nonsense
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nonsense
Colloquial and very rare for 'Unsinn' (nonsense) or 'wertloses Gerede' (worthless talk). Used predicatively and derived from the noun 'der Kohl' in the sense of 'dummes Zeug' (silly nonsense).
Was er da erzählt, ist doch alles Kohl.
What he's saying there is all nonsense.
This word is used exclusively predicatively, that is, after a verb like 'sein' (to be). It is never placed before a noun and is not declined.
Seine Ausrede ist doch Kohl.
His excuse is just nonsense.
The expression is strongly colloquial and is used only rarely today. You should know it in order to understand it, but it can sound old-fashioned in your own speech.
Glaub ihm kein Wort, der redet nur Kohl.
Don't believe a word he says; he's only talking nonsense.
The meaning 'Unsinn' (nonsense) derives from the noun 'der Kohl', which can mean not only the vegetable but also 'dummes Gerede' (silly talk). The phrase 'Kohl reden' (to talk nonsense) is a typical example of this.
Hör auf, solchen Kohl zu erzählen!
Stop telling such nonsense!
nonsense
Quatsch and Kohl can be used colloquially to dismiss a statement as nonsense. In contemporary German, Quatsch is a normal choice for this. Kohl in this sense, by contrast, is very rare and sounds unusual; learners should therefore generally use Quatsch in everyday situations.
In einem seltenen älteren Ausdruck heißt es: „Was Paul über den Unfall erzählt, ist doch Kohl.“
In a rare older expression, people say, “What Paul says about the accident is nonsense.”
Was Paul über den Unfall erzählt, ist doch Quatsch.
What Paul says about the accident is nonsense.
