overwhelmed / slain
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overwhelmed
The feeling of being completely mentally or emotionally overloaded and exhausted by a large amount of information, tasks, or impressions.
Nach dem langen Meeting war ich von den vielen neuen Informationen total erschlagen.
After the long meeting, I was totally overwhelmed by all the new information.
slain
Describes the state of having been killed by violent blows. This use as an adjective is less common than the figurative meaning.
Der im Wald gefundene Mann war offensichtlich erschlagen worden.
The man found in the forest had obviously been slain.
'Erschlagen' (overwhelmed/slain) is the past participle of the verb 'erschlagen' (to kill someone by beating them). The prefix 'er-' often indicates a final result. The colloquial meaning 'überfordert' (overwhelmed) is a figurative transfer of this.
Die Nachricht von seinem Tod hat uns alle erschlagen.
The news of his death overwhelmed us all.
In the meaning 'überfordert' (overwhelmed), 'erschlagen' (overwhelmed) is often used with the preposition 'von' (+ dative) to name the cause of the overwhelm.
Ich bin von der Menge an Arbeit total erschlagen.
I am totally overwhelmed by the amount of work.
The figurative meaning 'überfordert' (overwhelmed) is very typical of spoken colloquial language. It expresses strong mental or emotional exhaustion.
Nach dem langen Flug war ich einfach nur noch erschlagen.
After the long flight, I was just completely wiped out.
The figurative meaning 'überfordert' (overwhelmed) is much more common in everyday life. The literal meaning 'getötet' (killed) occurs almost only in reports about crimes or in historical contexts.
Nach dem Umzug war sie von dem ganzen Chaos völlig erschlagen.
After the move, she was completely overwhelmed by all the chaos.
to struggle / kill time / flail
Erschlagen here describes a feeling of being severely overwhelmed and does not refer to a way of spending time. Die Zeit herumschlagen, by contrast, means filling a waiting period with unimportant activities. So, in the same waiting situation, you can feel erschlagen or pass the time.
Nach drei Stunden im überfüllten Wartezimmer fühlte ich mich völlig erschlagen.
After three hours in the overcrowded waiting room, I felt completely overwhelmed.
Drei Stunden lang schlug ich mir im Wartezimmer mit Zeitschriften die Zeit herum.
I killed time in the waiting room with magazines for three hours.
