“Overseas brats”—young American expatriate living on or near US military bases overseas—developed a unique argot. Here’s how a conversation about a current news item might have gone between two 1960’s overseas brats in Germany:
A: I’m voting for Huntsman! Huntsman über alles!
B: Hey, pass auf, doofus! You haven’t heard that huntsman quit? Well, cut you low!
A: Really? He quit? Warum?
B: Ich weiss nicht.
A: Oh,Schade! Anyway, I’ve got to run. If I miss the Strass, Ill have to hoof it.
Vocabulary
über alles—above everything
pass auf—pay attention
doofus—fool, idiot
cut you low!—how embarrasing!; you’ve made a fool of yourself!
warum—Why
ich weiss nicht—I don’t know
Schade—pity
Strass—Strassenbahn,or street car
to hoof it—to walk
very cool, patois! i minored in German so could follow your conversation except for the idiomatic americanisms! A+++