der Mist
damn / crap
A colloquial exclamation of annoyance, disappointment, or mishap.
EXAMPLE
Mist! Jetzt habe ich den Bus verpasst.
Damn! Now I've missed the bus.
der Mist
crap / manure
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Meanings
der Mist
manure
The excrement of farm animals, often mixed with straw, used as fertilizer in agriculture.
EXAMPLE
Der Bauer bringt im Frühjahr den Mist auf die Felder aus.
The farmer spreads manure on the fields in spring.
der Mist
crap / nonsense
Colloquial for something of very poor quality, nonsense, or an unpleasant matter.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Film ist der größte Mist, den ich je gesehen habe.
This film is the biggest load of crap I've ever seen.
Usage tips
False friend
Careful, 'Mist' is a false friend! It does not mean the English word 'mist' (fine fog). The German word 'Mist' means animal manure or is a colloquial expression for annoyance or poor quality.
EXAMPLE
So ein Mist, ich habe schon wieder den falschen Knopf gedrückt!
Damn it, I pressed the wrong button again!
Register and context
The meaning of 'Mist' depends strongly on context. In agriculture, it is a neutral term for fertilizer. In everyday language, however, it is an informal, colloquial word for annoyance or something bad.
EXAMPLE
Der Bauer fährt den Mist auf sein Feld.
The farmer drives the manure onto his field.
Use as an exclamation
As an exclamation of annoyance, 'Mist!' usually stands alone at the beginning of a sentence, often followed by an exclamation mark. It introduces a statement about the mishap.
EXAMPLE
Mist! Jetzt habe ich mein Handy zu Hause vergessen.
Damn! Now I've forgotten my phone at home.
Typical expressions
In the meaning of 'Unsinn' (nonsense) or 'schlechte Sache' (bad thing), 'Mist' is often used in fixed expressions. Typical ones are 'Mist bauen' (to mess up / make a mistake), 'so ein Mist!' (what a mess! / damn it!), or 'Mist erzählen' (to talk nonsense).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe gestern bei der Arbeit totalen Mist gebaut.
I really messed up at work yesterday.
Compare with
Mist vs Müll
trash / garbage
Mist and Müll can both be used colloquially to describe something nonsensical or very bad. Mist can additionally emphasize annoyance about an unpleasant situation, while Müll works especially well when something is presented as worthless. In many statements, either word is possible, but the nuance is different.
Mist
Diese schlecht vorbereitete Präsentation ist Mist und ärgert das ganze Team.
This poorly prepared presentation is crap and is annoying the whole team.
Müll
Diese völlig wertlose Präsentation ist Müll und hilft dem Team überhaupt nicht.
This completely worthless presentation is garbage and does not help the team at all.
In real life
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