die Gurke
cucumber
A long, green vegetable that is eaten raw in salads or pickled.
EXAMPLE
Ich schneide noch schnell eine Gurke für den Salat.
I'll quickly cut a cucumber for the salad.
die Gurke
cucumber
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Meanings
die Gurke
clunker
Colloquial for an old, unreliable, or bad vehicle or technical device.
EXAMPLE
Mit dieser alten Gurke von Auto traue ich mich nicht mehr auf die Autobahn.
I don't dare take this old clunker of a car onto the highway anymore.
die Gurke
useless player
Colloquial and derogatory for an incompetent or bad person, especially in sports.
EXAMPLE
Der neue Stürmer ist eine totale Gurke, er trifft nicht mal das leere Tor.
The new striker is a completely useless player; he can't even hit an empty goal.
Usage tips
Context clue
Which meaning of 'Gurke' (cucumber) is intended becomes clear immediately from the context. If it is about food, cooking, or shopping, it means the vegetable. In all other situations, especially when someone is complaining about something, one of the colloquial meanings is meant.
EXAMPLE
Für den Salat brauche ich noch eine Gurke.
I still need a cucumber for the salad.
Register: colloquial language
The terms for a bad vehicle or an incompetent person are colloquial and slightly derogatory. Use these meanings only in informal conversations among friends or acquaintances.
EXAMPLE
Mein erstes Auto war eine rostige Gurke.
My first car was a rusty clunker.
Typical collocations
When it refers to the vegetable, 'Gurke' (cucumber) is often combined with verbs of preparation. Typical phrases are: 'eine Gurke schälen' (to peel a cucumber), 'eine Gurke schneiden' (to cut a cucumber), or 'Gurken einlegen' (to pickle cucumbers).
EXAMPLE
Zuerst musst du die Gurke waschen und schälen.
First you have to wash and peel the cucumber.
Related verb
The verb 'herumgurken' is derived from the colloquial meaning for a bad vehicle. It means to drive around slowly, aimlessly, or in a bad vehicle.
EXAMPLE
Wir sind den ganzen Nachmittag mit dem alten Auto in der Stadt herumgegurkt.
We spent the whole afternoon driving around town in the old car.
Compare with
Gurke vs Versager
loser / dud
Die Gurke and der Versager can both be used derogatorily to refer to a poor sporting performance. “Die Gurke” focuses more on weak or clumsy performance in a specific situation, while “der Versager” portrays the person as unsuccessful overall and is more strongly derogatory. In sports, “Gurke” is often the more casual term.
Gurke
Nach diesem schwachen Spiel nannten die Fans den Stürmer eine Gurke.
After this poor game, the fans called the striker a dud.
Versager
Nach seinen wiederholten Niederlagen bezeichneten die Fans den Stürmer als Versager.
After his repeated defeats, the fans called the striker a loser.
In real life
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