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Tollpatsch. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Tollpatsch, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Tollpatsch in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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German
Etymology
First attested 1698 in Bavaria as Tolbatz, from Hungarian talpas (“wide-footed; infantryman”), so called because of their footwear consisting of soles attached by strings. Influenced by toll (“crazy”), patschen (“to whoosh, to hit with a splashing sound”), and dalpen, talpen (“to walk clumsily; to grab clumsily”), also Dalpe, Talpe, Dalpsche, Talpsche, Patsche, designations for a broad hand.
Pronunciation
Noun
Tollpatsch m (strong, genitive Tollpatsches or Tollpatschs, plural Tollpatsche)
- (obsolete, derogatory) a Hungarian or Hungarian-origin soldier that does not converse well
- klutz, blunderer, butterfingers (clumsy person)
- Synonyms: Tölpel, (Switzerland) Löli
Usage notes
- The spelling Tollpatsch has been the prescribed spelling since the German spelling reform of 1996 (the Rechtschreibreform). In the affected areas, the previous spelling (Tolpatsch) is now less common, and may be regarded as a misspelling.
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading