But why do I want this particular phrase book ? It's very funny, that's why .
Luckily, I've copied what I wrote back then when I was young and sprightly and put it on here for your education and especially your amusement.
I am the proud owner of one such gem from the past .. Langenscheidts Konversationsbuch ( Englisch-Deutch) by the rightly celebrated Dr. Kurt Keppler.
It's a simple but well-worked format .... a myriad of useful, practical and frequently-occurring English phrases are translated into German for the benefit of the lucky owner.... so far so good .... let's take a look at some of them shall we .... ?
You probably won't believe they were in the book ... but they are ...
( Well readers, I was going to laboriously type out some gems from this magnificent book when I decided to look on the net for a picture of the cover and instead came across this on the "Deuce of Clubs book Club" website .... whoever writes it has obviously noticed the same thing and has picked out pretty much the same selection as I have .... so here is what he\she wrote .... )( I've also stuck some of the ones they missed.)
Toss your Cassell's in the dumpster; this is the only German reference book you need. "Besides enabling the traveller to ask his way to the railway station or to book a hotel room, it will prepare him for many kinds of ordinary conversations." So says the book's Introduction -- but see whether you can imagine the "ordinary conversations" into which you would be willing to drop the following handy phrases .......
- Ich verabscheue den Geist der Unduldsamkeit, der diese Sekt beherrscht.
"I detest the spirit of intolerance by which this sect is dominated."
- Sie hat die Soße prüfend gekostet.
"She tasted the gravy critically."
- Anscheinend sind wir inmitten des Golfstroms.
"Apparently we are in the middle of the Gulf-stream."
- Hier sind Schlüpfer in verschiedenen Farben. Sind sie haltbar?
"Here are panties in different shades. Are they durable?"
- Bitte hören Sie sofort auf, so zu tanzen.
"Please stop this kind of dancing at once."
- Diese Wunde eitert.
"This wound is full of pus."
- Ich habe die meisten underer Reste für die Suppe verwendet. Ich gebe ihr daher lieber keinen Namen.
"I have used most of our leftovers for the soup. I therefore hesitate to give it a name."
- Es schmerzt mich sehr zu wissen, daß man ihm nicht helfen kann.
"It pains me very much to realize that he cannot be helped."
- Sie hätten keine weniger überzeugende Entschuldigung vorbringen können.
"This is the least convincing excuse you could offer."
- Gute Handgelenkarbeit ist sein größter Vorzug.
"Good wrist action is his greatest asset."
- Das ist eine sonderbare Mischung von Verbrechen und Satire, die noch dazu reichlich mit Erotik gewürzt ist.
"This is a very strange blend of crime and satire heavily spiced with sex."
- Ich kann seine Witze nicht leiden. Die meisten sind fade Wortspiele.
"I don't like his jokes. Most of them are stale puns."
- Sehen sich die Bewegungen dieses Pferds im Zeitlupentempo an.
"Look at the movements of this horse in slow motion."
- Ich habe hier einen Pickel.
"I have a pimple here."
- Humanitäre Gesichtspunkte werden wohl stets den militärischen Notwendigkeiten weichen müssen.
"Humanitarian considerations will probably always have to yield to military necessities."
- Ich habe dieses Auto gebraucht gekauft. Es kann jeden Augenblick versagen.
"I bought this car second hand. It may break down at any moment."
- Fast alle Häuser in dieser Straße waren vor ihrer Zerstörung im Zweiten Weltkrieg wahre Kunstwerke.
"Almost every house in this street was a work of art before its destruction in the Second World War."
- Er hat ein pockennarbiges Gesicht.
"His face is pockmarked."
- Es scheint hier ein klarer Fall von Brandstiftung vorzuliegen.
"This seems to be a clear case of arson."
- Wen sie mit diesem sonderbaren Durcheinander von Reise under Kulturfilm und von Liebesbeschichte zu fesseln suchen, ist ein Geheimnis, über das nachzudenken sich lohnt.
"Whom they expect to please with this curious mixture of travelogue, art documentary, and love story is a mystery worth pondering."
- Dieses blaue Tweedkostüm ist wunderschön. Ich muß es anprobieren.
"This blue tweed suit is striking. I must try it on."
- Ich kann sein ewiges Nörgeln wirklich nicht länger ertragen.
"I really cannot stand his eternal criticism any longer."
- Ich werde Ihnen ein Entschuldigungsschrfiben senden.
"I shall send you a written apology."
- Er sieht wie ein Ausländer aus.
"He looks like a foreigner."
( Back to me ... for indeed I have a few more to add to this collection of old tripe ..... how the Deuce of Clubs person missed them I can't imagine ...)
Er kam mit schlotternden Knien .....
" He came with trembling knees "
Betrage dich nicht so töricht ! .....
" Don't behave so silly !"
Er benimmt sich manchmal wie ein Gassenjunge .
" He sometimes behaves like a gutter-snipe"
Sie hatten im Fahrstuhl Ihren Hut abnehmen sollen, weil Damen zugegen waren.
" You should have taken your hat off in the lift, since ladies were present."
And when I do find it, I might find some more silly stuff..
There are more issues to follow up as well by the way.
I hope you've made your own 12" German Bookshelf Selection and are going to send it in to me. If you don't know what it's all about, here's the link to it....
312-my-actual-german-12-shelf-of-books.html
But now, yet another gorgeous Jupiter Jones song ..." Und dann warten" ..amd you can sing along to this words video ...