!

A.Word.A.Day--weltschmerz

This week's theme: words borrowed from German.

weltschmerz (VELT-shmerts) noun

World weariness; pessimism, apathy, or sadness felt at the difference between physical reality and the ideal state.

[From German Weltschmerz, from Welt (world) + Schmerz (pain).]

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

"I hate being told to have a good time! I'll feel the weltschmerz if I want to." Mari Sasano; Things to Do Today; Edmonton Journal (Canada); Dec 3, 2005.

1 Reply

@dlowan,

I note some say some damned German invented the word.

It may well be so...seems like a very obvious word to coin, to me.

I hadn't heard it before. but I'd not be surprised if Jane is correct.

It didn't get any google hits in English.

0 Replies

@dlowan,

dlowan wrote:

I cannot lie.

'Twas I.

Well, then you have noone to blame but yourself for the following hug

{{{dlowan}}}

1 Reply

@Thomas,

Awwwwww.......not too hard or I'll have ...hugschmerz!

1 Reply

@dlowan,

How about a "hugkey" -- in analogy to "hickey"?

1 Reply

@Thomas,

Oh dear

1 Reply

@dlowan,

Too corny?

2 Replies

Thank you for "workschmerz"!

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