rejection / removal
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to reject / be rejected
A clear and often brusque rejection or refusal of a wish, proposal, or advance.
Er hat sie nach einem Date gefragt, aber eine klare Abfuhr bekommen.
He asked her out on a date, but got a clear rejection.
removal / collection
The organized transport and disposal of garbage, waste, or other materials that are no longer needed.
Die Abfuhr des Sperrmülls erfolgt immer am ersten Montag im Monat.
Bulky waste collection always takes place on the first Monday of the month.
heavy defeat
Colloquial for a clear defeat in a competition, especially in sports.
Im Pokalfinale erlitt die Heimmannschaft eine peinliche 0:5-Abfuhr.
In the cup final, the home team suffered an embarrassing 5-0 defeat.
The word 'Abfuhr' comes from the verb 'abfahren' (to depart / drive away). The basic idea of driving away or sending away appears in all its meanings: you send a person away (rejection), the garbage is taken away (disposal), or a team is figuratively 'driven' off the field (defeat).
Die laute Musik führte zur Abfuhr der Gäste durch den Hotelmanager.
The loud music led to the guests being sent away by the hotel manager.
This meaning is almost always used in fixed combinations with verbs. You 'erteilt' jemandem eine Abfuhr (give someone a rejection, active), or you 'bekommt' or 'erhält' eine Abfuhr (get/receive a rejection, passive).
Sie hat ihm eine eiskalte Abfuhr erteilt.
She gave him an ice-cold rejection.
In the context of disposal, 'Abfuhr' often appears in compound words such as 'Müllabfuhr' (garbage collection) or 'Sperrmüllabfuhr' (bulky waste collection). People also speak of the 'Abfuhr von Bauschutt' (removal of construction rubble) or the 'Abfuhr von Gartenabfällen' (removal of garden waste).
Die Müllabfuhr kommt bei uns immer dienstags.
Garbage collection comes to our place every Tuesday.
This colloquial meaning is typical of sports reporting. It is often intensified with adjectives that emphasize how clear the defeat was, e.g. 'eine herbe Abfuhr' (a heavy defeat), 'eine bittere Abfuhr' (a bitter defeat), or 'eine deutliche Abfuhr' (a clear defeat).
Der Tennisprofi erlitt im Halbfinale eine herbe Abfuhr.
The tennis pro suffered a heavy defeat in the semifinal.
defeat
Niederlage is the neutral term for losing a competition. Abfuhr is colloquial and emphasizes that the defeat was clear-cut. Niederlage is appropriate for an objective description; for a clear sporting result, you can pointedly speak of an Abfuhr.
Die Mannschaft musste nach dem deutlichen 0:6 eine Abfuhr hinnehmen.
The team had to suffer a heavy defeat after the decisive 0–6 loss.
Die Mannschaft musste nach dem knappen 1:2 eine Niederlage hinnehmen.
The team had to accept a defeat after the narrow 1–2 loss.
